Nottingham padel team wins inaugural UK University championship
The inaugural UK PADEL Universities Championships took place at Rocket Padel in Bristol from the 1st to the 2nd of February, and the University of Nottingham had two teams competing in the men's championship. Taking on competitors from universities around the country, Nottingham's team reached the final before winning the title in a super tiebreak.
Published 06 Feb 2025
A record breaking 143 student padel players from around the UK competed in thirty-seven teams in the first ever UK PADEL Universities Championships, and our Nottingham first team of Mateo Padovani, Thomas Sheldon, Luca Fielden, and Tom Pattullo moved into the knockout rounds where they would face local neighbours Nottingham Trent University in the semi final.
Mateo and Thomas would win their match 11-4, whilst Luca and Tom would win 12-1 to secure the University of Nottingham's place in the final. Here, the green and gold would take to the court against Exeter with the opportunity to be named best in the country. After both pairs matches were split, the final would go to a hugely exciting super tiebreak, and it would be the University of Nottingham pair of Mateo Padovani and Luca Fielden who would win the match and the championship crown.
Team captain Luca Fielden said of the achievement; "I am extremely proud of the 1s team for the immense character shown in taking home the title against a formidable Exeter side in an intense super tiebreak!"
The University of Nottingham also entered a second men's team into the tournament, demonstrating the ever-growing popularity of the sport here at the university. The second team displayed their quality in reaching the quarter finals before being defeated by Oxford Brookes in the quarter finals.
Everyone at University of Nottingham Sport would like to congratulate everyone involved in this fantastic success.
To find out more about the UK PADEL Universities Championships, please visit the competition's official website.
To keep up to date with the University of Nottingham Padel club, you can follow them on social media here.
I am extremely proud of the 1s team for the immense character shown in taking home the title against a formidable Exeter side in an intense super tiebreak. The 2s also delivered an impressive performance, advancing from the group stages to the quarter finals and providing us with unwavering support throughout the final to help us get over the line!
Luca Alexander Fielden, UoN Padel Team Captain
Notes for editors
University of Nottingham are the top UK University for team sport, placing 2nd in the overall British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) rankings in the 2023/24 season. For more information on our performance sport offer, including scholarships and support for student athletes, please click here.