First UK Padel Convention a resounding success
The inaugural UK Padel Convention, held last week at The Padel Club in Gloucester, proved a resounding success, with the day-long event connecting hundreds of people all with one thing in common – supporting and driving padel’s growth in the UK.
Such was its success that organisers George Modler and Ben Harris, of The Padel Directory, are already planning next year’s convention with plans for it to be ‘bigger and better’.
“The convention exceeded expectations, especially for the first event of its kind in the UK,” George told The Bandeja. “The most important factor for us was that delegates could connect, learn more about the sport and talk all things padel. This certainly occurred through the day and into the evening.”
“Padel in the UK has grown faster than its infrastructure and knowledge base. The industry needed a platform where operators, investors, brands and coaches could align and move the sport forward together. The scale and engagement of this first edition showed how necessary that is,” added George. “The UK now has a credible annual convention that brings the entire ecosystem together. Next year will scale in ambition, size and substance to match the pace of the sport’s growth.”
Nine-court venue The Padel Club was packed with more than 760 attendees, some 50 exhibitors and a range of panellists discussing topics from building padel clubs to sponsorships/partnerships and what makes a venue unique. Two showcase courts hosted activations through the day, from ‘drills and thrills’ with Padel Peeps to the Inclusive Padel Tour and Padel Master’s ‘beat the machine’ challenge.
Pete Mills, of pdhsports.com, said: “It was fantastic to be part of such a successful event which clearly showcased the huge (and growing) interest in padel in the UK. The day was an amazing opportunity to connect with all padel enthusiasts from brands, court owners, retailers and much more. We can’t wait for what’s next in 2026!”
A number of delegates flew in for the convention, including Ulrik Leith, co-founder of Scandinavian apparel brand Cuera. He said: “A huge thank you to Ben and George for hosting such an impressive event and for bringing the entire UK padel community together under one roof. The energy, conversations and ambition across the room show just how fast the sport is moving in the UK and it’s inspiring to see.”
Another attendee described the event as demonstrating ‘unity, positive intent’ and a ‘huge drive’ towards growing the sport in a fast but sustainable way – a view no doubt shared by the majority of attendees. “To see everyone in the UK Padel industry under one roof with the aim of collaborating, sharing knowledge and growing the sport was very rewarding and after plenty of feedback, was clearly much needed,” they added.
Pep Stonor, founder of female-focussed padel community Empower Padel, applauded event organisers for bringing so many padel innovators under one roof. “The energy, ideas and commitment to growing the sport in the UK is stronger than ever. What made this event truly special was the sense of community – court builders, tech creators, brands and event producers all coming together with one shared passion. It’s inspiring to see how far the sport has come,” added Pep, who featured in a panel discussion about running events.
The Inclusive Padel Tour was represented at the convention by a number of players, including Kristen Paskins, who was delighted to showcase adaptive padel during an exhibition game at the event. She told The Bandeja: “This sport has the power to transform lives for people with disabilities, but that can only happen if accessibility is treated as a genuine priority across the entire sector. Throughout the day we spoke with clubs and developers about the real challenges disabled players face when trying to access padel facilities and it was encouraging to hear their commitment to doing more to remove these barriers.”
