Poppie Ashton
AP / 005
PLAYER · CREATOR · EVENT ORGANISER
CHELTENHAM · PADEL CLUB UK
I came into padel as a social player and completely fell in love with it. It’s gradually turned into a much bigger part of my life, both playing and working within the sport.
I create social content within padel, mainly with Padel Club UK across Cheltenham and Gloucester, as well as working on padel events, brands and campaigns. More recently I’ve started organising my own tournaments too with my friend who I met through padel, which has been a really exciting step.
What are you building in UK padel?
I suppose I’m building my own little space within it and also adding to a larger community. I love the social and community side of padel and I want the content and events I’m involved with to show that side of the sport — making it feel fun, welcoming and something people genuinely want to be part of.
What does the graft actually look like?
A lot of filming, editing, posting, organising, messaging, chasing people, planning events and generally doing far more behind the scenes than anyone probably sees 😂 All alongside actually playing and competing whenever I can.
Why does it matter to you?
Because I genuinely love the sport and the people I’ve met through it. It started as something I did for fun and has naturally become something I’d really like to build more of my career and life around. My daughter, who is 3.5 years old, has also just started a padel tots class. She loves it. I want to show her the importance of sport, so this is just the start.
What are you chasing next?
More opportunities within padel, particularly on the social media, content and events side. I’d love to work with more clubs and brands, help grow their communities and be involved in some bigger events as the sport continues to grow in the UK. And who knows — maybe I’ll be ready for some more serious competing in years to come.