British padel prodigy Oliver Grantham has earned an incredible seven-year contract at the prestigious NOX Future Academy in Barcelona – but he now needs donations to enable him to relocate to Spain.
The talented 14-year-old from Chelmsford, Essex, has won a string of junior titles, represented Great Britain at the 2024 European Junior Championships in Budapest and has made several self-funded trips to Spain for intensive training blocks. He even gave up school two years ago in order to dedicate himself to his dream of becoming a pro player.
Having secured a coveted place at the NOX Future Academy (NFA), Oliver now needs help funding travel, living expenses and accommodation while he’s living out in Spain. His parents, Jayne and Nick, have started a crowdfunding page with a target of £20,000.
When his contract at the academy begins, Oliver will train under head coach Pablo Crosetti, coach of the legendary world no.1 Agustin Tapia. He will spar with adult pros based at the academy which include top 50 players Leo Augsburger and Tino Libaak from Argentina, among others.
Oliver first went to the Academy in September for a two-week trial and NOX got in touch soon afterwards to inform his parents they wanted to take him on. The stumbling block was his pre-existing sponsorship from Head. The termination of that agreement was confirmed this week, freeing Oliver up to take up his place at the academy, subject to raising funds.
Oliver, who is the eldest of five children, has up until recently combined padel with playing tennis and pickleball to a high standard. However, he has narrowed his focus to the 20×10 since the prospect of a place at the NFA was first mooted.
Oliver’s mum Jayne told The Padel Paper: “The possibilities he’s been searching for [to compete at a high junior level] just aren’t there in Britain, so to be given this opportunity is amazing.
“He proved over there in his two-week trial that a little English kid could do it. They said his hand skills are amazing. They saw something they liked in him. He may not be up to the standard they would like right now, but they said they saw in his play and in his head that he had the drive to succeed.”
