The indoor-based association would not be permitted to host events until the last step of the coronavirus road to recovery plan is implemented in late November or when the state has 14 days without any new cases recorded.

Association secretary Mark Taylor said it was important to remain optimistic despite the setback.

"Maybe this is an opportunity for table tennis because we know lots of people play at their homes and, hopefully, maybe even more people are playing at their homes because they have purchased a table because they can't go anywhere," he said.

Regional Victoria's path to the third step:

"Maybe we should look at it as glass half full rather than glass half empty - all those people who have been testing themselves at home, come down to a real club (when we can re-open).

"We'll coach you and we'll improve your standard and you'll be able to whip mum and dad when you get home."

Regional Victoria will bypass step one and move to step two on Sunday night.

Outdoor sports - contact and non-contact for those aged 18 and under and non-contact for adults - can resume when regional Victoria enters step three which applies 'when regional Victoria reaches less than five new cases on average over 14 days'.

Taylor said it was disappointing table tennis would have to wait longer to resume.

"As far as social distancing is concerned, there's two people at the end of the tables," he said. "It's a good sport to social distance, not so much to play outdoors here (because of the wind)."

Taylor said the stop-start nature of the year had seen the association's membership plummet.

He had hoped players would flock back for a competition which has now been put on the back-burner.

"We normally have a spring season that starts before the school holidays and goes for 10 weeks over October-November," Taylor said.

"Our expectation when we closed down in July or August was that we would get back in time for a 10-week season later in the year and clearly that has been curtailed with this latest roadmap.

"That is a real disappointment in that regard, given we've controlled the virus very well in Warrnambool."

Taylor said it was important the Warrnambool association re-opened its doors when given the green light.

"I am missing it from a health perspective and social perspective," he said.

"I think it is important when we're available to re-open we do but we rely on a group of volunteers so it depends on what the volunteers' priorities are at that stage too.

"We're in the fortunate position where we don't have a lot of costs. We're a well-established club.

"It is not really affecting us in terms of the monetary side but we're going to have to work hard to recruit and retain players who may have found other priorities.

"People weren't quite sure what was going on and there wasn't a season happening so they didn't commit at that stage."