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Practice Profile
Implementing organisation:
Table Tennis England – National Federation
Geographical scope:
United Kingdom – England
Implementation period:
2015 – ongoing
Primary beneficiaries:
Clubs, coaches and staff, community groups and people experiencing mental health conditions.
Practice overview
Table Tennis England has taken a long-term organisational approach to mental health and wellbeing. In 2015, the federation signed the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation and became the first national governing body to submit a mental health action plan to Mind.
The organisation established an internal wellbeing working group, trained staff as Mental Health First Aiders, and piloted the Mind Mental Health in Sport course with staff and coaches.
Alongside its organisational work, Table Tennis England has used table tennis as an accessible community activity. Its Ping! programme places tables in public spaces, while the Ping for Health programme includes Move Your Mind with Suffolk Mind, providing funded mental wellbeing training for community deliverers. RS4MH VCoP Good Practices updat…
Core components
1. Written mental health action plan with clear organisational commitments.
2. Mental Health First Aid training for staff.
3. Mental health education for staff and coaches through the Mind Mental Health in Sport course.
4. Table tennis in community and mental health settings, including discounted tables.
5. Ping! programme bringing table tennis into public spaces.
6. Training of community deliverers and volunteers in partnership with a mental health organisation. RS4MH VCoP Good Practices updat…
Relevance to youth mental health and racket sports
This practice demonstrates how a national racket sport federation can move beyond individual activities and develop a long-term organisational approach to mental health.
The combination of an action plan, staff training, community access and partnerships with mental health organisations creates several layers of support around participants.
Table tennis is particularly relevant to the RS4MH focus on schools, grassroots clubs and remote or less-developed communities, because it can be played in relatively small and flexible spaces. The practice also demonstrates the principle that sport should be made accessible where people already are, rather than requiring everyone to enter a traditional sports environment. RS4MH VCoP Good Practices updat…
Transfer and adaptation potential
Very High.
The full Table Tennis England approach does not need to be replicated. Grassroots clubs and schools could adapt individual elements according to their resources.
For example, an organisation could:
– create a simple Mental Health Action Plan;
– nominate a staff member or volunteer as a mental health contact;
– provide basic mental health awareness training for coaches;
– place racket sport equipment in schools, youth centres or community spaces;
– cooperate with a local mental health organisation;
– organise inclusive, low-pressure table tennis sessions;
– create clear signposting to professional support services.
The action-plan approach is particularly suitable for RS4MH partner clubs because it can be adapted to the size and capacity of each organisation. RS4MH VCoP Good Practices updat…
Reference sources
1. Table Tennis England – Mental Health Charter case study
2. Table Tennis England – Ping for Health
VCoP Reflection
What are the first three actions your club, school or organisation could include in a simple Mental Health Action Plan to make racket sport a more supportive environment for young people?
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