Padel is fast becoming one of the most exciting participation stories in UK sport and women and girls are right at the heart of its growth.

As the UK’s fastest-growing sport, padel is redefining what an accessible, sociable and enjoyable way to exercise looks like. According to Alex Brodie, UK PADEL’s Sponsorship and PR Manager, the appeal is simple: padel removes many of the traditional barriers that have held women and girls back from long-term participation in sport. And here are Alex’s key takeaways from her recent appearance on the Standard issue podcast, ‘Padel-ing forward with Alex Brodie’

“Padel is totally inclusive. It’s open to literally everybody, children, girls, boys, men, women from all walks of life and it’s totally fun and sociable.”

One of padel’s greatest strengths is how quickly people can start playing and enjoying the game. With an underarm serve, a smaller court and longer rallies, padel offers immediate success something that is crucial in building confidence, particularly for beginners.

“It’s much easier than tennis to pick up because there’s no overarm serve. It’s easier to return, rallies go on longer, and you can come off court having had a wonderful experience and want to get back on again.”

Padel’s design naturally levels the playing field. The walls reward creativity and tactical thinking, while playing in a doubles format encourages communication and shared responsibility.

“Women absolutely love playing padel. It’s strategy-driven. The game rewards touch, placement, anticipation and angles as much as power.”

UK PADEL’s events programme plays a central role in building community, offering pathways for women and girls from school participation in the U13, U15 and U18 national Schools Championships through to county and Masters competitions.

Padel is a social, inclusive and empowering way to get active and a powerful tool for transforming women and girls’ participation in sport across the UK.

“We’re trying to help create a generation where padel is the first racket sport where girls don’t drop out — where they stay, they play, and they belong.” says Alex Brodie.

If you want to hear more about the huge range of UK PADEL events across the UK and Spain, with opportunities for brands and companies to get involved get in touch https://ukpadel.org/contact-us/ or alex@ukpadel.org

Alex featured on the Standard Issue Podcast. By women. For Women. About everything. Standard Issue is a podcast championing women’s voices, and packed with interviews, news, film, opinion and humour. https://www.standardissuepodcast.com/