Padel Stories

This episode is proudly sponsored by Padel Sans Frontières – the premium lifestyle brand dedicated to après padel fashion. As temperatures soar, we dive into life on and off the padel court during the summer heatwave, soak up the incredible atmosphere of the World Cup, and chat about why outdoor padel is at its absolute best this time of year.  We talk about our dear friend and listener Trev, the...

In this episode of Padel Stories 🎙️, our very own Nick Bianchi  sits down with Paul Mcilwraith , Co-Founder and Director of  PORTICO SPORT UK, one of the leading global padel court installation companies and a key player in the sport’s rapid growth.  Paul has been involved in padel since living in Spain in the mid-2000s, where he first discovered and fell in love with the sport while working as a...

In this episode, Nick and Jen catch up after Jen’s trip to Mallorca, where she spent a few days celebrating at a beautiful wedding and soaking up some Mediterranean sunshine. They also reflect on an exciting few weeks for the podcast and wider community, including an invitation to the launch of Ace Padel in Lytham and a growing list of upcoming events across London, Essex, Stockport and beyond. Wi...

In this episode, we look back on an incredible week in Barcelona at the Padel World Summit and reflect on just how far the sport has come. The excitement really started at the British Padel Awards the week before, which proved to be the perfect warm-up for Barcelona. It was fantastic to celebrate the achievements of so many people within British padel and, as it turned out, many of those same face...

Nick caught up with Tommy and Harvey from Bakuro Marketing at the Barcelona Padel World Summit from the Hirostar stand to talk all things about social media and padel. In this episode, Tommy and Harvey share their journey from university graduates to building a successful marketing business within one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. They discuss how landing The Padel Directory as their firs...

🚨 New Episode 🚨  Ben Nichols:  “Shaping the New Padel World” Great catching up with Ben Nichols on the latest episode of Padel Stories 🎙️. Ben is one of the key figures in the industry helping shape the narrative of the New Padel World, and this conversation went far beyond just the sport itself. From his early days as a talented junior in both tennis and squash, to roles across Formula One, ten...

Sharing a great evening that was had by all at the British Padel Awards 🏆 We were lucky enough to be guests of Padel Ventures on Table 21 and spent the night surrounded by some fantastic people from across the padel community. We went through all the winners and wanted to offer huge congratulations to everyone recognised on the night, especially Minter Dial from Joy of Padel for winning Best Pade...

This episode is packed with excitement, anticipation, and pure padel passion as the countdown to the upcoming Padel Awards gathers serious momentum.  We dive into all the hype, fever, and buzz surrounding what promises to be a huge weekend for the sport and the growing padel community. We also look back on the fantastic Jason Manford Padel Academy event at The Padel Club TraffordCity; a brilliant...

In this episode of Padel Stories , we sit down with Scott Ledger, one of the most experienced officials in English football, having overseen more than 537 league games across his career as both a referee and assistant referee in the Premier League. Scott shares his fascinating journey from leaving the army to carving out a career at the very top of elite sport, offering a rare behind-the-scenes lo...

(🚨Please note: there are a few moments in this episode where aircraft noise can be heard overhead, which may affect the sound quality at times. We recorded live at Soul Padel. Thanks for your understanding 🚨)    In this episode, Sophie discusses her life on the Ladies European Tour before moving into broadcasting with Sky Sports. She shares how padel has become such an inclusive sport and someth...

Fantastic to catch up with Jack Williams from On The Court and John Preston from Baseline Digital Marketing at BigBox Padel Club in their impressive 9-court indoor facility in Huddersfield. In this episode, Jack and John discuss BigBox Padel Club’s decision to move forward without a third-party booking app, and how that approach supports greater ownership of the customer relationship. As the app p...

In this latest Padel Stories Tiebreak, we share some recent padel postcards from the USA with listener and friend Ivo Maciel and catch up on the games we’ve been involved in, including a fantastic, hard-fought tie NB was involved in featuring Jon Wilkin, Michael Vaughan, and Chris Reimann, aka Chris the Pilot. Jen talks about her recent holiday to Tenerife, while Nick confesses to overindulging on...

Fantastic leading interview with the Founder of Padel 39, Will Boyce, discussing the explosion of Padel in USA, his expansion plans and how he is spearheading the boom in Texas where he and his family are based.. Let's get into it! Enjoy.. Nick and Jen xx Welcome to The Padel Stories with Nick Bianchi and Jen  Nick is a sports lover, and is absolutely passionate about Padel. He represents the...

