Make The Shift, sports brand ambassador Bradley Howard, launches the first event at The Padel Club.

The model and triathlete, known for making his shift from living the ‘influencer’ lifestyle to being focussed on leading a life of sports and sobriety, held his first tournament at our Club.

Bradley, Founder of Make The Shift, a purely Padel community, has become addicted to playing Padel and is frequently found on the courts in Wilmslow.

In fact, Bradley is referred to ‘The Face’ of The Padel Club, featuring on our digital creative and social media. Bradley admits that Padel is his obsession, having discovered the game in Dubai and encouraging his friends back in the UK to play.

When asked about why Bradley chose our Club, he says 'The Padel Club Wilmslow opened and I first started playing in September. It's a great place for socialising, as soon as I went I was hooked. It's such a community at the Club, I've built relationships on and off court with some brilliant players who I've met. Padel is competitive, and most importantly to me, it's amazing for your fitness. And that is what it is all about, keeping myself fit and feeling good'.

The places for the event sold incredibly quickly, showing the demand and enthusiasm to play Padel and Bradley’s reach to fellow Padel fans. The tournament format was effective and understandable for those who entered the event, so they would know what to expect at the event. The teams play to the first to win four matches, with the losers to play to the left and winners to play to the right. The second-round winners moved into the semi-finals and on to the final.

‘It was a huge success, it was a great day. The feedback has been amazing and everyone has been asking when the next one is. It was amazing to see players that came down to socialise, make friendships and it's just a great environment to be involved in’ says Bradley about his event.

Players were seen to be enjoying their games, with high enthusiasm and competitive edge. There were some familiar faces, including Scott Thomas, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt.

Scott Thomas, who is also addicted to Padel, showing his support at the event, says ‘It was a great day, really well organised and brought people together from all different walks of life because of their love and passion for Padel. The standard was really good as well, it was evenly matched which made it competitive and fun. The club and the atmosphere was electric. Credit to Bradley Howard for bringing what he does best, he brings an energy to an event that no-one else can really match. I can't wait for the next one’

Our head coach, Ben Goodeve, co-ordinated the players and the games at the event. Ben’s expertise in Padel, and enthusiasm for coaching the sport is unrivalled, he is accredited by the LTA and is Silver Hello Padel qualified.

Bradley adds 'This will be the first of many. Everybody at The Padel Club, I want to say Thank you for believing in the brand and for giving me the opportunity to host the event'.

Pippa Nash, Head of Brand Marketing at The Padel Club comments; ‘The Padel Club strives to build a sociable, and competitive, community of players. Since Bradley has been playing on our courts, and become an ambassador for the sport, we chose to collaborate with Bradley to launch his Make The Shift community with hosting the event. Bradley’s change in lifestyle is impressive, and the dedication to the sport is influential. We are looking forward to hosting more collaborative events in the future’.