Durham Marks Milestone with Historic Padel 22 University Padel Championships

Friday 4th December 2024, Durham, UK – The inaugural Padel 22 Durham University Padel Championships took place this week, marking a historic milestone as the largest university padel tournament ever held in the UK. Hosted at True Padel Durham, the event celebrated the rapid rise of padel within university communities and the remarkable achievements of Durham University Padel Society in its record-breaking first year.

The tournament saw 80 players competing across three divisions during four hours of thrilling on-court action. Talent and enthusiasm for a sport that’s captured the hearts and minds of Britain’s students were on full display, underscoring why padel is becoming a fast favourite among students across the UK.

Founded in January 2024 by Co-Presidents Hal Hornby and James Bonnor-Moris, Durham University Padel Society has grown to become the largest university padel society in the UK, with over 315 active members. Their efforts have also made it the largest sports society at Durham University, an extraordinary accomplishment within such a short time.

Hal Hornby, Co- President of Durham University Padel Society, said:  “Our goal was always to make padel accessible and fun for as many people as possible. To see this event come together and so many students getting involved is genuinely amazing. It’s a huge milestone for the society, for Durham University and for the British Universities padel scene. For us, it shows the potential padel has to grow at Durham and across the University sector throughout the UK.”

The event was proudly sponsored by Padel 22 the world’s leading padel-dedicated PR and Communications Consultancy. Wallich Rackets (widely considered a manufacturer of the world’s best padel racket) provided custom-made Durham University-branded rackets for the tournament’s male and female ‘Players of the Day’, recognising their outstanding performances on the court. Lowicks contributed to the celebratory atmosphere by gifting champagne to the winning pairs and gift cards to the runners-up.

Ben Nichols, CEO & Founder of Padel 22, said: “For us, this event was about far more than competition; it’s about creating opportunities and inspiring a new generation of players. At Padel 22, one of our greatest motivations is to inspire the next generation of padel business entrepreneurs into our industry. Hal and James are two excellent examples of what can be achieved in no time at all when you combine an inherent entrepreneurial streak with a passion for padel. They have done an incredible job building something special at Durham, and their energy and passion shows just how much the British student padel scene has. We were honoured and humbled to be asked to be part of it.”

With the UK’s padel scene expanding rapidly —  already a global sport with over 30 million players  —  this tournament exemplifies how universities can lead the way in making padel accessible, exciting, and competitive for the next generation. The Padel 22 Durham University Padel Championships set a new standard for university-level padel events, paving the way for even bigger achievements in the future.

For more information, please contact:
Ben Nichols, CEO & Founder, Padel 22
Email: Ben@padel22.com

Padel 22 is the Global Communications Consultancy dedicated to the New Padel World. Since it was founded in October 2022, Padel 22 has been on a mission to shape the narrative of this exhilarating sport as it expands into new territories, from the UK to USA, Singapore to South Africa and India to Indonesia. From strategic communications and media relations to digital marketing, crisis management, and stakeholder relations, Padel 22 delivers impactful solutions tailored for clubs, organisations, brands, events, leagues and players. Padel 22 is committed to helping clients make their mark in this maverick sport as it grows internationally.