SUPPORTIN SPORT FUND
PADEL FOR ALL
Padel for All have been awarded £8,114 in 2024 to support the delivery of a four-part project that aims to improve accessibility and opportunity for islanders to enjoy the sport of Padel. The initiative is expected to directly benefit around 100 participants through the award received by the SUPPORTIN SPORT Fund.
The projects will work in partnership with local organisations to target specific inactive and underrepresented groups to help reduce inequalities in access and opportunity to the sport. Each project will be delivered as a 12-week or 6-week coached programme, with pathways for participants to engage in the sport beyond the initiatives. Padel for All will be delivering four introductory programmes working with key identified stakeholders:
- Le Rocquier School – targeting female teenagers
- Man Club Jersey – targeting inactive adult men with mental health challenges
- MacMillan Jersey – targeting islanders living with health issues, a disability or life-threatening illness
- Parish of St Clement – targeting isolated adults aged 65+
LATEST NEWS…
Padel For All have launched their new community inclusion programmes to support Le Rocquier School, the Parish of St Clement, MacMillian Jersey and Man Club Jersey.
The Parish of St Clement Senior Citizens project welcomed over 20 very eager participants to each session, ranging from ages of early sixes into early eighties. The coaches highlighted the power of sport in uniting participants who were experiencing loneliness and poverty through free coached sessions and time to socialise on a weekly basis.
The Man Club project was extremely successful after completion of six training sessions which were all oversubscribed. A significant number of the participants enjoyed engaging in the physical activity and social time after sessions, which led to the Man Club securing additional sponsorship to continue this initiative through a weekly ‘mashup’ session. Twelve participants have also joined Island Padel’s corporate league through a Man Club team entry, and regular individual social games are organised through the Man Club WhatsApp group.
The Le Rocquier School teenage girls project consisted of a three phase delivery: in-school, at the St Clement facility during school time and at facility after school hours. All three phases were fully subscribed and have now been completed very successfully and within budget. Girls in school years 8-9 were targeted due to the high disengagement rates with physical activity, returning very high engagement levels in phase 1 and phase 2, likely due to coordinated transport arrangements. Phase 3 engagement levels were still very high but were hampered by cold and rainy weather, and the participants having to organise their own transport. Le Rocquier School are exploring ways to continue the scheme, potentially extending to school year 7 to engage teenage girls in positive exercise habits from a younger age.
The Mac Millan Jersey project involved two phases. Firstly, around 20 volunteer workers were invited to the St Clement facility to learn basic skills and rules of how to play padel, free of charge. Post this event, through consultation with the workers and Island Padel coaches, it was agreed that the second phase of the project should involve a family day, as it was highlighted that many of their patients feel detached from society as in many cases they were unable to engage in activities like they used to prior to their cancer diagnosis. The family event was hosted in March 2025 with circa 50 people attending the St Clement facility for padel, pizza and fun games.
Find contact details and more information about Padel for All in our SPORTS DIRECTORY: