The inaugural Legends Padel 4 Nations tournament will take place at recently-opened venue Strike Padel in Bradford on 27-28 November.
Bringing together the top Super Senior (60+, 65+ and 70+) players from across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England to battle it out for their country, the event will be two days of international padel, team spirit and friendly national rivalry.
Each team will be made up of three pairs, with one pair each in the 70+, 65+ and 60+ age categories. There will be a women’s event and a men’s event.
“We can’t wait to welcome Britain’s best Super Seniors players to this amazing new venue in Bradford,” Legends Padel founder Sally Fisher told The Padel Paper.
Sally founded Legends Padel a year ago and now co-manages the project with fellow GB Seniors player Nicky Horn. Their aim is to give older padel players a platform to be ‘seen, appreciated and respected’ through a calendar of coaching camps and tournaments for the over-60s.
The Legends Padel 4 Nations, sponsored by Joma and Pokita, is a new addition to that calendar and the event is highly-anticipated in the veterans padel community.
There were 65 players registered for separate selection events for England’s men’s and women’s teams at Strike Padel in Bradford and The Padel Yard in Wandsworth respectively in early October. Karen Hazzard and Nick Holloway are the respective England selectors.
Similar transparent selection processes are taking place in the other Home Nations. In Wales, they have undergone trials and the last squad training sessions is set for 8 November.
Wales captain Rob Puttick said: “There is a great sense of excitement and anticipation within the potential team. While we look forward to renewing some fierce yet fun rivalries with our old friends from the other nations, our primary focus is on contributing to a fantastic fun weekend of competitive padel.”
Ashley Mears, Scotland women’s captain, added: “The Scottish padel community is growing and this is the first time an O65 and O70 event has been organised.
“Many of us have been successful over a lifetime of raket sports and we’re now applying this to padel tennis. It’s exciting to be 60+ and improving!”
Host venue Strike Padel, which opened this summer, was founded by clinical practitioners Fahad Qureshi and Mohammed Rashad, as well as dentist Dr Mohammed Usman.
Head coach and centre manager Cezar Gniadek guides players with his four decades of experience.
Co-founder Fahad said: “It’s going to be fast-paced. You’re going to see top level players there so it’s the best of the best in that age group, showcasing their skills and ability.
“Encouraging people to come and watch that will encourage people to get into the sport. It’s promotion for Bradford, it’s also promotion for the sport as well.
“We’ve got plenty of space in the social area so you can come watch some of the matches. It’ll be open to all the public. We’re hoping to get some presenters down.”
Thank you for this – it’s going to be great and we hope lots of players will come to spectate and see such a high standard of play and such fun
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