So here it is, folks! The final part of our ‘power list’ highlighting the men and women who are leading British padel into a prosperous future. If you missed them, catch up on parts one, two, three and four, then check out the final five figures below in our much-discussed series.
Houman Ashrafzadeh – co-founder, Padium
Entrepreneur Houman Ashrafzadeh (pictured above with Padium COO Sara Kroik) founded the UK’s most well-appointed and spectacularly-located padel club, Padium, last year with business partner Martin Lorentzon, the co-founder of Spotify.
Padium’s location in the shadows of Canary Wharf’s looming skyscrapers makes it London’s most desirable spot for a hit at padel on its eight courts (seven indoor and one outdoor) as well as some deal-making and celebrity spotting on its mezzanine balcony.
It was Houman’s discovery of padel in his homeland of Sweden during the pandemic (and the lack of courts he found when returning to London) which acted as the catalyst for his Padium brand. More than six months on from opening, and Padium has become a highly popular destination for financial wheeler-dealers, top British padel players, women’s groups, and old and young alike.
Jesper Konstantinov – CEO and founder; Rachel Tan – Director of Growth & Development, Social Sports Society
We go swiftly from one end of the padel club industry’s target audience to the other now, focusing on London-based start-up Social Sports Society. The aim of CEO Jesper Konstantinov is to repurpose urban spaces to provide multi-sport facilities for all ages and abilities. It’s rather marvellous news that padel happens to be central to achieving that ambition.
Social Sports Society opened its first venue in the shadow of the Wembley Stadium arch in May – the first of many planned urban facilities designed to generate greater social value.
Its next project will be at a staggering 200,000 square-foot site in Brent Cross, featuring multi-use games areas (for five-a-side football, hockey etc), a climbing wall, urban sports facilities and 15 padel courts! Further sites in Manchester and Birmingham (set to open in part or in full by the end of 2024) will bring the organisation’s total number of padel courts to over 70.
Jesper and Director of Growth & Development, Rachel Tan, are working on a pipeline of additional sites that has potential to double that number in the years ahead.
Carson Russell – Chief Sports Officer, Smash Padel
Staying on the subject of grassroots participation, Carson Russell and the Smash Padel team have quickly established themselves within the UK scene as a bastion of junior development.
Smash Padel has centres at Bicester (pictured above) and Oxford, is opening further clubs in Whitstable, Kent and Cardiff, and has several others in the planning stage. All its locations will exemplify Carson’s principles of prioritising youth for the sport’s future prosperity.
Carson – a former rugby union player, coach and administrator – says: “Our junior pathway has nine stages and is a key component of our vision and ambition as a business. The future success of clubs like ours will be underpinned by tomorrow’s players. By not embracing junior players, you’re missing out on a great opportunity.”
Roxy Keshavarz – Head of Padel, Rocket Padel
It’s not just businessmen leading the UK’s padel explosion. Across the country, there are key personnel at club level whose dynamism, effervescence and leadership skills help to forge connections, run successful events and lead compelling coaching sessions which enhance people’s enjoyment of the game. They don’t come any better than Roxy Keshavarz.
The former pro squash player and coach from Stoke-on-Trent pivoted into padel when she was snapped up by Padel4all Lockleaze in Bristol in 2022. Padel4all Director Charles Whelpton said: “Roxy is an absolute gem – it was obvious right from the start that she would be a massive asset for us.” She quickly grew a vibrant junior section by linking up with local schools and community groups and showcasing padel at festivals.
It was a major coup, therefore, when Rocket Padel Bristol snapped her up for a big cross-town transfer in March. She’s now working the same magic there and her expertise has been recognised by others within the sport. She helped run the recent Pro Am Padel Tour event at Rocket Padel Ilford and is organising the inaugural padel tournament at this month’s Corporate Games in Leeds.
Christian Medina Murphy – GB men’s no.1
Last, but certainly not least, we couldn’t leave this guy off our top 25 list. The London-born, Spanish-raised star (whose mother is from Manchester and father from Cadiz) has been top of the GB men’s rankings for an astonishing five years.
Christian converted from tennis to padel aged 15. Now, 10 years later, he is world no.130 with a string of achievements under his belt. He won a bronze medal in the Junior World Championships in Mexico in 2015, reached the World Championship quarter finals in Lisbon in 2016, led the GB team to an eighth-placed finish at their first ever World Padel Championships and earn bronze medals at the European championships in Rome in 2019.
He broke new ground this year with his first FIP RISE victory alongside Belar Vera Lopez in Cairo – and has time on his side in the ongoing battle to be the first Brit to break into the world’s top 100.
So, who have we missed off our list? Let us know by emailing info@thepadelpaper.com or DM us on Instagram, Facebook, X or LinkedIn.
