Vikings snatch glory from London Rocks
The inaugural season of the Euro Padel League (EPL) concluded with an exhilarating finale weekend at Rocks Lane Padel in Chiswick, London, with Sweden’s the Vikings of Järfälla emerging victorious with home team London Rocks coming in a close second.
The league was established by Rocks Lane founder Chris Warren, with participating countries fielding teams of amateur male players aged 45 years+. The tournament launched earlier this year with stages hosted in each country.
During two days of intense action at Rocks Lane, the Vikings of Järfälla won their semi-final 3-0 win against the Marbella Sun team and in the final beat London Rocks 2-1 to take the trophy. London Rocks defeated Villamoura & Friends 3-0 to secure second place.
Final positions:
1st: Vikings of Järfälla
2nd: London Rocks
Joint 3rd: Marbella Sun (Spain) and Vilamoura & Friends (Portugal)
5th: Rocks Lane Legends (London)
6th: Riviera Icons (France)
7th: Northern Lights (UK guest team)
8th: iPadel AllStars (UK guest team)
Chris Warren said: “The EPL pilot season has proven to be an extraordinary journey, and the finale at Rocks Lane was the perfect culmination. The victory of the Vikings of Järfälla underscores the competitive spirit and talent present in amateur padel across Europe – indeed it is emblematic of why we founded this competition. The enthusiasm and support shown by the players, spectators and sponsors epitomises why we all love this sport.
“It has been a fantastic pilot season that’s proven the EPL concept not only works, but that it will thrive as the sport booms across the continent. I can’t wait for the first official season to get underway in September, with the expanded roster to include teams from Milan, Belfast, Zagreb, Roma, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. It will kick off at (Swedish ex professional footballer) Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Padel Zenter in Milan, a venue co-created by the football legend and Swedish padel pioneer Thomas Sandstrom.
“The new season will also see the EPL Women’s competition’s inception, which will mirror the men’s competition. This move, we believe, accurately reflects padel’s status as a sport with equal appeal for both women and men across the world,” he added.
Pro-Am
The EPL London 2024 kicked off with the Sprint Pro-Am competition featuring a mix of professional and elite padel players playing with celebrities and influencers from sport and entertainment. Padel players Rafa Vega and Kristin Price were accompanied by former Olympian and TV personality Heather Fisher and three Team GB rugby sevens players – Alex Davis, Will Homer and Harry Glover. This was followed by an EPL Academy Session from former World Padel Tour player and Rocks Lane coach Alex Grilo.
The weekend also featured the EPL Corporate Cup, with players from some of the event’s sponsors and supporters taking to the courts.
Overall the EPL highlighted padel’s ability to drive community engagement at the amateur level. And it remains committed to developing the next generation of padel talent through its Rising Stars Programme. 🎾
