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We are raising funds to support the continued development of our Padel Club by funding structured coaching, subsidising court hire, and investing in shared equipment. Your support will allow us to improve training quality, expand participation, and keep padel accessible and inclusive for students of all abilities, regardless of financial background.
Founded late last year, our club has quickly developed into a welcoming and ambitious community for players of all abilities. In a short space of time, we have grown our membership base, established two weekly training sessions, and begun competing in friendlies against universities including Newcastle University, Northumbria University, and University of Leeds. What began as a small group of passionate students has evolved into a structured and competitive club with strong foundations and clear long-term ambitions.
We are raising funds to support this rapid growth and ensure it is sustainable. As a new club in a fast-growing sport, rising equipment and facility costs present real challenges, particularly during a time when many students are facing ongoing financial pressure and a continued cost-of-living crisis. For many of our members, university sport is not just about competition; it is a vital outlet for mental wellbeing, routine, and social connection. Maintaining low membership costs while improving training quality is therefore essential.
We would greatly appreciate any donation you are able to make to support our club and help us continue building an inclusive, ambitious, and sustainable sporting community.
Our goal is to raise £1,500, which will directly support both competitive development and accessibility within the club. This funding will allow us to introduce structured coaching to improve performance ahead of upcoming friendlies against Newcastle University, Northumbria University, and University of Leeds, while also helping us maintain affordable membership and provide essential shared equipment.
If we successfully raise the full £1,500, we will prioritise securing a qualified coach for key training blocks across the season and investing in core club equipment to reduce the financial burden on individual members. If we raise slightly less, funds will first go toward coaching provision ahead of competitions, with remaining funds allocated to equipment and court hire subsidies. If we exceed our target, additional funds would allow us to extend coaching across more sessions and further reduce membership costs to widen access.
At every level of funding, our focus remains clear: improving player performance, strengthening preparation for competition, and ensuring that cost is never a barrier to students who want to be part of the club.
This funding would significantly improve accessibility, inclusivity, and long-term sustainability for our club. As we currently run all sessions off campus at the York St John Playing Fields due to limited on-site facilities, members already show strong commitment by commuting; however, the additional cost and travel create barriers for many students. Financial support would reduce membership costs, subsidise court hire and equipment, and enable more beginners to participate without high upfront expenses. This would widen access, improve student wellbeing through regular physical activity and community engagement, and allow more consistent training, ultimately raising our competitive standard. Beyond equipment, the funding would strengthen student support networks, increase participation, and help establish a sustainable foundation for continued growth in a rapidly expanding sport.
Below are some of the challenges we will complete as part of the week:
Our primary form of social media is Instagram, through which you can keep up to date with the challenges taking place, we would love for you to follow us @uoypadelclub.
We would greatly appreciate any donation you are able to make, no amount is too small, and every contribution makes a meaningful difference to the growth of the Padel Club. Your support will also help us to unlock additional fundraising challenges, accelerating our progress towards our target.
If you would like to support a specific player or contributor within the club, please include their name in a message with your donation.
If you’re unable to donate, you can still make a huge impact by signing up as a Challenge Week ambassador for Padel and sharing our campaign and social media posts to help spread the word. The more people who hear about our efforts, the stronger and more sustainable our club will become.