New O50 Championships Format Delivers
It’s been a busy period for our competitions and the decision to revamp the Over‑50s County Championships has proved a success. Tournament organiser Mark Ayers said: “The move to a three-day format has made a real difference. It’s more manageable for players, and the introduction of the Navarro and Bela tiers is already creating more meaningful matches and giving counties a clear pathway to progress.”
On court, Surrey underlined their renowned strength with two County Championship titles in the Navarro tier, but Cheshire Men stepped up to deny them a clean sweep. In the Bela competition, the top three finishers in each division gained promotion to next season’s Navarro tier. The continued growth of the competition is driven by partners such as Lauralu, Hexa Padel, Bilko, HEAD and Shandy Shack, and we thank them for their continued support. Meanwhile, at NUPL Finals Day, Leeds were crowned Women’s champions, while Bristol 1s claimed the Men’s title.
Participation Beats Perfection
In an opinion piece written from his personal LinkedIn account, Neil Percival, UK PADEL COO and Co-Founder, describes his detailed reflections on the LTA’s National Padel Operator Forum, which he attended. Here’s a short extract: “Padel in Britain will not be defined by flagship venues alone. It will be defined by what happens on existing sites, week in, week out. That is where the sport will either embed itself or plateau. The LTA’s support of this is in the latest Activator programme. The idea is simple. Lower the barrier, get more people on court, and prioritise participation and fun over perfection.”
When the Beat Lifts the Game
Some great thoughts on the power of music from Clubs Director Phil Cornhill, who writes: “Some clubs are music clubs. Some are not. Neither is wrong. But I do feel music makes people happy and happy players are better players, not necessarily in the technical sense, but in the ways that matter most. They laugh off their mistakes. They high-five more. They argue less. The kind of petty disputes over line calls that can sour an entire session seem to dissolve when there’s a cheesy pop song pumping in the background. It’s hard to be contentious when you’re secretly singing along to a chorus in your head.”
Your Rallies: Best of the Action
This week’s round-up of clips starts with a truly extraordinary reverse overhead drop shot (hard to describe accurately – so just watch it!), a disappearing ball, a brilliant rally from the Masters Series finals in which a player lets the ball pass through her legs before recovering to win the point, but what have we got lined up for you at no. 1? Well, we’re not going to spoil the
fun now, are we?
Can Padel Crack the US? Miami Doing Its Bit
Padel’s rapid rise in Miami is turning the city into the launchpad for possible wider US expansion. Once confined to Latin American and Spanish communities, the sport has now crossed into mainstream Floridian life, with courts popping up in clubs, parks and even high‑end hotels. Entrepreneurs are racing to meet demand, and Florida now hosts 40% of all US courts. The challenge remains expansion beyond Florida, with pickleball still dominant in other states. That said, padel tends to thrive wherever it lands, so if the rest of America picks up the baton from Miami, it could still beat pickleball to Olympic recognition. (Photo: Padel Magazine)
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