Do you think your company could be the next national padel champion? The MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League is back. The first national padel competition between companies, approved by the Portuguese Padel Federation, is preparing to bring together more than a hundred companies and thousands of participants spread across six regions of the country.
After the success of the first edition, the tournament will return between February and April this year with MEO Empresas as the naming sponsor, Jornal de Negócios as the official sponsor and PPR Events organizing the event. Teams made up of employees from different companies will go head-to-head with the aim of creating healthy competition at a corporate level. This is an excellent opportunity for participants to get to know each other, create synergies and expand their networking.
Invite your colleagues to take to the court in a fun and relaxed atmosphere to win the title of national champions MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League 2024. Registration is now open to all companies, organisations, associations or bodies that operate in Portugal and would like to get to know their employees outside of their usual place of work. Get ready for an unforgettable experience full of points, sets and matches.
Come for the conviviality and for your health
"Portuguese companies should take part in this competition because playing padel is good for your health. It's a way to escape the office and compete with friends who work in other companies," invited Ricardo Oliveira, president of the Portuguese Padel Federation, at the presentation of the MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League, which took place at the Oeiras Padel Academy in Lisbon.
The press conference, held on January 29, was also attended by Nuno Nunes, Chief Sales Officer B2B of Altice Portugal, Francisco Leite, Partner of PPR Events, responsible for organizing the event, and Luís Santana, CEO of Medialivre, who sat next to Luísa Roque de Pinho, professional paddle tennis player and MEO ambassador.
"The MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League has taken padel all over the country, including the autonomous regions, and we hope that this year we can raise the bar and make this event a benchmark for national padel," said Nuno Nunes.
"The expectation for the 2nd edition is to continue on the path of growth and success, mobilizing many people and companies through the dynamics, intensity, demand, cooperation and team spirit so characteristic of paddle tennis. We want to encourage networking so that companies have a relationship both on and off the court," said Altice Portugal's Chief Sales Officer B2B.
João Epifânio, Chief Marketing Officer Altice Portugal, agrees: "In the corporate world, there isn't much organised sports practice, so we have the ambition to grow this tournament with the participation of more companies and participants."
In 2024, the MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League aims to surpass the numbers of the previous edition, reaching a total of 1,500 participants and more than 150 companies. "Personally, I believe we'll reach 2,000 participants this year. If we keep up with the growth of padel in Portugal, I hope that number can reach 4,000 participants next year," believes Ricardo Oliveira, president of the Portuguese Padel Federation.
Tests start this month
The national inter-company padel championship kicks off on February 23, 24 and 25 in the central region of the country and will pass through the north (Porto), Lisbon, the south (Algarve) and the islands (Madeira and the Azores). The regional races will be held on Fridays from 18:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00. If there are a large number of teams, the competition can start on Thursday from 6pm in any of the regions. Two teams will be selected from each region - with the exception of Lisbon and Porto, which will qualify four teams - for the national phase to be held on April 12, 13 and 14, when the winning companies, male and female, will be crowned.
"For a company to be a national padel champion, it not only needs to have a cooperative strategy but also a strong, demanding and disciplined team that is always willing to leave its comfort zone," advises Nuno Nunes, Chief Sales Officer B2B at Altice Portugal. "The recipe for being a champion is a long, difficult and arduous path. Throughout our lives, in order to win victories, we have to be demanding and disciplined. I would go so far as to say that discipline always wins over talent and, therefore, if we work hard, we can win both on and off the pitch," he concludes.
A new competition system
The competition system will be group-based but, unlike last year's edition, there will be two direct elimination rounds: round A, with the best-placed teams, and round B, for the remaining teams. "We received some criticism about the mismatch of teams and decided to introduce this new feature in the second edition," explains Francisco Leite, Partner at PPR Events, which is responsible for organizing the event.
"Our aim is to create a balanced paddle tennis tournament and that's why we're going to have two levels. In other words, two levels so that the competition is more balanced," he said. For the same reason, players with a level 1 national ranking from the Portuguese Padel Federation cannot enter. On the other hand, players with a level 2 national ranking or who are part of the top 10 national veterans in the general classification cannot play together in the pairs.
As soon as the ball is served and passes into the opponent's court, the matches will be governed by the Padel Playing Rules approved by the Portuguese Padel Federation. "The seal of approval from the Portuguese Padel Federation is fundamental here because it gives the competition legitimacy and official recognition. In addition, this approval implies TV show obligations related to safety, organisation and professionalism, such as contracting insurance, the presence of judges and referees, among others," explains Francisco Leite, Partner at PPR Events.
Pedro Sousa, the players' delegate and a member of the Portuguese Padel Federation's refereeing board, will be the tournament director. The referee responsible for coordinating and developing the events, applying disciplinary criteria if necessary, will be Ines Flórido Carvalho. "Good luck to everyone who is going to wear their company's jersey and take part in this edition of the MEO Corporate Padel League!" said Francisco Leite.
Padel is the fastest growing sport in Portugal
Padel has been winning the hearts of the Portuguese and is the fastest growing sport in Portugal, both in terms of players and clubs. In addition to the 250,000 players, it is estimated that there are around 1,017 courts divided between 306 clubs in the country. "I'm very happy to see that national padel is growing," says Luísa Roque de Pinho. "As a professional padel player, I have more and more people attending my tournaments. The national team itself has better and better players," confirms the MEO brand ambassador, proud of the national team's results at the World Championships.
"In 2022, 400,000 individual users rented a padel court in Portugal. This leads us to believe that 400,000 people played padel at least once during the year," explains Ricardo Oliveira. Every day, men and women of all ages come together to play padel for the first time. And the vast majority who play for the first time want to do it again. "I think these are huge numbers that prove that, after a sport like football, we are the number one sport in Portugal," shares the president of the Portuguese Padel Federation.
At the same time, paddle tennis has seen a veritable explosion of players among company employees from the north to the south of the country. "Padel is a unique sport with great proximity and invites competition, in a balanced and inclusive way, which can be beneficial for companies in terms of promoting and developing business relationships," argues João Epifânio. "It's a sport about people, relationships, proximity and social well-being," concludes Chief Marketing Officer Altice Portugal.
"On a daily basis, companies compete with each other and why not do it on a padel court in a friendly way?" asks Ricardo Oliveira, president of the Portuguese Padel Federation (FPP). The answer comes in the form of a Corporate competition which aims to pit teams made up of employees from different companies against each other and, in this way, choose the national padel champion. "This first league between companies, with the FPP's seal, is very important for promoting the sport and the second edition will be even better". The challenge remains.
Your company could be the next national padel champion
The national padel competition between companies MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League returns this year for a second edition, certified by the Portuguese Padel Federation. Challenge your company and sign up now!
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