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The Evelyn Partners Padel Cup is back next month, when top City of London firms will vie for the title on a day of coaching clinics, camaraderie and competition.

City firms are no stranger to friendly competition, although usually it involves trading floors, pitch decks and spreadsheets. Next month they will be doing battle in an altogether different context: the fast-growing and frenetic world of padel.

The Evelyn Partners Padel Cup, which sees mixed teams from some of the Square Mile’s most recognisable businesses do battle, is back to build on the success of its inaugural staging last year and will return to Padium – the high-end, purpose-built padel club in Canary Wharf – on 15 October.

Teams already confirmed to take part in the corporate contest come from banking, financial services, law, insurance and beyond and include Coutts, Deloitte, KPMG, Howden, Irwin Mitchelll and Russell-Cooke.

Naturally, Evelyn Partners will also be entering again and aiming to build on last year’s fifth-placed finish. Such is the appetite to play at the wealth manager that it has been holding internal try-outs in recent weeks to whittle down the final four-person line-up.

The entertainment doesn’t stop when the prizes have been handed out, however, with a dedicated evening programme for those who can’t make the daytime tournament – or simply wish to extend the day. 

The evening programme is set to feature coaching clinics with professional padel players, for those looking to try the sport for the first time or hone their racket skills, as well as special guest speakers from the world of sport and exhibition matches. 

Evelyn Partners Padel Cup taps into rapid growth of sport

It’s designed to be a day of good-natured rivalry and networking, with food and drink laid on too, all centred around a sport that has exploded in popularity both in the UK and around the world over the last few years. 

Globally, the number of padel courts has rocketed from 10,000 to 80,000 since 2019, while the number of active padel players has mushroomed from some 12m, mostly in the sport’s heartlands of South America and Spain, to 35m worldwide.

As Londoners will know, the UK has been at the forefront of this extraordinary growth – in the same period, the number of courts has gone from a few dozen to 2,000, while the number of players has accelerated from 15,000 to 1m at the last count. 

Allied with the sport’s accessibility and gender-equal appeal – it has a low barrier to entry, skills-wise, while its more common doubles format makes it ideally suited to mixed matches – it’s an ideal tentpole for an event. 

“Padel is one of the most exciting growth stories in sport right now and it embodies many of our values – partnership, performance and a forward-looking mindset,” said Evelyn Partners’ head of growth, Rachael Smith.

“Through the Evelyn Partners Padel Cup we’re able to bring together leading City firms in a one-of-a-kind inclusive tournament that’s rising in popularity year on year.”

What to expect at this year’s event

If last year’s event is anything to go by, the standard is likely to be good and the competition fierce. As well as Evelyn Partners, the inaugural field included PwC, Clifford Chance, EY, Macfarlanes, Oliver Wyman, Howden and Weatherbys Private Bank.

Specialist tour operator Padel Travel X eventually lifted the cup, beating EY in the final, with a Laureus team that featured England rugby star Anthony Watson making it to the semi-finals. In the plate, which featured teams who lost their opening match, Oliver Wyman prevailed over a City AM team that battled gamely.

This year’s tournament has been slimmed down slightly from 16 teams to 12 to ensure more concentrated playing time. Aside from aforementioned teams, it will also feature new entrants HCR Law and management consultants Elixirr.

Speakers are set to include Saracens stars Alex Goode and Max Malins, while among the professionals on hand to dish out tips and put on an exhibition of outrageous hitting will be Rafa Vega, Abigail Tordoff, Victoria Nicholas and Alex Loughlan. Game on!

Win VIP tickets to the Evelyn Partners Padel Cup! Winners will enjoy coaching clinics with GB professionals, thrilling exhibition matches, exceptional hospitality and inspiring guest speakers from the world of sport. Prize draw closes at 5pm on 7 October 2026.

Enter here: https://www.evelynpartnerspadelcup.com/prizedrawentryform