Femme Open’s record-breaking tourney
Femme Open UK made history on Sunday when it hosted its largest-ever women’s padel tournament in the UK, with sixty-four players taking to the courts at Rocket Padel, Bristol. By The Bandeja with additional reporting by Emily Thomas.
Organisers offered bursary places to students from Bristol University for the event, ensuring that aspiring players from all backgrounds had the chance to participate.
Femme Open also launched its pioneering mentoring scheme, pairing experienced Femme Open padel players with newcomers and juniors. This initiative is designed to foster skills development and create a supportive community where players can learn, grow, and inspire one another.
Pep Stonor, Head of Femme Open UK said: “Since we started Femme Open in the UK in September 2022 we have had regular feedback from our padel community that they struggle to find partners or that their friends are too scared to join a competition.
“We asked our network for experienced padel players who were willing to partner women for their first competition or to partner with a junior player who wants more competition experience. Thank you to our padel community who volunteered to help other women and girls grow and improve at padel and make their experience at this event such a positive one.
“Our goal is to create an inclusive and empowering environment where every player enjoys having an afternoon to themselves to play padel, network and meet other women and know they are part of an amazing worldwide group of women who love sport!”
Harriet Bower, Bristol University first year student, said: “It was great to see so many girls playing sport. 64 is insane! We felt nervous at first but then it was super welcoming and well organised. We loved the lunch, goody bags and meeting everyone. We will be back to play more padel here for sure.”
New friends, new contacts – and great goody bags!
by Emily Thomas
Femme Open is a fabulous way to meet people and forge connections all whilst improving your competitive padel play. Padel enthusiasts flocked from all over the country to the event at Rocket Padel, with one competitor even flying in from Ireland! Some 70% of entrants were playing in their maiden Femme Open, which only goes to show the growth of the game, the rapid increase in women playing and subsequent need for more amateur competitions.
The actioned packed day involved tournaments across three categories: advanced, intermediate and beginner. Winner of the Advanced Category, Julie Jones, said: “Femme tournaments are a great safe, supportive and friendly environment to play competitions. They provide a brilliant opportunity to play lots of matches, in my case my partner and I played seven, meaning we also met and got know 14 other people.”
And Julie urged everyone to enter: ‘The organisation and atmosphere created by Pep and Fi is second to none and I fully recommend any females playing padel to enter one of their events. You will not regret it!”
These events are not possible without the dedicated work of Pep and Fi, who are creating inclusive and fulfilled competitions nationwide for women to feel confident and invigorated by playing padel. Femme Open promises competitive matches, new friendships, panel discussions and high-end goodie bags. No matter if you win or lose, you never leave empty handed!
About Femme Open
Femme Open, established in Sweden in 2018, is an international sports network for women. It is dedicated to promoting and advancing women’s participation in sports. Through tournaments, events, and community initiatives, Femme Open aims to create opportunities for women of all skill levels to engage with the sport, develop their abilities and foster a supportive network of players. For information about future Femme Open events visit FemmeOpen.com 🎾
