We jumped on the court with Olympians, Footballers and TV celebrities to play the racquet sport that is sweeping the globe: let’s take a look inside the first pro-am padel tournament to ever take place in Manchester.
A host of famous faces gathered at Manchester’s newest state-of-the-art padel club, Pure Padel Manchester, for the fourth and final leg of the Pro-Am Padel Tour.
Whether it’s on social media, your mates in the office or your dad finding something as a substitute for the golf course, it seems like everywhere you look someone is telling you about the game of padel they have just had.
Countless sports personalities are getting involved which only highlights its ever-growing popularity and let me tell you, it’s clear to see why.
Household names from the world of sport and entertainment, including Olympic gold medal swimmer Adam Peaty and ex-footballers Phil Jones and Jill Scott were partnered up with top-level professionals to compete in a round-robin style tournament.
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It’s fair to say even multiple gold medalists and Premier League winners had their competitive streak unleashed with this one and I’m going to say it… Peaty is definitely better in the water!
From the world of sport, we also saw former England and Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott, Olympic swimmer Matt Richards and Man United great Katie Zelem – who achieved MVP on the day despite having only played once or twice before. Well in Katie!
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Taking to the court from the screen we had Coronation Street star Adam Thomas, actor and I’m a Celeb runner-up Owen Warner and Sky Sports presenter Kyle Walker.
If you are not familiar with the sport or you have been living under a rock for the past 12 months, Padel is essentially a combination of tennis and squash – but a lot easier to pick up for a first-timer.
Brushing shoulders – and racquets – with some stars at the first-ever pro-am padel event in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Group)
It is widely considered the world’s fastest-growing sport with 30 million players enjoying the technical and social game from more than 100 countries, and is on a fast upward trajectory in the UK.
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Although originating in Acapulco, Mexico in the late 60’s, it swiftly made its way over the Atlantic when Prince Alfonso of Spain built two padel courts in Marbella and the Spaniards took to it like a fish to water.
With over 4 million players from Spain, the Iberian Peninsula is considered the home of the sport but with facilities like this popping up in town, Great Britain is becoming a padel force to be reckoned with.
Pure Padel‘s indoor arena protected us from the wintery Manchester conditions for a full afternoon of non-stop action alongside a DJ throughout and some quality street food to help refuel.
One main takeaway from the day is that this is a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age or ability. Yes, there is no denying that the professionals are different gravy and I’m sure I saw some of them give the celebs the runaround with one hand in their pocket.
A few were trying the game for the very first time, so a few misplaced drop shots, nervy second serves and ‘name in the headlines’ smashes were always to be expected. As the day progressed, you could see the development in each one of the celebrities thanks to their professional partners.
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Jill Scott said “It was an honour to take to the court with the pros but it’s made me realise I need a lot more practice. If you practice, you will see a big improvement quickly. It’s easy to get the bug for it.”
Whilst three-time gold medalist Adam Peaty added, “I enjoy how Padel brings out my frustration. It’s a very technical sport but it’s always fun. I’m still learning but really enjoying it.”
Although practice makes perfect, I’m not sure he’ll be swapping the goggles for a racquet any time soon. To sum it all up, the biggest takeaway from the entire experience was that it wasn’t the collective celeb presence that shone: it was was the sport itself and how big a boom it is truly enjoying.
If you fancy giving it a go for yourselves, Pure Padel Manchester over on Cheetham Hill is open to the public right now – you can find out how to book yourself HERE.
Pure Padel Manchester is a great facility, by the way – no wonder the Pro-Am Tour chose it. (Credit: The Manc Group)
MCR Basketball to play special knockout game for the 2026 MOBO Awards in Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester Basketball are set to play an exclusive knockout game here as part of the official MOBOs Fringe events for 2026, with this year’s awards coming to Co-op Live.
There’s a place in the last eight if they can seal a victory, too.
After what feels like a tricky couple of years for Greater Manchester’s main basketball franchise, things look to be on the up for the local team.
Rebrands and rebuilds aside, the Super League side is gradually climbing back up the standings, and with their European North Basketball League (ENBL) campaign still going strong, they could book their spot in the quarters with a win ahead of a big partnered evening in just a few weeks.
Set to face off against Croatian outfit, KK Dubrava, from Zagreb on 10 March, just a couple of weeks before the MOBO Awards get underway in Manchester, the match will be one of several events that the organisation are collaborating with.