This episode is all about health optimisation.. looking well, feeling well, and living well.  Projuvenate is a holistic centre based in Manchester that focuses on all of these areas, and it was great for Jen and I to interview founders Rob, Dr Libby, and Kim Artingstall , who each shared their roles in building the business and their approach to helping people perform at their best. Rob is also de...

Fantastic for us to sit down with our friend Robert Smethurst, Macclesfield FC Owner for our upcoming leading interview. We dive into all things football ⚽️, padel 🎾, his BBC series 🎥, and the many projects he’s driving as the true entrepreneur that he is. Padel has become Rob’s escape, playing a huge role in both his physical and mental wellbeing with running a football club and his 5 other bu...

A new era of Corporate entertainment.. Fantastic day supporting Equilibrium Financial Planning on their Corporate Padel Day as their media podcast partner 🎙️  It was a brilliantly run event by Tim Crutchley and it fantastic to work alongside Julie Anne Jackson & Lucie Bloomfield from Equilibrium FP. Lovely interviews with Julie Ann, their clients Phil Waine, Simon Pooler and James Webster, as...

We wanted to replay a wonderful episode that we did with Jason Manford on our sister channel Sofa Stories last year 🎙️.. Like a timeless classic, It was such a privilege to have, legend, comedian, actor, singer, padel tennis ambassador, all round Entertainer, man of wisdom and a true gentleman.. Jason is such an authentic voice in Padel and we wanted our listeners to hear Jason's story...Give...

In this episode Jen and Nick start by discussing the war in the Middle East and the effect it is having with their friends and padel venues over there. Their thoughts are with them all . They then talk of their recent Padel trips to Bristol, Reading, London and Soho Farmhouse. They recap on the last leading interview with the Founders of Playskan and Jen raves about how it has transformed how she...

Welcome to The Padel Stories with Nick Bianchi and Jen  Nick is a sports lover, and is absolutely passionate about Padel. He represents the global italian Padel brand Hirostar and has even managed to squeeze in padel coaching course such is his love for the sport. Jen Dooley is a Fitness and wellbeing expert, a Padel fanatic and real ambassador for the sport. She is a regular at many of the clubs...

This episode is brought to you by Zooki 🍊 (code Padelstories20 - zooki.com) NB and Jen catch up for a tie break episode after school half term!  Jen talks of her time in Tenerife and her upcoming Padel x Pilates trip in Spain with Padel Stories and studio34. NB confirms the date of the next Padel Stories Women in Business event taking place at Ace Padel in Staffordshire on 22nd April headline spo...

In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with @ollie_aspin & @toni_calafell , the driving forces behind  @yourpadel.life . Based at @bendinatclub in Mallorca 🇪🇸, they are building a world-class coaching brand that’s now expanding into the UK and beyond. 🌍 Ollie’s journey is one of taking bold decisions, not choosing university, instead committing fully to his passion for padel an...

Hi its Nick here!  In this episode, it is tie-break time with Jennifer Dooley and me, recapping on all the things going on in the world of Padel. We kick off discussing Matt Mistri (London Padel Coach🎾) interview which has received such great feedback and which we absolutely loved doing ..so many takeaways especially his acceptance onto Game4Padel MBA course! We bring back Padel Postcards, featur...

Hear of Matt's Padel journey from Argentina to being one of the UKs leading coaches. Matt has played tennis and football to a high standard and has been coaching in both sports for over 20 years. In 2019 he was introduced to Padel in Argentina where it is considered a national sport and he has been hooked ever since! Qualified as a Padel MBA Head Coach, he has been sharing his knowledge and l...

Join Jen and NB for their regular debrief as they catch up on all things padel and what’s happening across the industry. In this episode, they recap their standout interview with Trevor Dwyer Lynch, share insights from the games and venues they’ve recently visited, and reflect on hosting The Padel Directory Founders in Manchester. They also dive into what really matters to Jen when choosing venues...

In this powerful episode of Padel Stories, Trevor Dwyer-Lynch, known affectionately as The Padel Pensioner, shares his deeply personal journey through grief, loss, and finding hope again. After experiencing heartbreaking tragedy of losing his son, Trevor discovered padel, and what began as a simple game quickly became therapy, community, and a new lease of life.  Through friendships, connection, a...