Winning the Coach of the Year award at the Cloudathlete Pride of Table Tennis Awards was an emotional moment for Peter Thompson.
Peter, from Leeds, received the award at the Cloudathlete Pride of Table Tennis Awards ceremony during the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026 Presented by ACN.
He and other shortlisted nominees also had the chance to watch England in action at OVO Arena Wembley – the same venue where Peter’s mum Kathleen Best won silver at the 1954 World Championships.
She & Ann Haydon appeared in the only all-England final in World Championships history, losing the Women’s Doubles gold medal match to twins Diane & Rosalind Rowe.
Peter has continued a family tradition by becoming involved in table tennis and his citation as Coach of the Year winner reads as follows:
Peter Thompson, known as “Ping Pong Pete”, has transformed lives across Leeds through his PingPong4U programme, delivering coaching at Shakespeare Primary School and within the Harehills community, including the CATCH Community Hub. Through the Ping! programme, he has engaged groups including ethnic minority girls, a men’s mental health group and people with learning disabilities, using table tennis to build confidence and connection. Nurturing players in a respectful inclusive environment.
Peter said: “It feels fantastic to be here because 72 years ago, my mum played here in the Women’s Doubles all-England final, so it’s quite an emotional day.
“I play with all sorts of people, this great game. I play with people who are ex-prisoners, people with special needs and I play with lots of young people, some of which come from Shakespeare school in Leeds, who just came fourth in the Butterfly Schools finals.
“I completely love it. Up until 12 years ago I was a wrinkly old bald headteacher, and now I get up every day, looking forward to bringing a lot of fun through this fantastic game, and it really is a complete joy every single day, I love it.
“I’m sure there are many better people to be Coach of the Year. However, whoever thought it should be me this year, I’m delighted. It’s great, I’m learning all the time. I just want to help people have a lot of fun if they also compete and do well, all the better.”
Peter encourages others to get into the sport as well, checking out places to play near them on our Table Finder.
His advice is: “Enjoy it, keep fit, and there’s lots of great people that I’m sure you’ll meet along the way.
“This is the great game; it can include everybody. I’ve got a great friend of mine who plays in a wheelchair; I’ve played with some very young children, I’ve played with people in care homes, people with Parkinson’s.
“We can have great, great fun playing this game and I strongly recommend getting involved.”