During our recent trip to South Africa, Sandy Farquharson and I visited an incredible amateur padel league in South Africa. This is 360 Padel.
This is something I will never forget. Wednesday nights are league night for these 72 players. 6 teams of 12 players battle it out over a 7 week period leading to the knockout stages and ultimately a winner. The players involved in this tournament are rated in the region of 2-4 which makes the whole even more amazing. The event is created in the same format as the IPL cricket where players are drafted into the teams through imaginary cash. There are marque players for every team which allows lesser rated players to play with these players who they may never play regularly.
Yes, the padel is exciting, but it’s the whole package that has created this sensational atmosphere with 100s of spectators.
There’s a stage; music, hot food, drinks, photo booths, swings, places to chill, DJ and speaker system plus more. It’s a family affair.
I would love to see an event this popular in the UK. But will this ever happen? Let me know your thoughts.