Table Tennis England has announced a new competition format will come into effect next season.

Around the Table

Table Tennis England will oversee the organisation of 23 Around the Table competitions during the 2018/19 season.

From 1* tournaments to top level national events, the competitions will take place across the country, culminating in the Around the World National Championships.

It is hoped that the new format of competitive table tennis can follow the success of other sporting variations such as 20-20 cricket and beach volleyball and bring in a whole new generation of players and fans into the sport.

Advanced negotiations are underway with multiple sponsors, aiming to bring substantial prize money throughout the series.

Notably, a national television broadcaster has expressed an interest in producing the series of competitions live on terrestrial television.

There will be a transition period whilst the new rules and format are confirmed. Table Tennis England will work with coaches, clubs, officials and volunteers during this period to ensure that everyone is up to speed with the competition.

More details, including an Around the Table national ranking system, will be announced at a later date.

What does National Champion, Paul Drinkhall, think?

How about the umpires?

So . . .

Did you fall for this? Yes, it was indeed our April Fool’s Day article and there are no plans for an Around the World competition format. Well, at least not yet . . . !