The club management software that speaks table tennis
Paak already handles your members, dues, teams and compliance. For table tennis the member profile is FFTT-preconfigured: ranking points as a numeric integer, 5 post-2022 licence types, Baby Ping and PPP pathway as a picklist. Dedicated Interclubs and Criterium session types ready to use, 8 match stats. Complementary to SPID and GIRPE, not a replacement.
SPID + GIRPE + Paak — complementary, not competitors
The French table tennis federation operates its own tools: SPID v2 for licences and team registrations, GIRPE v2 for entering interclubs match sheets (auto-syncs to SPID since v7.4). You keep both. Paak does not try to replace them — we take on everything the federation tools don't do at club-operations level.
Stays in SPID v2
Licence issuance, team registrations, tournament homologation, official ranking, federal declarations.
Stays in GIRPE v2
Official interclubs match sheet (14 individual matches + doubles on 2 tables), auto-sync to SPID. Official FFTT desktop app.
What Paak adds
Dues, Mollie payments, callups, training attendance, per-player match statistics, youth PPP pathway, equipment (rubbers, blades), parent communications, volunteers, sponsors, honourability compliance.
Bridge to SPID
CSV import today. Smartping API connector planned as soon as FFTT grants us signed credentials — the fftt-smartping entry is already reserved in Paak's federation registry.
FFTT points ranking — numeric, not lexical
The FFTT ranking is a points total, not a bounded lexical grid like tennis (FFT) or a single ELO figure like chess. Seniors start at 500 points (~5 for the youngest) and exchange points at every official match according to the federal scale. Paak stores the total as an integer field on the profile, alongside the phase (Phase 1 September / Phase 2 January). Manual entry after each official update.
Why a numeric field: a French player doesn't say "D2" or "-15", they say "1634 points, phase 2". Paak stores the real figure rather than a lossy picklist. Roadmap (ticket SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP): automatic phase drift job (−5 pts), automatic letter derivation (NC→D→C→B→A→Numbered), time-series history of points evolution. Today: the most recent entered ranking is what's displayed.
Teams-of-4 championship + individual Federal Criterium
The FFTT's two flagship competition formats are dedicated session types in Paak: Interclubs (team championship, phase-based, from departmental to Pro A) and Federal Criterium (individual, 4 rounds per season, promotion/relegation between national, regional, departmental tiers).
Interclubs Team championship
Dedicated Interclubs session type, manual team composition with the ranking visible on each player card, callups with RSVP, per-player stats capture during the match. The official match sheet (14 singles + doubles) stays in GIRPE v2 — it auto-syncs to SPID. Paak complements without duplicating federal work. Automatic ranking-sort and automatic licence-validity verification are on the roadmap (SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP).
Federal Criterium Individual — 4 rounds
Dedicated Criterium session type with callups by age category and individual results captured into the player profile. A dedicated view of promotion/relegation across the 4 rounds (national → regional → departmental tiers) is a planned feature (SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP) — today, results are stored per profile, consulted session by session.
Homologated tournaments Open
All-level tournaments (International, National A/B, Regional, Departmental, Promotional) are managed as Tournament session type. Homologation itself stays federal (SPID) — Paak handles club registrations, entry fees, callups and result capture.
The 5 post-2022 FFTT licence types
In 2022, the FFTT overhauled its licence offer: Traditional → Competition and Promotional → Leisure. Paak exposes all five current types in the profile with annual validity, medical certificate or health questionnaire, and FFTT age category.
Competition
Formerly Traditional. Enables registration for official events, ranking impact, Interclubs and Criterium play.
Leisure
Formerly Promotional. Non-competitive play, access to promotional events. Perfect for adult beginners.
Event (ATP)
Day licence, maximum 4 per season per FFTT rules. For one-off tournaments or trial sessions. Automatic quota counter (tracking the 4-per-season limit) is planned — not in place today.
