Empower Padel and LTA launch nationwide programme to accelerate growth of women’s padel
• 3 minutes read
Empower Padel and the LTA are today launching a four-month pilot programme designed to accelerate the growth of women’s and girls’ participation in padel across Britain.
The Women’s Padel Activator Pilot Programme will put women at the heart of growing the sport through a network of Padel Activators - women and young women who will introduce their communities to padel and help players progress from their first experience to regular play.
The pilot will launch new activations at Padel Stars Basildon, and Padel4All Eastbourne, Pure Padel Lightwater, with another location to be added shortly. This programm builds on established weekly initiatives at Padel Hub Slough, Fleet, Padel4All Bracknell and Padel Maidenhead.
The programme will also include university activations and a Next Gen Padel Festival for players aged 16–24.
The four-month pilot has headline targets of 1,000 unique participants, 500 repeat participants and 200 regular monthly players. Empower Padel will track participation and retention throughout the programme to identify which approaches are most effective and sustainable.
Padel is one of the fastest growing sports in Britain, with new figures released in May by the LTA showing that there are now over 1,000,000 adults and juniors playing padel across the country at 551 venues across 1825 courts.
Through its She Rallies strategy, the LTA is committed to make tennis and padel truly gender balanced, working to grow participation, increasing opportunities in the workforce and supporting venues to deliver inclusive programmes and be welcoming and enjoyable environments for women and girls.
This partnership with Empower Padel is one of a number of targetted programmes to increase female representation on court and in the workforce.
Empower Padel: two years of growth
The launch coincides with Empower Padel’s second anniversary. Founded in September 2024, the organisation’s mission is to help women and girls start, stay in or return to sport through padel.
In two years, Empower Padel has achieved:
- 3,500+ women in its community
- 1,250+ women and girls introduced to padel
- 150+e vents delivered across the UK and internationally
- 20,000+ Instagram followers
- 400+ women contributing to annual Women in Padel Community Survey
- 100+ girls introduced to padel through the Hurlingham Club Foundation programme
- 45+ local activators helping grow women’s padel
- £5,000+ raised for girls’ sport and charitable initiatives
In 2026, founder Pep Stonor was awarded the LTA President’s Award, becoming the first person from the padel community to receive the award. Empower Padel was also named Best Community Initiative at the British Padel Awards.
Pep Stonor, Founder of Empower Padel, said, “When we started Empower Padel, our mission was simple: to help women start, stay in or return to sport through padel. We’re thrilled to have helped so many women do exactly that over the past two years and to have built such an incredible community along the way.
We’re only just getting started. We can’t wait to scale what we’re doing and help as many women and girls as possible discover the confidence, connection and community that padel can bring - especially the next generation.
Jo-Anne Downing, LTA Programme Strategy Manager, said, "We are proud to partner with Empower Padel to support our shared ambition of making padel more accessible and inclusive for women and girls in Britain. Padel presents a significant opportunity to engage more women and girls in sport, and our focus is on ensuring that this growth is inclusive and sustainable. It’s not just about introducing people to the sport for the first time, but creating the opportunities, environments and support networks that encourage long-term participation.
"This partnership reflects the LTA's vision to make padel more opened up. We are committed to continuing to raise the profile of women’s tennis and padel, both on and off the court, including in leadership roles, ensuring women are recognised, valued and celebrated at every level of the game.
"We recognise that there is still more to do to achieve greater gender balance in padel. By working with partners like Empower Padel, we can engage more women and girls, provide welcoming opportunities to pick up a padel racket, and inspire the next generation of players."
Girls Festival launches the next generation
The programme launches alongside the Empower Padel Next Generation Festival, which took place on 1 September, bringing girls and young women together to experience padel and explore opportunities within the sport. Fifteen girls aged 16–24 completed their training to become LTA Activators, and the day of fun saw 80 registrations from beginners through to more advanced players, all taking to the courts to enjoy the game of padel.
The festival forms part of Empower Padel’s ambition to create a pathway from first experience and participation through to competition, leadership and coaching.
