Worthing TTC launches Junior Team 1 Star event to fill gap in English youth table tennis

Worthing Table Tennis Club has announced a new Junior Team 1 Star event, scheduled for Saturday, 10 October. The competition will use two-player teams in a progressive knockout format, ensuring each team plays multiple matches rather than being eliminated after one loss. It is a supplementary, club-initiated event designed to fill a gap in team match-play for junior players below Youth British Clubs League (YouthBCL) standard. The announcement comes as English youth table tennis operates on a three-tier pyramid. At the top is the YouthBCL, the national youth club team competition for the strongest clubs, played on national weekends with high travel demands. Below it sit JuniorBCL and CadetBCL, which are more localised, involve less travel, cost less and use a more flexible format. The new Junior Team 1 Star event sits at the base of this pyramid as a supplementary, club-created competition for teams that cannot enter or are excluded from the official national leagues. Matt Porter, Head Coach of Worthing TTC, said the idea came from a simple question: “What can we do for our boys and the other teams that haven't got in?” According to Porter, many junior teams in England want team match-play but either miss YouthBCL entry or cannot meet its demands. The Junior Team 1 Star event is intended as a practical supplement, giving young players more real matches, teamwork experience and competitive development. The two-player team format is notable. Instead of single-elimination, the event uses a progressive knockout, meaning teams continue competing after a loss to guarantee a maximum number of matches. This design suits development: it prioritises match volume and experience over harsh elimination. For juniors below Cadet or Junior level, playing several team matches can matter more than winning a title. The calendar has also been confirmed. The Junior Team 1 Star event takes place on Saturday, 10 October. The JuniorBCL entry deadline is Wednesday, 16 September, while the CadetBCL entry deadline is Wednesday, 28 October. The new event sits between those two deadlines, suggesting it can catch teams that missed or were excluded from the earlier entry window. So far, the event has attracted interest from several clubs. In addition to Worthing TTC, teams from Jersey and Guernsey have confirmed entries. That is significant because Jersey and Guernsey are in the Channel Islands, outside mainland England. For them, the main barrier to YouthBCL participation is not only standard but geography and travel cost. A more localised event gives island juniors more team match-play without excessive travel. Lisa De Poerck of Jersey Table Tennis said the Jersey boys' team was not going to be in the YouthBCL this year. That made finding an alternative competition urgent. According to De Poerck, Jersey juniors still need a team environment to stay motivated and develop. The Junior Team 1 Star event is seen as a reasonable solution in that context. The event also receives support from Table Tennis England and TAP. Named contacts include Neil Rogers and John Mackey. The quick turnaround from initial idea to scheduled event suggests a co-production model between the national governing body and a local club is working at development level. Worthing TTC thanked Table Tennis England and TAP for helping make the event possible. Worthing TTC is not an unknown name at youth level. Its team won its division last season. The announcement also stresses the club's commitment to developing junior players both on and off the table. For a community club, adding a team event is a way to widen opportunity, retain young players longer and turn isolated individuals into members of a competitive squad. Despite the positive tone, the event has limitations. It is a development-tier competition with no ITTF/WTT ranking points, no disclosed prize money and no place in an Olympic cycle. The main risk is not competitive but sustainability. If it runs only once, it will not close the long-term gap. If it becomes an annual fixture, it could encourage other clubs to organise similar events. Systemically, Junior Team 1 Star reflects a reality: demand for team match-play among English junior table tennis players exceeds what official leagues absorb. When teams cannot enter YouthBCL or are excluded for geographic reasons, they need a supplementary tier. A club-led event with governing-body backing shows that a bottom-up development model can work at low cost and with high flexibility. Matt Porter hopes the event will give juniors a complete team experience. He stresses that two-player team play teaches mutual support, pressure management and the value of competing for a group. For smaller or remote clubs, it may be a more realistic option than trying to enter expensive national competitions. From Jersey, De Poerck hopes young players will use the opportunity to gain experience. She believes an additional team event at the right level helps teams stay active, especially when they do not have a YouthBCL place. Guernsey's participation further strengthens the event's geographic diversity. The organisers say the event will be reviewed after it concludes. If successful, they hope it will become a regular fixture in the junior calendar. Signals to watch include entry numbers, matches played per team, club satisfaction and whether Table Tennis England formalises the event within the official pathway. At a time when global table tennis focuses on elite competitions, initiatives like Junior Team 1 Star remind the sport that every system rests on grassroots foundations. Young players need to compete, make mistakes and grow in a team environment. If the club-led model spreads, it could become an important channel for retaining young talent and widening the player base in England. The Junior Team 1 Star event will not create stars overnight. Its value is practical: an appropriate-level competition, reasonable cost, team identity and enough flexibility to attract distant entries such as Jersey and Guernsey. The remaining question is whether it can sustain its rhythm and grow into a familiar part of English youth table tennis.