Padel has been added to the sporting programme of next year’s UK Corporate Games in Leeds.
The UK Corporate Games is an annual multi-sport employee wellbeing event that brings together thousands of competitors from hundreds of businesses across the UK to engage employees, raise brand awareness, compete, network and socialise.
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the UK version of the Corporate Games and took place at the University of Warwick and other venues across Coventry. The Games are also held annually in countries including Australia, Turkey, Romania and Mexico.
Next year, for the first time, padel will be added to the UK Games programme (which at the moment includes 19 sports) and will take place from 25-28 July. Organisers hope to attract around 100 companies and over 3,000 competitors.
The University of Leeds will be the hub for next year’s Games, with the padel event set to take place on the two new covered courts at Chapel Allerton Tennis and Squash club just north of the city centre.
The padel competition will be organised and run by Roxanna Keshavarz, Centre Manager at Padel4All Lockleaze in Bristol. A squash coach and former pro player before her recent switch to working in padel, Roxanna has organised the squash competition at the UK Corporate Games for the last two years.
It looks likely that the Games’ padel event will take place on either Friday 26 or Saturday 27 July. There will be a men’s, women’s and mixed competition with a maximum of 32 pairings overall.
Ryan Johnson, Director of Sport and Communications for the UK Corporate Games, told The Padel Paper: “We’ve been asked by a lot of people to add padel to our list of sports for 2024. It is growing massively, it’s popular with the business sector and is very sociable. It feels like the right time to bring it on board.”
He added: “The Corporate Games is all about bringing businesses together – whether it’s big banking groups like Barclays with a team of up to 100 employees or a small local accountancy firm entering with a five-a-side football team. We’re open to all.
“It’s all about encouraging participation in sport – whether they’re proficient in a certain sport already or trying new sports like padel or dragon boat racing. Many participants use the Games to strive for personal goals like running their first 5k or getting back into netball.
“Sport is a wonderful level playing field where the CEO and office junior are literally in the same boat competing side-by-side.”
Chapel Allerton Tennis and Squash Club manager Eddy Stallworthy said: “We are delighted to join other top-quality sports facilities in Leeds in hosting the UK Corporate Games. Engaging with businesses was something we wanted to target with our new courts, so this opportunity perfectly fits our strategy.”
Next year’s Games are just the latest sporting spectacle to be hosted in Leeds following the recent World Triathlon Championship series, British Transplant Games, Rugby League World Cup and the Ashes.
For more info on the 2024 UK Corporate Games, visit the official website.