Officer
Club presidents, treasurers, secretaries, committee members. No competitive play — covers associative governance.
Corporate
FFTT corporate championship for company teams. Managed separately in the profile if the club hosts a corporate section.
Youth pathway — Baby Ping → PPP → competition
The FFTT has codified a complete pedagogical progression for young players, from Baby Ping (4-7yo) to Premier Pas Pongiste (PPP, "First Pongist Steps", 4-11yo) with two workshop cycles. Most club management tools ignore this framework entirely. Paak exposes it as a dedicated picklist on the youth profile — you set the current stage manually, it stays visible. Stage-by-stage time-series history is a planned feature (SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP).
Foam + 55mm + two-tone kits
6 workshops, FFTT assessment grids
2 workshops + 3 matches
Pre-competition training
First tournaments
Official ranking
Why it matters: youth sections are often run by volunteer coaches who track progression in a paper notebook. When the coach changes, institutional memory leaves with them. Paak names the PPP stage explicitly on the profile — memory stays with the profile. A portable "PPP history" export for inter-club transfer is a planned feature (SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP).
Live statistics during the match
During the match, a + and − on the phone adjusts each player's score. The 8 available statistics cover the first four strokes (where Jean-Philippe Gatien famously argued 70% of points are decided) and long rallies.
| Statistic | Impact | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Points won on service | +1.5 | Service efficiency + 3rd-ball attack |
| Points won on return | +1.5 | Return aggression, opponent service neutralisation |
| Service winners | +2 | Unreturnable serve, opponent doesn't touch the ball |
| Forehand winners | +1.5 | FH topspin or smash finishing the point |
| Backhand winners | +1.5 | BH counter, flip, block finishing the point |
| Short-play points won | +1 | Decided in the first 3 strokes |
| Long-rally points won | +1 | 5+ strokes, consistency and conditioning |
| Unforced errors | −1.5 | Errors without opponent pressure — drill at training |
Sanctions — ITTF 3-tier system
ITTF rule 3.5.2 defines three sanction tiers applied by the umpire. Paak models all three faithfully with rating impact.
| Sanction | ITTF rule | Rating impact |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow card | First warning (shown alone) | −1 |
| Point penalty | Yellow + red held together = 1 pt to opponent (2 pts for second) | −2 |
| Game penalty | Escalation: loss of current game | −4 |
Member profile — everything SPID doesn't hold
FFTT licence number
6 to 8 digits (regex validation built in). Smartping autofill lands when credentials are issued.
Ranking points (numeric)
Integer 0–4000. Raw figure preserved rather than a lossy lexical picklist. Manual entry after each official update.
Ranking phase
Phase 1 (September) or Phase 2 (January), picklist on the profile. Automatic −5 pt drift job is planned (SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP).
Licence type
Competition, Leisure, Event, Officer or Corporate. Picklist covering the 5 post-2022 types.
FFTT age category
Baby ping, Poussin, Benjamin, Minime, Cadet, Junior, Senior, Veteran 40+/50+/60+/70+. Picklist selected on the profile — automatic derivation from date-of-birth is planned.
Youth pathway stage
Baby Ping → PPP Cycles 1-2 and 3 → Ping academy → Pre-competition → Competition. Picklist on the profile, manually advanced by the coach.
Playing hand & grip
Right / left / ambidextrous, shakehand or penhold. Tactical information for team composition.
Forehand & backhand rubber
Inverted, short pimples, long pimples, anti-topspin. Useful for analysing losses against defensive profiles.
Playing style
Topspin attacker, block-counter attacker, modern defender, chopper, all-round. Team-selection criterion.
Medical certificate / QS-Sport
Three-year validity for adults, annual before competition. Renewal reminders via Paak's qualification system (cadence configurable at platform level).
Automatically computed metrics
Winners vs errors
Ratio (FH winners + BH winners) / (winners + unforced errors). Measures offensive solidity without burning out.
