Do you know an unsung hero who goes the extra mile to make our sport great? Or perhaps your club or league have made huge strides this year and are deserving of recognition?

The annual Pride of Table Tennis Awards seeks to honour the volunteers, officials, coaches and personalities who are the heartbeat of the sport around the country and nominations are open now!

They will recognise individuals and organisations who are committed to developing and improving participation and performance in table tennis. That might be through breaking down barriers of inclusivity, promoting diversity or nurturing talented youngsters, or positively impacting on people’s lives through table tennis in any other way.

Last year, a total of 120 nominations were received, including dozens of Club and League Volunteer of the Year nominations. This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the contribution and hard work a volunteer may have made in the past year at your club or league and you will receive a certificate to present to your chosen winner. Your nomination will then go to the regional voting panel for a chance of being recognised regionally and nationally.

One of our National winners was Torbay Table Tennis Academy, which won the Club of the Year category. A club spokesperson said:

“Torbay Table Tennis Academy was established in 2011 and since has had an ever-growing membership. We are regularly putting on new sessions for beginners, talented young players, women and girl only, are soon to become an ‘Alzheimer’s friendly club’ and we remain committed to sending our most talented players to National and International competitions, who have picked up a number of medals in European tournaments.

“When the announcement was made that we were club of the year we were completely shocked. We had gone to the ceremony to enjoy the occasion and meet up with old friends and it took a few moments for it to sink in that we had won!

“Since then the club has been very busy. Although we stopped actively recruiting for new members some time ago, not a week goes by without a new face appearing at the club, so much so that we have had to add new sessions to cope. The newcomers being from all ages and abilities, keeping our coaches very busy.”

Our Club of the Year award is now both a regional and national category so if your club has made a significant impact or achievement over the past 12 months, we urge you to make a nomination!

Full details and categories can be found on our website here. The application deadline is Friday 21st September at 5pm.