The UK is getting ready to host its first ever Veterans National Championship, and Birmingham has been chosen as the city to host the event.
Taking place at World Padel Club Birmingham on 26-27 November, the tournament is open to all men and women over the age of 45 – the only criteria is a UK passport and a love of the game.
British Padel, which aims to develop the recognition of the racquet sport across the UK, is leading the event. The recognised acting governing body of the sport, working alongside the International Padel Federation (IPF), has chosen World Padel Club Birmingham to host the tournament as the UK’s largest padel-dedicated facility.
Based on Waterloo Road, just off the A45 in Yardley, WPC Birmingham boasts four purpose-built courts and has its own in-house champions in the form of double-winning French National Padel Champion Kristina Clement and repeated Spanish Championship star Javier Bravo Alvarez.
Andrew Knox, Co-Founder of World Padel Club, said:
“What an honour for WPC Birmingham to be hosting the first ever Veterans National Championship, just one week after Team GB represented the country at the Padel World Championships in Lisbon.
Head Coach, Kristina Clement, added:
“We work very hard at the club to raise the profile of padel as a sport that everyone can try. It’s the biggest racquet sport in Spain, above tennis and squash, and we want to see the UK adopt the same love for padel.
I already work with some very talented players here at WPC Birmingham but I am also looking forward to welcoming padel players from across the nation, who will all be fighting it out to be crowned the UK’s first Veterans National Champion.”
Touted by national media as the “world’s fastest growing sport”, padel is one of the most talked about sports with the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Đoković and even Lionel Messi pictured in the swing. British Padel is currently seeking full recognition from the UK Recognition, a joint policy comprised of the five Sports Councils; Sport England, Sport Scotland, UK Sport, Sport Wales and Sport Northern Ireland.
Applications for the Veterans National Championship are now open at britishpadel.co.uk, and you can find out more about trying the sport out for yourself by visiting padelbirmingham.com.