Girls-only cadet league draws 120 players in strong opening day
A girls-only cadet league opened with 122 players and 44 teams, a turnout that suggests real demand beyond a pilot launch.
More than 120 girls filled four venues on the opening day of Table Tennis England’s girls-only Cadet British Clubs League, and the size of the launch made one thing clear: this was no token trial. Across Halton, Highfield, Greenhouse and Worthing TTC, 122 players took part in 44 teams from 25 clubs, with 62 of those players still without a national rating.
That matters because the league was built as a response to a participation problem, not as a branding exercise. Table Tennis England created the girls-only cadet section after member consultation, with the aim of giving girls a more welcoming competitive environment at under-15 level. The governing body has said mixed settings can become a barrier for some players at this age, and the launch is meant to remove that friction before it drives girls out of the pathway.
The opening-day spread showed the scale of the ambition. Halton and Highfield each staged three divisions and 12 teams, while Worthing and Greenhouse each hosted two divisions and 10 teams. The league opened on 28 May 2026 and is set to continue on 14 June and 12 July, with the season structured as a three-round pilot. Entry materials set the trial at £80 per team, with a minimum of two eligible players required, and registrations were handled online through TT Leagues.
The bigger question now is not whether the concept can launch, but whether it can hold players. Neil Rogers, Table Tennis England’s Head of Competition and Events, said the main objective is to create more opportunities for girls to start playing at entry level, and the first-day numbers support that case. More than half of the participants were new to Cadet or Junior BCL, which suggests the league is reaching beyond the usual competitive core and drawing in players who had not previously found a route into national club play.
That is where success will be measured over the next two rounds and beyond: retention, club growth, and progression into the wider ladder. The girls-only cadet pilot was announced on 14 May 2025 for the 2025/26 season, reviewed as a one-year test, and could be carried into 2026/27 if it proves sustainable. It also fits Table Tennis England’s wider gender-parity drive, with women making up 51% of England’s population but only 12% of members, 17% of coaches and 3% of club or league chairs. The new cadet tier now gives the sport another chance to move those numbers in the right direction.
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