Our new Matchspace Americano Padel Divisions competition has attracted over 100 members and is designed to encourage members to play more padel, meet other members, enjoy competitive matches, and find their right playing level through promotion and relegation.
Players are initially allocated to seven divisions based on broadly similar playing standards. Over 10-12 weeks, players compete individually within their divisions, partner with different people, and earn points for games and sets won. At the end of each round, players will be promoted or relegated between divisions, helping everyone find their appropriate playing level over time.
Division sizes and rationale
Players are split into seven divisions, with our 12 strongest players in Division 1, and up to 16 players in each of Divisions 2–7. Division 1 is deliberately smaller to help ensure closely matched competitive games at the highest level. The other divisions offer a wider choice of partners and opponents, making matches easier to arrange, while Division 7 provides a welcoming competitive starting point for beginners and padel improvers.
How the initial divisions have been allocated
The initial allocations for each division have been made by our Head Coach based on a number of factors, including: performance in the past two padel Club Padel Championships; results in the Club’s first padel ladder in 2025; performance at Club padel sessions; observations of general play; tennis ability; and, finally, a player’s own assessments of their standard via the Matchspace app.
We accept that these are not precise rankings and it will not be perfect for everyone. If your initial division feels too strong or too easy, please give it a go: results and movement between divisions should help everyone eventually find the right level.
How to arrange and play matches
Book a court for 90 minutes via the Club website (bookings are available up to 21 days in advance). Then share the booking with other members of your division using the Matchspace “Chat to All” feature and play with the first three players who reply. If nobody is available, cancel the booking and book another date. You will receive a full refund if you cancel more than six hours before the booking.
For communication with other players in your division, please use Matchspace rather than separate WhatsApp or email groups so everyone has the opportunity to join.
There is no maximum number of matches you can play in any single competition period (10-12 weeks), but we recommend at least six sets across the round (2 x 90-minute sessions) and making an effort to play with and against different members of your division.
A 90-minute booking should allow time for a five-minute warm-up and three sets (three matches). If a game reaches deuce for the second time, the next point decides the game (golden point). If a set reaches 6–6, play a tie-break to seven points. If the tie-break reaches 6–6, the next point decides the set. For each booking, change partners after each set so everyone partners everyone else. For example, A & B v C & D, then A & C v B & D, and finally A & D v B &
How to share the costs of a court booking
Until Matchspace introduces a payment-splitting facility, our recommended approach is to use bank payment links to share court costs. These are currently FREE and easy to use with banks such as Monzo, Revolut and NatWest, and make it straightforward to refund players if a match is cancelled or plans change.
We do not recommend using Spond for this competition. Although it offers some useful features, it involves downloading another app, is not free for collecting payments, and makes refunds more complicated than necessary. Alternatively, there’s always that reliable old technology called CASH!
How the scoring works – every game matters, but winning matters more
For each match played (a match is one set), each player earns one point for every game their pair wins, plus five bonus points for winning the match. For example, a 6–0 win earns each winner 11 points; a 6–4 win earns each winner 11 and each loser 4. Enter results in Matchspace after play. This rewards winning, but every game counts toward your individual score, so there’s always an incentive to keep competing.
You will then move up and down your division based on the cumulative points, so playing more gives you more opportunities to score. This is intended to encourage participation. We will review the fairness of this scoring after we have completed our first competition, including whether a points-per-match or percentage-of-available-points measure would better reflect playing performance.
How promotion and relegation work
At the end of each competition period (normally 10-12 weeks), four players will be relegated from Division 1 and four promoted from Division 2. In the other divisions, we expect around four to six players to be promoted and a similar number relegated, where applicable, depending on results, participation and division sizes. The bottom division has no relegations.
This gives players ample opportunity to find their level or improve their competitive game. Coaching is also a good option for anyone keen to develop their padel.
Competition period and new players
Each competition round runs for a period of 10-12 weeks. We will confirm the next round and revised division allocations afterwards. New entrants will normally join at the start of a new competition, at a suitable assessed level.
Play regularly. Play with different people. Compete in every game. Have fun and find your level.
