Performance and national teams
The LTA Padel Peformance Pathway is designed to identify, develop and support the leading padel players in Great Britain with the overall aim of achieving success on the international stage.
We have created and are developing a series of funded initiatives that provide training and support at different stages of player’s development journey.
Eligibility
To be eligible for selection consideration to any of the padel performance initiatives or programmes, players must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria:
- Are eligible to represent Great Britain in FIP approved competitions and have a current & valid British Passport;
- Have not represented another country in a FIP event during the past three years;
- Hold a current Play, Play+ or Compete membership with LTA Advantage;
- Are not currently serving any sanction for an anti-corruption or anti-doping rule violation under any relevant anti-corruption or anti-doping regulations.
Please note that for specific selection processes, such as those for national team representation, there may be additional eligibility criteria that players need to meet. Details of these can be found in each specific policy document.
There are three different funding programmes in place, designed to support the best padel players in Great Britain with the aim of achieving international success now or in the near future.
Selection takes place at the start of the year with selected players agreeing an annual individual development plan (IDP) with the performance team, entering into a formal agreement until the end of the season.
Here is a brief overview of each funding support tier:
Elite Programme (EP)
The Elite Programme is aimed at the highest performing players who are achieving major tournament success or have the potential to be in contention for medals at major international FIP / Premier Padel events in the next two years.
Pro Scholarship Programme (PSP)
This Pro Scholarship Programme (Padel PSP) for 2024 is aimed at players aged 16 years old and above* with the potential to progress into the FIP Padel Tour top 100 world rankings in the next two years.
Pro Potential Programme (PPP)
The Pro Potential Programme (Padel PPP) for 2024 is aimed at players aged 16 years old and above* with the potential to progress into the FIP Padel Tour top 150 world rankings in the next two years.
* In exceptional cases players younger than 16 years old can be considered
The GB Men’s & Women’s programme consists of a series of national training camps (generally on weekends) where the leading players are brought together to train under the guidance of the national coaching team.
The programme is targeted at male and female players with the potential to be selected to represent Great Britain at major championships such as World or European championships in the next 12 months.
Players who are selected for the programme will be required to enter into a formal player agreement with the LTA which will detail the support they can receive and their responsibilities, commitments and accountabilities (such as agreeing an Individual Development Plan (IDP), planning annual schedules, etc).
Selection process
In order to be considered for attendance, and possible selection to the GB Men’s and Women’s programme, players need to demonstrate the skills, performance standard and key behaviours within the following events:
- LTA British Tour / Grade 1 events;
- FIP sanctioned events.
The LTA performance team are looking for range of skills and behaviours which highlight the players commitment to becoming a high performance padel player and who can compete at the highest level of the sport. The skills and behaviours we look for and follow within our work, fall under four performance principles:
| Commitment |
|
| Grit |
|
| Padel skill |
|
| Direction |
|
Where a player has stood out to a member of the performance team, they may then be invited to attend a GB national training camp where the staff can work more in depth with the player and understand more about the player's overall commitment, training schedule, etc, as well as ability to improve.
Players who continually demonstrate the behaviours, skills and performance standard expected, will be invited to become a full member of the GB Men’s / Women’s Squads.
Programme
The programme consists of:
- Weekend training camps (approximately 8 across the season)
- Weekly training sessions at NTC or names location
- Training prior to UK based FIP events, and where possible, coaching support at those events
- Access to facilities at the National Tennis Centre* (please refer to the NTC Access policy for further information)
- Opportunities to access any additional training abroad, or link with any partner training academies we have available.
Training will consist of a range of both on court and off court training, working with the national coaches, plus support staff at times in areas such as
- Strength & conditioning
- Nutrition
- Psychology
- Anti-doping / anti-corruption training
Further information about the GB Men’s & Women’s Programme can be found here:
This year will see the introduction of the GB youth pathway, with two initial training groups being created at under 14 and under 18.
This consists of two training groups which will come together for national training camps on designated weekends / school holiday dates, to work together with the national coaches.
Selection process
In order to be considered for the GB youth training groups, players need to demonstrate the skills, performance standard and key behaviours in the following ways:
- Performances at LTA sanctioned youth events
- Club coaches recommendation to LTA, with support information (such as results data)
- At times, the LTA may host player assessment camps where players are invited to a training day to work with national coaches
For further information, please get in touch:
Each year, the International Padel Federation stages major championships at European and World level, with one major event taking place each year.
We select players to represent GB in these events through a selection process that sets out the various criteria players in eligibility, performance information considered, selection panel, etc.
To be considered for selection and provided the eligibility criteria is met, players apply for consideration by signing and returning the policy acknowledgment at the end of the policy. In signing the policy, you ae acknowledging that you have read and understand the process by which selection will be made for the event.
For more detailed information, please read the event specific criteria below:
Men’s & Women’s European Championships 2024 selection policy
Get in touch
If you have any other questions regarding the padel performance programmes, you can direct any queries below: