English Table Tennis Association Facilities Guidance Note 2010-2013

9.2 Outdoor Table Tennis case studies
Park Ping Pong - “free n’easy”, healthy & active!
Dulwich Park has a high visitor count of locals and
people who travel to enjoy the park. Here are some
reactions of the public:
“It’s brilliant, as soon as we saw the
tables, we went off to buy some cheap
bats. We’re regular players now”
Father of family of four
Four outdoor, permanent, concrete table tennis tables
have been installed in Dulwich Park, London SE21, near
to the children’s playgrounds and the outdoor gym.
The tables are free to play on as part of Sport England
and the English Table Tennis Association’s strategy to
introduce the sport and raise its public profile to more
people as a fun, easy to play, healthy activity.
The first few weeks saw literally hundreds of users
ranging from toddlers to grandmothers, young
professional tykes and even a pregnant lady – proving
that this sport is appealing to all and compelling to most
who come back time and again for more!
“It’s a great idea because everyone can
play, but not everyone has a garden or
a garage to put up a table”
Man with young daughter
“We’ve been down every night since
they were installed and sometimes you
have to queue to get on. One night
it was so busy we didn’t even get to
play!” Man with son
The tables have arrived... let the people play!
“We are quickly proving that where
there is access to tables, bats and
balls, there are no barriers and people
play; it’s really as simple as that!”
Diccon Gray - Development Manager at ETTA
During the May 2010 community fair, 1 park + 4 table
tennis tables + 8 bats = 130 players over a 4 hour period.
“the outdoor Table Tennis is fantastic
and has exceeded our expectations;
it is part of our new offer of park
activities contributing to NI8 – raising
levels of adult participation in sport
and physical recreation”.
Paul Highman - Dulwich Area Park Manager
Further details: www.etta.co.uk/outdoortabletennis
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