Forehand dominance
Percentage of winners coming from FH. A player at 80% FH dominance is a profile to unbalance via the backhand side.
Service conversion
% points won on service / total points won. Flags players over-relying on service — coaching target.
Best-of-5 format
Paak is pre-configured for the FFTT standard: best-of-5 games to 11 (2-point margin). Per-session override to best-of-7 for Pro A/B is planned (SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP).
FFTT club compliance
- Annual FFTT licence with renewal reminders via the qualification system
- Medical certificate (3-year validity) or health questionnaire (annual before competition)
- Coaching staff honourability check (French law of 8 March 2024)
- Coach certifications: Federal Initiator, Federal Animator, Federal Coach, CQP Monitor, BPJEPS, DEJEPS, DESJEPS
- Umpires, regional referees, federal referees
- Event-licence quota (max 4 per player per season) — automatic counter on the roadmap (SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP)
Table tennis on top of everything Paak already does
Everything above — numeric ranking, post-2022 licences, Interclubs, Criterium, PPP, first-four-strokes stats — adds to the full club management platform.
- Members, dues and families (household groups)
- Online payments via Mollie (0.82% platform fee, SEPA included)
- Training schedule, tables, bookings
- Parent communications (minor members carry specific legal obligations)
- Volunteer management and internal tournaments
- Equipment distribution (rubbers, blades, club apparel)
- Local sponsors (bakery next door, mutual insurance, hardware store)
- On-site emergency protocols
- Integrated sporting advisor on Paak Pro (modelled on a French world champion)
- GDPR-compliant, hosted in France (OVHcloud)
Frequently asked questions
Does Paak replace SPID and GIRPE?
No. SPID v2 is the federation's portal for licences and team registrations; GIRPE v2 is the mandatory desktop app for recording interclubs match sheets (auto-syncs to SPID since v7.4). You keep both. Paak complements them: dues, payments, youth academies, Criterium tournaments, callups, match statistics, parent communications, honourability compliance.
Does Paak track the FFTT points-based ranking?
Yes — as an integer field on the member profile with the associated phase (Phase 1 September / Phase 2 January). The total matches the FFTT scale, entered manually after each official or monthly update. Automatic phase drift (−5 pts), automatic letter derivation, and a time-series history are on the roadmap (ticket SPORT-TTAB-ROADMAP) — not in the current version.
Is the team-of-4 league (interclubs) supported?
Dedicated Interclubs and Criterium session types are available, the ranking is visible on each player card to compose the team manually, callups with RSVP and individual match-stat capture work. The official match sheet (14 matches + doubles) stays in GIRPE v2, which auto-syncs to SPID. Automatic ranking-sort in the roster manager and automatic licence-validity verification for starters are on the roadmap.
Are all 2022+ FFTT licence types managed?
Yes, as a profile picklist: Competition, Leisure, Event / ATP, Officer, and Corporate. Licence number (with 6-8 digit regex validation), validity, medical certificate, and FFTT age category are profile fields, entered manually or imported via CSV from SPID. An automatic quota counter for Event licences (max 4 per season) is planned — not in place today.
Does Paak track the Baby Ping + PPP youth pathway?
The youth profile exposes a dedicated picklist from Baby Ping (4-7yo) through PPP Cycles 1-2 (6 workshops), PPP Cycle 3 (2 workshops + 3 matches), Ping academy, Pre-competition and Competition. You manually set the current stage, it stays visible on the profile. Most club management tools ignore this framework entirely — here it is named. A time-series progression history and a portable export for inter-club transfer are on the roadmap.
Is there an FFTT API connector?
The FFTT exposes a Smartping XML API, granted to agreed applications via written request. Paak already carries a dedicated entry in its federation registry under the fftt-smartping connector key — once credentials are issued, a "Prefill from SPID" button in the licence tab autofills first name, last name, club, points and category from a licence number. Today: CSV import from SPID or manual entry.
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