Women’s Sport Gains Momentum: New โFacilities for London City lionesses, Digital Boost for Table Tennis England, and Toppsโ Targets Young Fans
KENT, ENGLAND – A wave of investmentโ and innovation is sweeping through women’s and โyouth โคsport this week, highlighted by a landmark planning approval for a โstate-of-the-art training facility for London Cityโค Lionesses, โขa digital overhaulโ for Table Tennis England, and a targeted campaign from trading card giant Topps.
The London City โLionesses, a professional women’s football club, received approval from Tonbridge โขand Malling Council to build what is being touted as “theโ leading performance campus in the world” for women’s sport. The facility aims to eliminate historical barriers faced by female athletes and provide a top-tier training habitat.
“this is more than just a planning decision – it’sโ a game-changing moment for women’s football,” said Martin Semmens, CEO of Londonโค City Lionesses. “The facilities we will create โhere will set the gold standard.Theyโฃ will be comparable to a men’s Premier League team, specifically designed to meet the needs of our female athletes.” The new home forโ theโฃ club will be โlocated in Kent, with construction expected to โbegin in theโค coming months.
Elsewhere, Table Tennis England โฃis embarking on a significant digital transformation, appointing Cloudathlete as its โpartner โคfor its membership platform and wider digital โservices. Developed by Rocca, already a โsupplier providing TT Leagues and TT Clubs management platforms, the new system will launch fully in July 2026, beginning with the โข2026/27 membership season.
The partnership aims to โstreamline membership processes,introduce a โmodern competition management system,and enable more personalized communication and data-driven insights.โฃ Sally Lockyer, CEO of Table Tennis England, emphasized the long-term vision: “This marks the start of โa journey that will reshape how โขwe connect with our players, volunteers, clubs and fans.It’s not just about new systems – it’s about buildingโข the foundations to support every level of the game and set us up for โthe future.”
Rounding out the news,Topps has โlaunched a nationwideโฃ 3D ad van campaign to promoteโ its new 25/26 Match Attax UCC Collection.โข The campaign, โขexecuted byโ Mobile Media, utilizes vans equipped with 3D digital displays, visiting schools and showcasing cards featuring footballers like Ousmane Dembรฉlรฉ, Ronaldinho, and Cole Palmer.
Joe Heatley-baillie, Marketing Director for UKโค &โ ROI at Topps, explained the strategy: โค”The new Match Attax UCC Collection is all about raising the game – and this activation certainly brought the uniqueness of collecting to โฃlife. We wanted to create a truly memorableโค experience for kidsโ and collectors, โขand there’s โฃno better place to celebrate football fandom โขthan in the schools whereโค so many young fans first fall in love with โthe game.”
These developments reflect a growing trend of investment andโฃ focus โon enhancing opportunities and experiences within women’s sport and youth โengagement, signaling a positive โขtrajectory for the future of these sectors.