Jo’s Padel Story

“Padel found me through tennis,” Jo told us. After receiving high-level junior training under David Sammel as part of his squad at Matchpoint, she built a strong technical foundation and a genuine love for racket sports. But it was padel – discovered later in life – that truly resonated with her.

Jo loved tennis, but she’s honest about where her strengths lay. Winning consistently wasn’t her driver – coaching and sports development were. She qualified as an LTA DCA tennis coach, coached abroad in her early twenties, and then life shifted. Children, stability, and long-term planning took priority, leading her to complete a law degree with the intention of taking over her mother’s legal practice after she retired.

Post-COVID, with both children now independent, Jo took a leap of faith and returned to what she was truly passionate about: coaching and community sport.

That leap coincided with the opening of The Padel Club. She was involved from day one, watching it grow from two courts to four – with almost immediate full occupancy. From that moment, she was hooked.

Especially after COVID, padel gave people a reason to come together again. Everyone was learning. Everyone was new. There was no judgement, just play, laughter, and shared progress. That openness, particularly for women at grassroots level, became Jo’s driving force.

That’s how Connect2Padel was born.

Jo developed a progressive Intro2Padel structure rooted in one core belief: the first session matters. “Get it right and people stay. Get it wrong and you lose them — particularly women.” Today, she trains community activators to deliver that model in venues across the UK and supports those who want to progress into formal coaching pathways. Six activators are currently on that journey, and she couldn’t be prouder.

Coach Insight: Advice for Beginners

“We are all still beginners in the UK. Get on court, mess it up, laugh, learn, play again. Meet people. Have fun. That’s what padel’s about.”

Jo’s key beginner focus points:

• Palm control: For beginners, padel is effectively played with the palm of your hand — where the palm faces is where the ball will go, generally speaking.

• The third beat: Off the back wall it’s 1–2–3. Let the ball come out to three and get it back in front of your front foot.

• Early preparation: Open the gate. It’s a backward step, early prep, racket leading – open the gate, fully. Not half open.

• Less is more. Always! 

Anyone who’s trained with Jo knows exactly what “open the gate” means.

Coaching Content: Advice for Coaches

“Be yourself. That’s it.”

Creating coaching content – especially on Instagram – has been a steep learning curve, but Jo lives by one rule: consistency beats perfection every time.

Ignore the noise. Trust what you’re building and focus on your community and the joy they’re having on court. If you genuinely care, people feel it. That authenticity, excitement, and love for the sport are what matter most.

Community: How You Build It

Community is everything to Jo.

Jo runs a WhatsApp group with over 500 women, and it’s the heartbeat of Connect2Padel. Sessions, events, support, connection, it all flows from there. What started as something small has grown far beyond what she imagined, with Connect2Padel events now being requested across the UK!

It still surprises her, and she’s deeply grateful.

Helping people find padel, connect with like-minded players, enjoy the game, and support venues with genuine community-building and sports development is exactly where she feels she’s meant to be.

Looking Ahead: 2026

The focus is finally shifting from venues to players and real sport development, and that’s where Jo’s passion sits. Connect2Padel will continue growing female and junior participation while helping venues better utilise quieter court times.

She’s excited for what’s coming: for Connect2Padel, for her activators, and for the communities forming around them.