Dozens of Algarve companies and associations from various sectors joined the paddle tennis "fever" and took teams to Vilamoura to take part in the 6th and final stage of the regional phase of the 2nd edition of the MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League by Negócios. Among those who took to the paddle courts at the Vilamoura Tennis & Padel Academy from April 5 to 7, MEO Empresas stood out, having qualified one team for the final in the men's tournament and another in the women's tournament.
Also noteworthy were the performances of the men's and women's teams from Sociedade do Golfe da Quinta do Lago and Lazer. The final from which the men's and women's national padel champions will emerge will be held at the Padel Factory, from April 12 to 14, in Agualva-Cacém.
Gonçalo Bastos, commercial manager at MEO Empresas, was naturally pleased with the results obtained in the two competitions. "Get ready: the Algarve is coming to the capital!", smiled the man responsible for organizing the men's and women's teams at the end of the Algarve stage. Gonçalo Bastos took the opportunity to stress that "the organization" of this competition has grown "by leaps and bounds" and "is to be congratulated", not hesitating to consider that paddle tennis is a winning bet as a networking bridge. "This sport is growing by leaps and bounds, it has more and more federated players and it will be a sport that will remain at the top in terms of players," he concluded.
Rute Calé, captain of the MEO Empresas women's team from the Algarve, also gave a positive assessment of the competition and its social aspect. "Of course the aim of the competition is to win, and we did very well in that respect, but the added value of practicing this sport at a corporate level has to do with fostering team spirit and friendship. It's a very social sport, we have a lot of fun." Rute Calé promised that her team will "continue" to take part in a tournament whose organization she describes as "spectacular". And she's confident for the final: "We have faith, we're united and I think we'll get a good result."
Newcomers and repeaters
The team representing Sociedade do Golfe da Quinta do Lago was one of those that stepped onto the courts of Vilamoura's paddle tennis club for the first time in the context of this tournament. And they did so with impact, securing a hard-fought victory in the semi-final against Infraespaço, "a very competitive, solid team that doesn't make many mistakes," acknowledged José Casquilho, captain of the winning team. Admitting that the goal for the final will be "to try and win the title", José Casquilho highlighted two great assets of this tournament: the "five-star organization, always with lots of material available", and "great conditions on and off the courts", namely "in the lounge area"; and, in corporate terms, the interaction it provides between and with companies, revealing that it is "highly likely" that Sociedade do Golfe da Quinta do Lago has managed to "increase its notoriety" and is even looking to "form partnerships".
More experienced in this field, Lazer will return to the final with a women's padel team, a year later, to try to win what will be the first national padel title for companies to be homologated by the Portuguese Padel Federation. Sofia Oliveira, the captain of this telecommunications company's women's team, stresses that the third place obtained in 2023 is the bar to be surpassed. "We want to improve and, if possible, win! We're warriors and what matters is giving our all! Let's do it!" she said after the finalists' medals were handed out, revealing that she was "very happy" and "proud" to be in the final again.
Vilamoura headquarters
In a region that offers "more than 300 days of sunshine a year", as its tourism officials like to point out, the Vilamoura Tennis & Padel Academy was graced, during this last regional stage of the tournament, with days of blue skies and warmth that delighted participants, organizers, sponsors and spectators. Pedro Frazão, businessman and head of this tennis and padel club, is delighted to be hosting what he considers to be an "excellent team building event, socializing and promoting future partnerships between companies".
With the sport having grown steadily in the country in recent years, both in terms of the number of participants and the number of clubs, it's only natural that Pedro Frazão sees "an increase in the competitive level of the players", as was evident at this tournament. "From year to year we can see a clear evolution in all aspects," said the president of the Vilamoura Tennis & Padel Academy, a club which, until the end of the year, will host various events framed by different concepts - "such as the National Padel Championship for young people, at the end of June, or, in August, the 2nd edition of the Padel Grand Champions, an exhibition tournament that brings together some of the best former players and world champions."
"This tournament has developed very well and the brands are following"
Nuno España, Executive Director of the Lusíadas Group Clinics.
How has this tournament captured the attention of Grupo Lusíadas as a sponsor?
If our mission is to help people live healthier lives and improve health systems, we have to be present in sport. And with the dimension that paddle tennis has reached, it obviously makes sense for us to bring teams to this tournament, encouraging healthy lifestyles, but also with teams on the ground to help with whatever is needed and also demonstrating what we do well in hospitals.
By taking part in this tournament, Lusíadas also wants to show its vitality as an economic group...
Obviously we took advantage of the scale of a championship of this size, which is all over the country, playing in all the places where we also have a presence. We also took advantage of the fact that we launched HeyDoc, a new brand with 32 new dental clinics, which is one of the group's biggest new businesses. We had a series of activations here that made sense to us.
Is padel an obvious choice for partnerships, given the growth of the sport?
Sim, not least because of the profile of the people who practise it, who are typically more focused on prevention, in other words, they're already concerned about their health. This tournament has evolved very well and the brands are following. In this context, what we will see is a shift from a customer relationship to a relationship between partners. This is how companies leverage each other.
List of finalists
Center: Betinatêxteis Lar and Nos Comunicações, on the men's side; Betinatêxteis Lar and MEO Empresas, on the women's side.
Azores: Imobiliária Future Procedure and APC - Clube de Padel Açores, for men; MEO Empresas Azores II and Açorbase - Sociedade de Mediação Imobiliária, for women. Lisbon: Cross Staff and Soul Sushi & Two Care, for men; Nestlé Portugal and Sistema McDonald's Portugal, for women.
Lisbon: Cross Staff and Soul Sushi & Two Care, in the men's; Nestlé Portugal and Sistema McDonald's Portugal, in the women's.
Porto: Mimosa and Fisiogaspar, for men; Boavista Futebol Clube and Allcost, for women.
Madeira: The Vine and MEO Empresas, for men; SAS Madeira and MEO Empresas, for women.
Algarve: MEO Empresas and Sociedade do Golfe da Quinta do Lago, in the men's; MEO Empresas and Lazer, in the women's.