Ping Pong Tables for Councils: Keeping the Community Active Through Table Tennis

Let’s be real: not everyone in our local community is into run clubs, Pilates and juice cleanses.

You’ve got families looking to spend more time together, teenagers who hang around the park when bored, and elderly couples whose idea of a workout is a quiet lawn bowls sesh followed by a couple rosés.

Running and Pilates? Not ideal for these folk.

So, how can we keep all members our local council area active, without pushing them into yoga pants or shoving green juices into their hands?

Table tennis, obviously.

Here’s why outdoor ping pong tables are quickly becoming a favourite addition to local parks in Australia, helping to keep everybody active:

Ping pong tables are glue that holds family gatherings together

We often take this for granted but, in Australia, we take our parks seriously. We deck ‘em out with barbecues, tables and benches, gazebos, playgrounds, public loos – our park game is pretty strong. And table tennis just makes our parks even better.

When Dad’s not on the barbie, and the youngsters aren’t on the monkey bars, the ping pong table is logically where all family members come together. Parents, kids, aunties and uncles, Nan and Pop – the whole lot can get around a bit of table tennis.

There’s no age limit to table tennis

From ages 4 to 90 and over, table tennis can be played at pretty much any age. If you watched the 2024 Paris Olympics, you might have seen Luxembourgish table tennis player Ni Xia Lian, serving up some heat on the TT table at the casual age of 61. In fact, she became the oldest table tennis player in history to secure a win at the Olympics. #bloodylegend.

Now, nobody’s expecting your Nan to pick up a bat at the local park and become an instant whiz like Mrs Lian – that’s not what it’s about. Community table tennis is about providing a fun, relaxed activity that can be played by all ages.

There’s no ability limit, either.

At the table tennis table, everyone’s welcome. No, seriously: everyone. Australia’s relationship with table tennis has always been about togetherness and breaking down barriers. It’s the place where all genders, cultures and abilities can come together and have fun – and what better place for this to happen than down at the local park.

Table tennis is a sport almost anyone can play. If you need proof, just look at Egyptian Paralympic table tennis star, Ibrahim Hamadtou. The dude has no arms and absolutely dominates on the ping pong table. He serves with his foot and holds the bat in his mouth. Simply inspiring stuff!

Table tennis has physical benefits…

Even when played casually, ping pong has a tonne of physical health benefits. It raises your heart rate, helps strengthen your muscles, mobilises your joints and improves reaction times and hand-eye coordination. It also gives you that mad endorphin rush, which bring us to our next point:

…and mental health benefits, too!

Endorphins are hormones that help regulate mood, and exercise is the best way to get ‘em firing up. Not only does table tennis get your endorphins going but, because you play it while hanging with mates, it also helps tick that social interaction box which is so important for mental health.

Outdoor ping pong tables for councils at PONGO

PONGO has created Australia’s best outdoor ping pong table for council parks, schoolyards and green spaces: PONGO Permanent. Robust and durable thanks to their 100% aluminium construction, these proudly Aussie-made tables are built for the unforgiving climate Down Under, and are quickly becoming a favourite addition to community spaces across the country. Keep your community moving by installing a PONGO Permanent in your area, and contact our friendly PONGO crew to learn more.