With this year marking the MOBOs’ 30th anniversary year and, like with the BRITs, our city set to host it for the first time ever, this special game sets the tone for what’s to come in and around event week.
Fans can expect not just the major red carpet moments, but live DJs spinning hip-hop and afrobeats (courtesy of DJ Kay and special guest, DJ G2), plus a live halftime performance from a MOBO artist.
It’s yet to be confirmed who’ll be popping up centre court, but watch this space…
In case you missed the previous announcements, the 2026 MOBO Awards will see global rap icon Eve and acclaimed comedian and broadcaster Eddie Kadi host the landmark night for the North, not mention lots of other exciting stuff throughout the full Fringe schedule.
Performances already confirmed on the night include rising British superstar Olivia Dean, as well as FLO and Tiwa Savage, with more still to come.
Better still, for MCR Basketball, they also have the Super League Cup final coming up over at the AO Arena next month, too.
Tickets for all of these events are live now and available to purchase as we speak.
However, with prices for Manchester Basketball vs Dubrava, specifically, priced at just £5, we don’t expect these ones to last long.
Once again, set to be hosted on Tuesday, 10 March at the National Basketball Performance Centre over in Belle Vue, the tip-off is set for 7pm; you can secure your seats HERE.
And in case you were wondering what other big competitive events are coming to Manchester, Co-op Live is booked for its first-ever big sporting final.
Featured Images — Peter Simmons/Publicity pictures (supplied)
Sport
Kate Scott praised for impassioned speech following more racism in Champions League
Danny Jones
Football pundit and sports presenter Kate Scott has been met with plenty of praise for her ‘expert’ handling of the fallout following more racism in the Champions League this week, delivering an emotional and impassioned speech about discrimination live on TV.
The Manchester-born broadcaster, formerly Kate Abdo, was serving as the host on her usual CBS Sports panel on Tuesday, 17 February, when the story of the playoff game between Benfica and Real Madrid – which included a worldie from Vinicius Jr. – was overshadowed by more allegations of racial abuse.
In case you missed it, Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making racist remarks by both Vini Jr and Kylian Mbappe, but supposedly covered his mouth so as not to be caught on camera; the match was then stopped for more than 11 minutes.
Speaking in the aftermath amid the following European fixtures the next day, the Withington-schooled journalist and University of Salford graduate delivered an eloquent reaction to the controversy with peak professionalism.
Absolutely pitch perfect, and all those involved in preparing the statement should be applauded.
While Scott herself recognised that it’s a shame we even have to keep talking about issues like these rather than the sheer simplistic beauty of, well, ‘the beautiful game’, her response is an example of the job being done at arguably its very best: factual, ethical, moving and inspiring.
As you can see, Scott goes on to say, “This isn’t Real Madrid versus Benfica – it is right versus wrong. Vini Junior and Kylian Mbappe said that there was repeated racial abuse.
“Gianluca Prestiani said they misheard, but he covered his mouth to hide what he said from the cameras, and hopefully, we can all agree that if what you are saying on a football pitch is shameful enough to have to hide it from the public, then you’re wrong.”
The Portuguese club, which ultimately lost 1-0 in their first leg at home on the night, have released a statement reaffirming their commitment to “equality, respect, and inclusion” but reiterates that they believe Prestiani and feel he is now the subject of a “defamation campaign”.
Conversely, in a definitive and emphatic closing message, she signs off by adding the following: “The racial diversity on a football pitch in the Champions League is the representation of the global love for this game and the global belonging in this game. This is the very spirit of football.
“And if you don’t agree, then respectfully, you are the one who doesn’t belong.”
This is what the Athletic is supposed to be. Telling important stories & giving in depth analysis. I hope this signals that it will be its focus moving forward.
From CBS ‘Golazo’ show being applauded for tackling the subject head-on, to Cross herself being labelled as everything from “a role model” and “a benchmark” to “the best on the planet” in the outpouring of reactions on social media, it’s fair to say they absolutely nailed it.
Sadly, this is one of many recent examples of prejudice being shared publicly across various UEFA tournaments and beyond in recent years, but the only way we can truly help anti-hate initiatives is by continuing to call them out.
Harry Quick -
22nd November 2024 
