Sign-up for alumni & schools championships
Plans have been announced for the UK’s first Schools and School Alumni Championships, with a number of teams already signed up for the September tournament at Rocket Padel in Bristol.
Organiser UK Padel, which runs two padel venues in Buckinghamshire and last year launched the inaugural padel county championships, has secured the backing of financial and professional services company Evelyn Partners as headline sponsor, allowing schools to enter teams for free.
Nick Baker, UK Padel CEO, said they were ‘hugely proactive’ at wanting to get more children into the game, help padel events flourish at school-age group level and promote team sport. He appealed for all padel enthusiasts to reach out to their old schools – both state and private – to spread the word and get teams signed up for both tournaments.
“We have reached out to padel clubs, the event is open to as many schools as possible in the UK,” said Nick. “This year the Schools Championships will be focused on secondary schools but we are hopeful that as the tournament grows in future years we can offer different age group events.”
Format
Each school team will consist of four to six players competing in girls, boys and mixed events on Sunday, September 29th. The Alumni tournament will be played throughout the weekend. Both championships will follow the same format as the county championships.
Sandy Farquharson, from the Padel School, will run coaching clinics for juniors (as well as playing in the alumni event for Repton School) and it’s planned that the senior players will be on hand to assist the juniors during the schools tournament.
Nick explained that it will be hard to predict the level of play for the juniors simply because few schools have padel courts and player numbers are low. However, he’s hoping schools will consider bringing talented tennis (or other racket sport) players.
“I think it is going to be a really good mix of people and getting people together who might not normally play together,” he added.
The idea for the weekend was sparked by Dorset padel player and now event Tournament Director Pete Jarvis, who approached UK Padel with the idea of an alumni championship, which morphed into including a separate schools event for players aged 18 years and under, something Nick and his business partner Neil Percival had been considering.
If the schools event proves successful, Nick hopes to introduce U13 and U16 age groups and potentially hold regional heats leading to a national final. Having already launched the UK Padel Junior Tour, the organisation is well placed to tap into the junior padel scene.
Nick added: “We are so pleased that Evelyn Partners shares our vision for getting children active through sport. Together we want to use the impact of the UK Padel Schools and School Alumni Championships to help to lift the awareness of padel as an easy to pick up, fun, dynamic and social sport and contribute to having a significant positive impact on the physical health and mental wellbeing of a broad cross section of the UK.”
Andrew Middleton, Group Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer at Evelyn Partners said they were ‘delighted’ to be sponsors. “Our involvement in the tournament will help us support the next generation of this rapidly growing sport. We look forward to a really successful event.” 🎾
To register your school’s interest in competing click here
For more information click here
