Juniors added as Island Padel Championships continue to grow

First held in 2020, the Island Championships have become an annual highlight in the fast-growing racquet sport, with players competing in men’s and women’s open events, plus veterans and mixed doubles.

The introduction of a junior open reflects the growth in the popularity of padel among younger islanders.

With the two new outdoor courts, which opened a few months ago, the tournament is able to expand to include the junior event.

Working with the Guernsey Sports Commission over the past academic year, padel has been introduced to a large number of secondary school children, with over 430 court hours of lessons delivered during PE lessons. Six of Guernsey’s seven secondary schools have taken up the offer.

Dedicated padel coaches and volunteers have worked with school PE staff to open up the sport to a new generation of players.

The success of the schools programme has led to the expansion of the youth offering to include 10 hours of On Your Marks sessions over the summer holidays plus the start of two junior development squads (U14s and U18s) and a new after-school club that will begin in September.

‘We are delighted to see the Island Championships continue to grow in stature and that new players are coming forward each year to participate in the event,’ tournament director Ian Robinson said.

‘As well as being a competitive event, it is an excellent way to improve the quality of match play and help the development of padel on the island overall. We are looking forward to an exciting weekend of close matches, and hopefully some new champions.’

Stuart Perfitt, the sponsor’s executive chairman, said: ‘Rocq Capital are proud to be supporting the Island Championships for the third year in succession.

‘We have been involved with the sport since it first arrived on the island and have enjoyed being part of the journey, as we have all watched the phenomenal growth in popularity of this fun sport which is so accessible to all levels of players.

‘With our involvement in the On Your Marks scheme, which allows children to try padel for £2, we are excited to be introducing young people to a sport they can enjoy for years, and to have enough juniors to be able to introduce the Rocq Capital Junior Open Trophy for the first time is really exciting.’

The event will begin this evening with the first rounds for the veterans, with all other events beginning tomorrow morning.

The weekend will culminate with the open and mixed finals on Sunday afternoon.