Another step has been taken towards the final of the MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League. The competition continued last weekend at D'Ouro Padel in Porto, where for two days 18 teams from companies battled it out to reach the final. The Invicta winners were the men's teams from Mimosa and Fisiogaspar and the women's teams from Boavista Futebol Clube and Allcost. These four companies have secured a ticket to the final on April 12, 13 and 14 in Lisbon, where the national winners will battle it out for the paddle champion trophy.
With their sights already set on this stage, the latest finalists have high expectations. "Fortunately, we achieved our goal of reaching the final. We're very confident about our performance this year. We believe we're going to play good games and have fun," said Nuno Mesquita, captain of Fisiogaspar, who made no secret of his desire to win the men's tournament. "We have two options: win or win. We're going to do everything we can to be the big winners and take the trophy back to the company, which deserves it."
But the competition is fierce and that includes the Mimosa team, which also wants to go far. "We got through, that's the icing on the cake. We had a pair who played in the Lisbon stage who didn't get through, unfortunately, because the teams were tougher. We want to go far, of course," said Pedro Fernandes, sub-captain of the Mimosa men's team. "But the most important thing is to take part and represent the team spirit," he said. Ambition is also the watchword on the women's side. "We're going all out, we want to win. It's not easy, there will be some of the best teams in the country, but we always go with good expectations," assured Sandra Machado, captain of Allcost.
The sporting message is shared by Ana Soares, leader of the Boavista Futebol Clube team. "We always go with the most competitive attitude possible, the most positive. Always with the idea of what brought us here. We've come with a diverse paddle team, the idea was to make this an event that brings together the different Boavista women's teams. We have the unique opportunity to play against each other on a level playing field. We'll take that spirit with us. There will be more challenges in the final, but we're there to fight," said Ana.
Very positive balance
The Porto stage took place in a healthy, relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. There was a lot of good paddle tennis and top-level matches, but the weekend wasn't all about competition. In fact, the social component was very much present, with players taking advantage of the recreational areas on offer. Darts, table football, food and drink were some of the ingredients that helped liven up the party. In the end, the balance could only be positive. "The objectives were clearly achieved. Basically, we used these days for sport as well and our customers had a lot of fun playing games. On the other hand, there's also the ability to build relationships during this time of relaxation," said João Paulo Correia, director of MEO Empresas in the Porto region, before explaining why the brand had invested in this initiative. "The interest that MEO Empresas has in this event is the opportunity to create relationships with customers and with people we talk to every day on a professional level. This is a time for more relaxed contact," he said. At his side was Ricardo Poças, a Gabriel Couto employee who played for one of the MEO Empresas teams and who was also pleased. "We were delighted to take part. We often speak almost exclusively by telephone and end up not enjoying this proximity, which is important for breaking the routine and establishing even greater collaboration. The balance is very positive. The stage was very well organised and I'm very grateful for the invitation that MEO Empresas gave us. It's definitely an event to repeat," said Ricardo. The positive opinion was also shared by the other athletes.
"The organization was great, expectations were met. We had contact with people from the paddle tennis world, but not from the paddle tennis world, all united by a healthy spirit," praised Ana Soares, from Boavista Futebol Clube, seconded by Nuno Mesquita, from Fisiogaspar. "The event went very well. It's the second time that Fisiogaspar has represented the company. We grabbed the opportunity tooth and nail," said the captain.
Qualified companies Men's teams: - Mimosa - Fisiogaspar
Women's teams: - Boavista Futebol Clube - Allcost
Next stop: Madeira With no time to lose, the MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League is already packing its bags for its next destination. The immediate future lies on the island of Madeira, in a stage that is scheduled for the coming weekend, March 22, 23 and 24. Quinta do Padel, in Funchal, is the venue chosen to host the penultimate stop before returning to Lisbon for the final. The closing honors of the competition before the final will be held at the Vilamoura Tennis & Padel Academy in the Algarve.
SCHEDULE
Find out about the next stages, dates and venues:
Regional phase
March 22, 23 and 24, 2024 - Madeira (Quinta do Padel)
April 5, 6 and 7, 2024 - Algarve (Vilamoura Tennis & Padel Academy)
National phase
April 12, 13 and 14, 2024 - Lisbon
Mimosa's "perfect match" with padel Mimosa believes that its association with the MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League was a winning bet, as brand manager Beatriz Andrade Ferreira said.
Support for the MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League has come from several fronts and one of the companies that decided to join the only national padel championship between companies was Mimosa. It was a winning bet. "Padel is a sport that has been growing in terms of the number of participants, not just competitive athletes, but also amateurs, which allows us to reach many consumers. On the other hand, we are seeing a constant increase in the consumption of protein products. The MEO Empresas Corporate Padel League was the perfect match to allow us to continue evolving, innovating and keeping up with market trends," said Beatriz Andrade Ferreira, brand manager.
"In sporting terms, the message we want to send out is, above all, a concern to convey well-being. This involves not only eating a balanced diet, but also practicing an active lifestyle and exercising regularly. So this is one way in which we can materialize the brand's purpose. And then, on the other hand, the motto we have and which has also been represented in the brand's communication recently is that humans are the only ones who feed on more than what they eat. They also feed on this, on socializing, sharing and memories. So this social component is very important to us," said Beatriz Andrade Ferreira.
More than just supporting the tournament, Mimosa has also entered the field. The results are good and the commitment will continue, with participation in the women's competition already being considered. "Yes, I think that's what we want, to make the initiative grow and the brand grow with it. And, above all, to give equal prominence to the women's teams. We already have some candidates here. If the project continues, we'll keep going," he said. For now, the short-term goal is to continue to enjoy participation and, perhaps, to win.
"As a padel team, this is the first time we've taken part. This project arose from the desire of some colleagues who play the sport and it made sense to us. We'd never had a team before. There's an added responsibility here of having spokespeople for our team," concluded Beatriz Andrade Ferreira.