Padel power: How one woman powered the game in Dubai – News

Sara Essa speaks to Khaleej Times about her passion for the sport and the community project she cares most about: ‘The Padel Collective’

Sara Essa has been hooked on the sport since she won a tournament on the day she arrived in Dubai less than a year ago.

So much so that she went on to launch an initiative called Padel Collective, where she will organize the first women’s padel championship this weekend.

Speaking of harrij times, Sara talks about her passion for the sport and her community project “The Padel Collective”. “I set it up as a social entertainment place where women could meet other players without the pressure to win. It just grew from there,” she said.

Soon, she thought about staging a women’s championship, but said it was a challenging task. “It’s hard to find women who compete. I think the word ‘tournament’ can be a bit intimidating,” she said.

According to the British expat, the “Chief Female Challenger” competition celebrates female participation and brings together women in the sport from different communities. “Our intention is to try and inspire other women to join and understand that it’s not just about competing but also about having fun,” she said.

This Saturday’s competition at the new Danube Sports World will feature 64 players in 4 categories and is sanctioned by the Dubai Sports Council.

The Padel Collective meets twice a week, is open to both women and men, and has members ranging in age from 10 to 64. Today, they have over 300 active members and have managed to bring in over 50 new players to the sport.

Cricket grounds have grown in popularity over the past few years, with more and more cricket grounds appearing in residential areas. According to Sara, its popularity is largely due to its ease of use. “You don’t need previous sporting experience, the barrier to entry is low, you don’t need a lot of hand-eye coordination, and you develop very quickly, so it’s very satisfying and rewarding,” she explains.

Plus, there’s a social element that makes it appealing, she says. “It’s fun because it’s always doubles, so it’s very social. You can always rotate partners,” she said, adding that because it takes place on a small, walled court, it doesn’t take much time to run around Run to pick up the ball.

“I’m very happy and excited about this competition. I like the idea of ​​challenging myself. There are a lot of competitions going on, but this one looks fun,” said padel player Alexia Gabr, adding that she will start from Abu Dhabi. Come from afar to compete.

Lisa McCarthy said she is grateful to the Padel Collective because it helped her find her purpose in life while she was out of work last year. “Sarah has created something really special. Last year I was between jobs and there were months where I had a lot of time. I played twice a week, socialized, and took classes. It gave me purpose to wake up every day, I got fit. It was everything I needed at the time,” she said.

It even challenged some of her perceptions, she said. “I don’t think my ball eye is too good, but I think I’m heading in the right direction. I’m excited about this tournament, it gives me a purpose, a reason to get better,” She said, adding that she has made many friends through the competition.

Farah, another padel enthusiast, said she was excited to take part in the Women’s Challenge this weekend. “It’s great to be in a tournament knowing the levels are well matched and you’re going to have some fun and challenging games in front of you.”

As for the future plans of The Padel Collective, Sara said that some exciting plans are already planned, but she can’t reveal anything yet.