They actually came.
Ten countries, three continents and more than thirty people, some travelling thousands of miles to be there.
People who had spent years talking to one another through an internet forum were now walking into a sports hall in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Some had come alone. Others were meeting people face to face for the first time, despite having known them online for more than a decade.
And there I was, watching them arrive.
Names I'd recognised for years suddenly had faces. People who, until that moment, had existed behind a username were standing in front of me, shaking hands, introducing themselves and preparing to spend a weekend together.
All because we'd decided to organise a table tennis gathering.
It was genuinely humbling.
These people had given up their time, spent their money and travelled across the world to be part of something I'd organised. I felt an enormous sense of pride, and we hadn't even started playing yet.
Somehow, our shared love of this wonderfully peculiar sport had brought us all to the same place.
To understand how we got there, though, we need to go back a year.
To three Badgers, a speculative message on a forum, and a man called Jan.
Three Badgers and a Czech gentleman
In 2025, I posted a message on the TableTennisDaily forum.
Three of us from Bugbrooke Badgers, a table tennis team in Northamptonshire, England, fancied taking our bats abroad.
The plan was simple. Find someone willing to host us, visit their club, play some table tennis and experience the sport somewhere different.
Enter Jan.
Known as Latej on the forum, Jan offered to welcome three complete strangers to the Czech Republic.
And welcome us he did.
He proved to be the most gracious host anyone could hope for, going out of his way to make sure we had an unforgettable experience.
We enjoyed two fantastic evenings of table tennis, experienced his extraordinary hospitality and made a proper European adventure of it, taking in Slovakia, Hungary and Austria along the way.
What started as a simple trip to play a few matches had become something we'd remember for years.
You can read the full account of our adventure in Three Badgers, One Czech Assassin and a Very Expensive Lighthouse.
Looking back now, I can see that it was where this whole idea really began.
We just didn't realise it at the time.
A plan gets slightly out of hand
The Czech Republic had been such a success that, once we returned, I decided we should do it again.
Another message went onto the forum, asking whether somebody might be willing to host us the following year.
Dan Ives got in touch, liked the idea and helped establish contact with Borussia Düsseldorf.
And that's when I started thinking a little bigger.
There were people on that forum who had been talking to one another for more than ten years. They'd shared advice, debated equipment, celebrated victories and occasionally disagreed about matters of absolutely monumental importance. Usually involving rubber.
Yet many had never met.
Why not change that?
Rather than organise another trip for three players, I decided to bring the wider community together.
With Borussia Düsseldorf kindly agreeing to provide the venue, I set about organising an international gathering.
I put the invitation out, and the response was far bigger than I'd expected.
By September 2026, people from ten different countries were preparing to make the journey.
Something special happened in Düsseldorf
There was a little initial awkwardness, of course.
We'd spent years communicating through keyboards. Actual face-to-face conversation was something of a departure from the established format.
Some arrived with friends. Others walked through the doors knowing nobody in person.
But it didn't take long.
Conversations started, laughter followed, and people began looking out for one another. Lifts were offered, knowledge was shared, and people who'd never met were making plans for meals and evenings out.
But the most memorable moments weren't necessarily happening at the tables.
People from different countries, cultures and walks of life were finding common ground through a sport they all loved.
And then there was Jan, our original Czech host.
He won the main round robin competition.
His prize was a blade signed by the legendary Timo Boll. For any table tennis enthusiast, that's something rather special.
And what did Jan do with it?
He gave it away.
A friend's young daughter had recently started playing table tennis, and Jan decided she'd appreciate it.
Of course he did.
The man whose generosity had helped start this entire adventure was still finding ways to make somebody else's experience better.
That's the sort of person this sport can bring into your life.
Düsseldorf was full of that same spirit. Small gestures, unexpected kindness and people enjoying one another's company without particularly caring where they came from.
We'd arrived from different countries, representing different clubs and playing at different levels.
Yet for a few days, it felt like we were all part of the same club.
And I found myself wondering why that feeling should have to end when we went home.
For the matches, memorable characters and everything else that happened over the weekend, you can read the full Düsseldorf 2026 recap.
From one club to something bigger
I've been fortunate enough to experience what belonging to a club can mean.
Playing for Bugbrooke Badgers has never just been about turning up, winning a few matches and going home.
We have our own name, our own badge and an identity we're proud of. There's a sense of unity that comes with representing something together, knowing you're part of a team rather than simply playing for yourself.
Table tennis might be an individual sport when you step up to the table, but it certainly doesn't have to feel like one.
Table tennis is played all over the world, yet the sport can feel surprisingly disconnected. We have local clubs, leagues and online communities, but very little that gives players a shared identity beyond those individual circles.
I'd love to be able to visit another country, find fellow members and arrange a game. Or see teams organising overseas tours, discovering new clubs and creating experiences like the ones we'd enjoyed in the Czech Republic and Düsseldorf.
But more than any individual activity, I kept coming back to the idea of belonging.
What if we could create a truly global table tennis club?
One with its own identity, its own badge and members around the world, united by their love for the game.
That became the idea behind The Clubhouse.
One club. A world of table tennis.
The Clubhouse is a global club for anyone who loves table tennis.
It doesn't matter whether you compete internationally, play in a local league, attend training sessions or simply enjoy a casual game. Whether you play for a major club or in a village hall with three tables and a temperamental heater.
If you love the game, you belong.
You might want to find players when travelling, organise a club visit or get involved in events.
You might enjoy following the experiences of members in other countries.
Or you might simply like the idea of being part of a global club, knowing that other people around the world share that identity.
There's room for all of it.
Because membership shouldn't be measured by how often you participate or how many people you meet.
It should be something you're proud to have, without feeling like another commitment you have to keep up with.
These are early days for The Clubhouse. I rather like the thought that, years from now, people will be able to look back and say they were here at the beginning.
Imagine what this could become
Imagine walking into a table tennis hall in a country you've never visited.
You don't know anybody, and you're a long way from home.
Then, across the hall, you spot someone wearing a badge you recognise.
The Clubhouse.
Perhaps you've never met them. Perhaps you never will.
You might introduce yourself, arrange a practice or end up supporting each other during a difficult match.
Or perhaps you'll simply exchange a nod and carry on with your day.
It doesn't really matter.
Because wherever you're from, whatever your ability and whether or not you represent a team, you belong to the same club.
Now imagine that badge becoming a familiar sight in table tennis halls around the world.
Not tied to one town, one league or one country.
Recognised because of the people who choose to wear it.
That's what I'd love The Clubhouse to become.
And when I think back to Düsseldorf, to those people arriving from across the world because of an idea that started with a few friends, it doesn't seem quite so far-fetched.
Not long ago, I was hoping someone abroad might welcome three Badgers for a game of table tennis.
A year later, I was watching people from ten different countries arrive in Düsseldorf.
It's remarkable what can happen when someone is willing to open a door.
The Clubhouse is where that story goes next.
Wherever you play, you belong.