UAE Padel Association predicts fine returns for sport

General Secretary buoyed by increasing youth participation at NAS Tournament

The General Secretary of the UAE Padel Association (UAE PA) is confident the sport is in safe hands for the future going by the swell in numbers especially among the younger generation.

Saeed Al Merri, General Secretary, UAE PA teamed up with Mohammad Al Mansouri to pick up the UAE Men’s Open crown at the Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Tournament and then assured that the future for the sport looks bright going by the increasing number of players each year at this annual competition.

“It is the younger players who are coming through that gives me a sense of comfort. I am pleased that padel is headed in the right direction,” Al Merri told Gulf News after receiving the winners trophy from Shaikh Saeed Bin Juma Al Maktoum, President, UAE PA, in the presence of Khalifa Yousuf Al Khoury and Mohammad Al Mutawa’a, First and Second Vice-Presidents of UAE PA, at Nas Sports Complex, on Monday.

“We have invested a lot of time in promoting padel at the schools and private clubs, and today we see that the number of young players is much more compared to what we had last year. This is a good sign for sure,” he added.

Maximum field

The padel competition during NAS Sports Tournament that was held in three different categories, namely UAE Men’s Open, Men’s Open and Teams, drew a maximum field of padel players from across the country. “There is a good response to the events we host from time to time, and many of the players who participate are former tennis players who find padel more interesting and entertaining,” Al Merri observed.

“On our part we can only promise to work harder to achieve our goals and ensure the sport is headed in the right direction,” he added.