Croydon has been crowned champions at the 2025 Better Club Games, the UK’s largest celebration of active ageing, after a record 1,000 over-60s took part in the annual competition.
The games took place at Copper Box Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 1 October, with 20 borough teams from across London, Rugby and Surrey competing.
It was Croydon’s year to shine, with a team made up of 66 residents delivering a string of impressive performances across the three-day tournament. The team secured top place finishes in pickleball, darts and table tennis, alongside silver medals in short mat bowls and short tennis, while also showing strong form in badminton, dominoes and the timed cycle.
Since first entering the games in 2018, the borough has steadily climbed the rankings – from 19th in their debut year, to 11th in 2019, ninth in 2023 and sixth last year. Winning the 2025 title marks the borough’s first ever triumph in the competition. Team Croydon’s participants are recruited through local sports clubs and weekly programmes across Better Leisure Centres in the borough.
Croydon has four major leisure centres with swimming pools operated by Better, an athletics track, over 30 tennis courts, a smaller community gym, and several community spaces, all offering a variety of opportunities to keep residents active in a fun and sociable way.
Croydon residents and husband and wife duo, Ping Yang and Quan Zhou, both 63, were among the table tennis participants coming third in the competition. Quan said: “We were confident at doing well this year but to be honest, the enjoyment of the whole day is more important than the competition aspect.”
Deputy CEO of Better, Phil Donnay, praised the achievement, saying: “As a charitable social enterprise and worker owned co-op, we exist to improve the mental, physical and social health of local communities.
“Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than at our Better Club Games – this year bringing together record numbers of older people to celebrate active ageing at a time when there is a growing national momentum for senior participation in sport.
“Congratulations to our winners Team Croydon – and to all those who took part in this friendly competition.”
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“I am so proud to hear Croydon’s over-60s performed so well at the 2025 Better Club Games, the UK’s largest celebration of active ageing. It’s brilliant to see how we’ve gradually moved up the table over the years, rising from 19th place in 2018 to finish victorious in 2025.
“It is a priority for me to make Croydon a healthier borough and to help older people live independent lives. Congratulations to everyone who competed. Most importantly, it sounds like everyone had a great time and have inspired others to get moving too.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
