• Padel Business Magazine
  • Posts
  • LTA partners with Pro Am Padel Tour and Jason Manford to boost youth engagement in padel

LTA partners with Pro Am Padel Tour and Jason Manford to boost youth engagement in padel

The UK’s national governing body for padel has joined forces with the Pro Am Padel Tour and celebrity Jason Manford as part of efforts to get more children playing padel across Great Britain.

Author

Jonathan Dyson
April 03, 2025

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the governing body for tennis and padel in the UK, has announced a collaboration with the British pro-celebrity series Pro Am Padel Tour and actor and comedian Jason Manford to boost the take-up of padel among young people across the country.

The Pro Am Padel Tour is expanding each of its events in four major UK cities in 2025 into two-day events. The LTA said it has joined as its official strategic partner to organise and host whole-day community-led sessions aimed at increasing padel’s “accessibility, visibility and diversity”.

The sessions will be delivered free to children from local schools in partnership with the Jason Manford Padel Academy. Children will be provided with coaching, equipment and follow-up opportunities to continue their participation in padel through vouchers, court time, products and programmes. 

Manford has already engaged over 500 school children at his academy events at clubs across the UK, supported by the LTA. 

The governing body said the new partnership will help provide “more local communities with the opportunity to experience and engage with padel, whilst in such a crucial growth period across Britain”.

In 2024, the Pro Am Padel Tour worked with community organisations and schools, as well as the LTA and regional governing bodies such as Tennis Wales, to put on dedicated coaching and taster sessions for children, young people and underserved communities.

Jason Manford has so far engaged over 500 school children at his academy events at clubs across the UK. Image credit: LTA.

The LTA said the collaboration also builds on the Pro Am Padel Tour’s commitment to drive youth participation, encourage diversity and provide equal access opportunities to the sport.

“In 2025, not only will Jason deliver introductory sessions for children at Pro Am Padel Tour events, but he will also take the role of team captain alongside fellow celebrities and pro players in the competition itself,” the LTA said.

Steve Yeardley, the LTA padel manager, commented: “The LTA is delighted to be partnering with the Pro Am Padel Tour to deliver community days, with the ambition of opening up padel across Britain. Working alongside the Pro Am Padel Tour and Jason Manford, we have an ambition to make padel more accessible and engaging and to inspire the next generation.

"One of our key objectives for padel in Great Britain is for there to be 400,000 annual padel players by the end of 2026, and working with the Pro Am Padel Tour, who have been growing the sport’s profile through engagement with celebrities and some of the country’s best players, will help us raise the profile of padel, and inspire more people to pick up a padel racket.” 

Jason Manford said: “It is an utter joy taking the Jason Manford Padel Academy across the country and introducing hundreds of children to the wonderful sport of padel, with the support of the LTA. Teaming up with the Pro Am Padel Tour is a natural next step, helping to give even more kids access to padel and experience its positive impact.” 

Oliver Morgan, founder of the Pro Am Padel Tour, said: "Our major objectives include making padel accessible and inspiring the next generation of players, and a key part of that is getting more children on court. 

“The work that Jason is doing in this area is truly inspirational and through our strategic partnership with the LTA we’ve been able to join forces with his academy, hosting them at our four community days this year. We feel privileged to be a part of this movement.”