Somewhere to compete that counts
A calendar of graded events across Northern Ireland, run to the same rules and feeding the same rankings, so a result in Belfast means the same as a result in Moira.
Our mission
Padel in NI deserves to be done properly
NI Padel exists to give padel in Northern Ireland the things every established sport already has: somewhere to compete that counts, rules everybody can read, and one place to look when you want to play.
Why it exists
Padel arrived here and took hold quickly. Courts went up, clubs filled, and a lot of people who had never played a racket sport found one they liked. What did not follow was any of the structure around it.
If you wanted to compete, you entered whatever was on and hoped the standard suited you. If you wanted to know how you compared to anyone outside your own club, there was no way to find out. Clubs were each building the same thing on their own, with no easy way to pull in the same direction. None of that is anybody's fault. It is just what happens when a sport grows faster than the things that usually hold one together.
We started NI Padel to build those things, in the order players actually need them, and to build them in public so they can be argued with.
What we are for
A way in that is genuinely open
A capped grade where a first tournament is a competitive day out rather than a hiding, entry fees kept low enough that cost is not the reason somebody stays home, and no membership required to enter.
Standards worth the name
Published formats and regulations, consistent officiating, and results recorded properly. Not so that padel here feels serious, but so that a player can trust what happened to them on court.
Clubs pulling in the same direction
Every club here is growing the game in its own corner. We are the part that joins them up: one calendar they can all host on, players sent their way, and the work of running competition taken off them. The stronger each club is, the better this works for everybody.
A route from a first lesson to national level
Support for junior players, and a pathway that carries somebody from their first lesson through graded competition to playing at national level. That route does not really exist here yet, so we are building it rather than waiting for somebody else to.
What exists today
Everything below is built and live. We would rather show you four working things than twelve intentions.
A ranking that means something
Every ranked event feeds the rankings, with separate lists for men and women. Your total is your best five results from the last 52 weeks, so it reflects how you are playing now rather than the best weekend you ever had. Men and women are ranked separately. The whole calculation is published, including how it drops off.
How the ranking worksGrades, so you are not out of your depth
Four grades, from the championship level down to a capped grade for regular intermediate players. Each one carries its own points, and a Grade 4 winner moves up after two wins rather than staying to collect easy titles. It is published as numbers, not as a judgement somebody makes on the door.
What the grades meanRules written down before they are needed
Scoring formats, entry and withdrawal, walkovers, conduct, what happens when a match cannot finish. Written in advance and in public, because a rule invented at nine o'clock on a Saturday is not a rule.
Read the regulationsOne place to find a game
The clubs with courts and the coaches taking players, in one place, with a route in for somebody who has never held a racket. Free to be listed and free to use, because a directory with a paywall is not a directory.
Find a clubHow we are set up
NI Padel is run as a not for profit. Every pound that comes in from entries and from partners goes back out on courts, prizes and growing the game, rather than on wages.
Where you come in
Players
Enter something. The series only works if people play it, and the entry grade exists precisely for somebody who is not sure they are ready.
See what is onClubs
Get listed, and talk to us about hosting. We bring the draw, the officials and the entrants. You bring the courts.
List your clubCoaches
Put yourself on the map so the people looking for a first lesson can find you. It costs nothing.
Get listedPartners
Backing an event is what keeps entry within reach for the players who need it to be. We will tell you honestly what it is worth.
Partner with us