GAME4PADEL is delighted to announce that we have had an outstanding number of entries for our first ever padel Championships – 202 pairs (404 players) so far.
Our inaugural Game4Padel Championships comprise Mixed, Women’s and Open League competitions, which will be played over three separate seasons spanning Autumn, Winter and Summer before the top pairings compete in a gala finals event.
The matches will be held at all Game4Padel venues (with an optimum eight pair league per club the target) with a £20 per pair entry fee and prizes for league winners. Scores to be reported via the MATCHi app.
Game4Padel Championship manager Neil Harden admitted his delight at the uptake of players who will be battling it out at our venues all over the UK. Neil said: “It is an exciting prospect that we will have more than 400 people playing in our first championships and a big thanks to all those who have entered – they will have a great time.
There are several new features incorporated within our first G4P Championships and Neil was keen to share the thinking behind the Mixed, Women’s and Open (as opposed to a Men’s) tournament.
He explained: “I first saw the ‘Open’ event concept in squash where you had a ladies league and an open league. This doesn’t happen in tennis. It is great to build in extra flexibility to allow players to choose where they are most comfortable playing."
Secondly, while the initial entry period may have closed there is a flexibility built into our championships which means the door is not closed to those who come late to the G4P padel party.
Over to you Neil: “We also didn’t want people looking to join who we can’t accommodate until January and the Winter season. We have new players coming to padel all the time so we don’t want to stop people competing because of paperwork.
“So what we have done is launch the G4P Championships with three seasons: Autumn spanning September to December is first, then the Winter League from January to April and finally the Summer League running May to July.
“Initial entry for the Autumn League closed to allow us to get it up and running, but we have now reopened for late entries so that newcomers can join and no one misses out.”
Reflecting on how the competition will unfold Neil continued: “The ideal is to have a maximum of eight teams in each league. There will be people who would like to see how it starts and then join, so there may be the option to start with six teams in a league, leave two spaces and see how we go from there.
“The Autumn League will be played between now and Christmas and then players will move up, go down or stay at the same level. In January we start the Winter League over three months and we will do the same again hopefully with new players filtering in.
“So each venue will have its own box league and that will be across all our UK venues. We hope to have around 17 clubs involved by the end of the year. There might be five pairs or 25 pairs at a club. This is new and it will be interesting to see how things develop and grow organically.
After three seasons we are planning a finals event, for which there are a few formats under consideration. Neil revealed: "Obviously it would be great to have all the top pairs coming together but you have to take into account geography and travel distance.
“We know players travel for national club events but that involves the incentive of prize money. If you go to London and you are essentially playing for fun that could be very expensive if you are coming all the way from, say, Edinburgh. So, this is something we have to take into account.
“We might look at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the North of England in one section and the South in another – the finals format is something we are still working on. But the idea is amazing and it is exciting to be looking at creating a finals format that is maybe unique to the Game4Padel Championships.”
Although entry is £20 per pair we want to incentivise as many people to compete as possible. Neil explained: "All entrants get a £10 voucher back for money off court hire during the league season, so essentially you get back your entry fee and potentially you get to play against some new people you don’t know.
“Whatever way you look at it this is great value and we are just delighted that we have 202 pairs entered so far.”
Late entries for the first G4P Championship season, please sign up HERE.
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