“It was phenomenal!” That was Anthony Daulphin’s headline reaction after The Padel Paper gave him 36 hours to gather his thoughts before sitting down for a debrief of last Saturday’s inaugural British Padel Awards.
The glitzy event, held at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, was attended by 600 guests including players, coaches, clubs, creators, industry leaders and padel-playing celebrities including Lily James, Ryan Giggs and Jason Manford.
Headline sponsored by CUPRA and presented by Gail Davis and Jo Wilson, the black tie event celebrated the achievements of those who’ve shaped the British padel industry in its short journey so far.
Daulphin, the 35-year-old Birmingham-born, Liverpool-based entrepreneur behind the awards, called it “the biggest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Everything came together and I’m really, really pleased with the result,” he told us.
“Instead of saying, ‘I don’t think this is going to work’, so many people showed belief in it. [The reaction] showed how much a platform like this was needed for the industry.”
Perfect timing
The timing couldn’t have been better — at the end of week when the LTA announced there are now one million padel players in Britain, over 1825 courts at 551 venues.
“There are now so many people who have business ventures and ideas that they’ve pursued in this sport,” explained Daulphin. “Many have left jobs in totally different professions to do something they enjoy and are addicted to.
“What I hope the Awards will show is that, as businesses try to get established in the sport, recognition and reputation helps them push forward. Annually, we now have something that businesses can work towards every day; recognition and all the things that come with it.”
The afterglow feeling was similar to last November’s inaugural UK Padel Convention, where competing businesses within the same industry were brought together for the first time, fostering collaboration towards a mutual goal: namely, growing the sport.
“There were so many people from the UK industry in one room, and they weren’t wearing shorts and carrying a racket; they were there to celebrate,” stated Daulhon.
“I’m a big believer in championing people to do well. If we all have a common goal, we need to try and work together. We all want to build the reputation of the sport up. The Awards was a great platform for doing that.”
For those who attended and enjoyed (or watched from a distance with raging FOMO!), there’s good (and not altogether unexpected) news. The Awards will be back for a second edition in 2027!
“Yes, we go again — and we go even bigger! revealed the founder, who added that talks are ongoing with the Victoria Warehouse over hosting again, and that next year could see some changes to awards categories.
In the meantime, Daulphin is set to announce a follow-up event, the British Padel Awards CUPRA Cup, on 27 June (further details to come) as well as BPA networking events.
Although he won’t openly admit it, Daulphin must be inwardly delighted at proving some of the doubters wrong.
“We don’t throw shade on anyone at all, but this sends a message to try to understand someone’s ideas before dismissing them,” he says. “People have a real, genuine spirit and want to build something that’s going to help everybody, not just themselves. It’s giving people space to express their ideas.
“Not all of us are innovative thinkers, visionaries or creatives, but everybody needs to learn to work together to make an end goal work.”
British Padel Awards 2026: the winners
- Adaptive Player Award: Jack Binstead
- Best Court Installation/Construction Company: Hexa Padel
- Best Padel Experience/Padel Trip Provider: Padel Travel X
- Best Podcast: Joy of Padel
- Celebrity Enthusiast of the Year: Jason Manford
- Club Manager of the Year: Oskar Wynne – Rocket Padel Ilford
- Padel Ambassador award: Ben Nichols
- Partnership Award: Access Padel x Rocket Padel Ilford
- Best Apparel & Footwear Brand: Palair
- Best Equipment Innovation: Name That Ball
- Best Female Player: Aimee Gibson
- Best Male Player: Louie Harris
- Best Padel Club Operator: Rocket Padel
- Best Padel Event/Tournament Coverage: UK Padel Convention/Padel Directory
- Best Racket Supplier/Brand: Raquex
- Best Social Media Content Creator: Everything Padel
- Best Young Talent (U18): Rosie Quirk
- Best Coach: Sue Morrison
- Community Initiative of the Year: Empower Padel
- Padel Club of the Year: Padel Maidenhead
- Padel Influencer of the Year: Padel With Holly
