The rise of padel as the fastest growing sport in the UK is best experienced through its tournaments. Competing in a padel tournament can provide an excellent opportunity to test your skills against a diverse range of opponents while becoming part of the vibrant padel community!
You may prefer to watch an exciting game of padel. You can learn a lot from simply being a spectator at competitive padel matches.
There are tournaments available for players of all skill levels, from the LTA padel tournaments to more social tournaments hosted at various padel tennis clubs across the UK.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro hoping to join a tournament or you want to find out where you can watch, we will provide insight into all the major padel tournament competitions in the UK and mention the top global favourites.
What is a Padel Tournament?
Padel tournaments are competitive events organised by clubs, associations, or companies, played at different levels from amateur to professional. There are tournaments for everyone! Open tournaments are great all-rounders but there are also competitions for the women’s, junior, and senior divisions.
There is a true sense of sportsmanship and friendship that is wonderful to see and take part in, creating a larger community with each successful event!
Tournaments usually function in a round robin between competing teams. Competitions open with a group stage and end with the winners being crowned after the finals. Matches typically follow the knockout format.
To compete, you would typically require a membership through a reputable agency or padel circuit as a lot of these events are professionally run and sanctioned with official rules.
What is the Biggest Padel Tournament?
Globally, the World Padel Championships (WPC) host the top nations in a massive event that can last the whole weekend.
The WPC is hosted every other year, with the next highly-anticipated event coming in 2024. We hope you’re as excited as us!
In the UK, the LTA Padel National League is the largest competition in Great Britain.
Where to Watch Padel Matches in the UK
The World Padel Tour has a free-to-watch YouTube channel for its tournaments, making it super easy for fans around the world to join in on the fun!
You can also watch the Premier Padel competition on its free-to-stream YouTube channel here.
Larger padel entities like the LTA, iPadel, and NTC host a variety of club tournaments across the UK, bringing players from all corners together to compete and enjoy the game to its fullest!
World Padel Tour Tournaments (WPT)
This tournament is the world’s premier professional padel circuit where the top international teams compete in an officially regulated competition.
The WPT organised 27 events in 2023, with a busy schedule expected for 2024. There are both male and female events throughout the year.
The WPT is recognised by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and is responsible for the global rankings list.
LTA Padel Tour
The LTA padel tour is a grassroots circuit of official padel competitions hosted at affiliated padel club venues throughout the UK.
It includes competitions covering all levels of padel including open, mens, ladies, mixed, and youth events. There is even a GB Seniors padel tour.
The LTA tour is designed to allow up-and-coming players to gain experience at a national level, offering tournaments at various grading levels of padel to encompass all skill levels.
Tournaments cover grades 1 to 6 and exclude grade 7 which is the professional tier.
Take a look at some of the LTA tournament calendar for 2024 here.
National Club Padel (NCP)
National Club Padel tournament competitions are league-based events hosted across the UK by iPadel. There are mens, ladies, and mixed events across the UK through out the year.
This tournament has players and teams from various local iPadel clubs competing against one another in friendly national padel matches with national finals closing out the events.
How You Are Ranked as a Player
The LTA has designed a padel rating system to help standardise the levels of play nationally and internationally across amateur and professional players.
Many padel clubs around the UK use a variety of systems to organise games and competitions but it is generally encouraged to use this official rating system when putting together a padel tournament.
To get your player rating, you need to become a member of LTA Padel, which will allow you to request a rating from your local affiliated coach or club.
Here is a simple breakdown of the LTA player ranking system for padel:
Rating 1 – Division C | Players have no experience and are just starting to play. |
Rating 2 – Division C | Players are consistent at a slow pace. |
Rating 2.5 – Division C | Players are consistent at a medium pace but shots lack direction. |
Rating 3 – Division C | Players are building confidence and consistency at a medium pace, with more directed shots. |
Rating 3.5 – Division B | Players have a controlled pace with perhaps some previous experience with racket sports. |
Rating 4 – Division B | Players have experience constructing padel points and are generally consistent with their forehand and backhand strokes. |
Rating 4.5 – Division B | Players are resourceful and can execute winning shots and force errors from their opponents. |
Rating 5 – Division B | Players have experience competing at a tournament level. |
Rating 5.5 – Division B | Players are well-ranked nationally and regularly compete in high-level tournaments. |
Rating 6 – Division A | These are semi-professional players who are ranked just outside of the top 250 players globally. |
Rating 6.5 – Division A | These are professional players ranked inside the world’s top 250. |
Rating 7 – Division A | These are the most professional players ranked inside the world’s top 100. |
Wrapping Up Our Padel Tournament Guide
So, there you have it, our comprehensive padel tournament guide for the UK!
You may also want to learn more about famous professional padel players to get inspired by the pros.
Whether you’re looking to compete or watch, and with so many exciting tournaments to choose from, from the LTA padel tournaments to the more social tournaments at local clubs, there’s certainly a padel tournament out there for every player.
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