New guidance on where you can play table tennis

Following the publication today of Government guidance on how England will begin to move out of lockdown, we have updated our guidance on playing table tennis.

First and foremost, any sporting activity must take place outdoors and within the safe travel and social distancing guidelines set out by the Government. Social gatherings are not permitted.

On Friday we outlined our staged approach which we felt would allow table tennis to return in a safe way, whilst still meeting social distancing and Government guidance. In addition to this, our guidance document created to support clubs and leagues in this first stage, can be downloaded by clicking here.

Stage 1 of our recommendations has now been adjusted following the Government announcement on Sunday evening and further information received today.

At the discretion of the landowner, from Wednesday May 13, outdoor public table tennis tables will be available again for people to use, with members of their household or one other person only. No more than two people at any one time should be playing on the same table.

This does not change the current recommendation about playing table tennis indoors – table tennis should only currently be played indoors in your own household and with members of your own household. Exercise in an indoor sports court, gym or leisure centre is still prohibited.

We have released a five-stage process for a return to club and competitive action, including guidance for clubs to help them plan through the weeks ahead – please click here to visit our advice page.

If you are in a position to play on an outdoor table, while abiding by government advice, you can find a list of the outdoor tables we are aware of by clicking here – please search by outdoor tables, and please be aware that some of these tables may be placed in areas that are inaccessible due to playgrounds/outdoor gyms still being closed.

Our guidance when using outdoor table tennis tables is:

• Players should wipe down the table before and after use with their own antibacterial wipes
• Players should bring and use their own bats and balls. This equipment should not be shared with others. If playing with a person not from their household, two different balls should be used (e.g. using two different colour balls) so players only need to handle their own ball
• A distance of 2m between players and others should be kept at all times
• Avoid handshakes or other physical contact
• If you are showing coronavirus symptoms, or if you or any of your household are self-isolating, you should stay at home and not use such facilities
• Players should use one side of the table and not swap ends