The Inclusive Padel Tour (IPT) is heading to the UK for the first time in 2025 and it’s hoped the event will encourage more British people with disabilities to take up padel.
The IPT is a series of competitions that take place in different cities across the world between pairs consisting of one disabled player and an able-bodied team-mate. The able-bodied player in the team gets one bounce, but the ‘bionic’ (disabled) player gets two bounces (unless his or her disability is upper-body).
The IPT’s schedule for 2025, which begins in Rome on 22 February, includes its UK debut at Padel Maidenhead in Berkshire on 20 September. Padel Maidenhead is offering its courts for free for the one-day competition, with planning already under way around accompanying social and community events over the course of the weekend.
Padel Maidenhead founder and CEO Phil Basford, wheelchair users Kristen Paskins-Burdett and Louis Telford, and amputee Andrew Simister have all been instrumental in the arrival of the IPT on British shores.
The trio discovered “a whole new family” playing with players from all over he world on the IPT last year in locations such as Dubai, Milan and Barcelona. Kristen is delighted to help bring the event to the UK and hopes to encourage padel novices with disabilities to sign up and take part.
“It was only last year that I discovered just how accessible padel is as a wheelchair sport,” Kristen told The Padel Paper. “Just by going to the IPT I became the UK’s first female disability padel player! The event made me realise that there are other wheelchair players around the world, but not many yet in the UK. I’d like to help change that. The priority is to to open up opportunities for other people who might be in my situation to play the sport.
“Having a disability gives you so much to think and worry about. Sport might feel like a luxury or something you don’t have time for, but until you start, you don’t realise how important it can be for your wellbeing and helping you become part of a community. It can be a real turning point.”
Kristen lost her mobility very suddenly in September 2022 following a brain disorder. Shortly afterwards, she met Louis – a keen wheelchair basketball player – on a train journey and together they started playing padel when Padel Maidenhead opened last July. They then met amputee Andrew at an IPT event in Milan last February.
Andrew lost his right leg after a road accident in 2022, but padel lessons in Harrogate with coach Nicky Horn helped him get used to his prosthetic leg and encouraged him to search for fellow disabled players near him in North Yorkshire. He didn’t have much luck, but discovered IPT and became instantly hooked. He missed only one IPT competition last year and already has his tickets booked for the 2025 opener in Rome and Miami in March.
“I hope September’s event will be a springboard for inclusive padel tournaments within the UK,” Andrew said. “It’s all about getting more disabled people involved in sport, so if you have a disability, come and give it a go! For amputees and wheelchair users looking for an opportunity to get involved in competitive sport, this is ideal.”
Kristen added: “Being a wheelchair user, I know how important it is for people to realise that this is a very accessible sport you can do no matter what level you’re at. It’s contained within a small area, the walls keep the ball in play for longer, unlike tennis, and you can have a good game right from your very first try. I really love that about this sport.”
Since opening Padel Maidenhead last July, CEO and founder Phil’s vision has been to make the club fully accessible, building on its previous use as a SportsAble building. However, he discovered that the guidelines on the width of padel court openings were too narrow for sports wheelchair access. Disabled players had to remove their wheelchair’s wheels just to get on and off the court.
However, by changing the width for the access at Padel Maidenhead there was a risk the courts would not comply in National or International Competitions. With the help of Tom Murray from the LTA, Phil set out to change the guidelines.
This led to the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA) changing the guidelines for construction of padel courts in the UK, ensuring the new width was compliant for national competitions. Soon after, in 2023, FIP also gave approval for the new widths for international competitions, so the fully accessible padel journey began and Padel Maidenhead became the first fully accessible padel club in the UK. Hosting the IPT in September will be a natural continuation of its inclusive ethos.
