Both Great Britain teams are fundraising to pay for their trips to the FIP Senior Euro Padel Cup in Valencia in October.
Although the LTA has supplied travelling coaches for both the men’s and women’s Seniors teams for the first time, as well as official kit, the 38 team members are seeking help to fund all other aspects of the trip themselves.
Men’s co-captain Elliot Selby is leading fundraising efforts for the men’s team via JustGiving while women’s captain Dawn Foxhall is coordinating the women’s campaign on GoFundMe.
The FIP Senior Euro Padel Cup is a biennial event bringing together Europe’s best male and female players in the +35, +40, +45, +50, and +55 age categories. This year’s event, which runs from 6-11 October, takes places at Valencia’s Family Sport Center.
Great Britain’s women finished eighth at the last Euros in 2023 in Alicante while the men finished 10th.
As in 2023 and at last year’s FIP Seniors World Padel Championships in Alicante, British players must pay for flights, accommodation, food, practice courts and other expenses themselves.
“It’s fantastic being able to represent your country,” Selby told The Padel Paper. “But there is significant cost involved in order for everyone to compete. I know budgets are tight, so there’s not a lot that can be done.
“It’s certainly not cheap and people’s personal capacity to pay for the trip obviously varies from player to player, so we’re asking for any support out there in the padel community to make it a little easier to compete out in Spain.”
As reported recently by The Padel Paper, several participating nations have already lost money after booking non-refundable flights and accommodation, only for world governing body FIP to switch the event from Cartegena to Valencia and change the dates, with just nine weeks’ notice.
The LTA is supporting both British teams in Valencia by sending travelling coaches. The renowned Belen Castrillo de la Cruz, a former world champion and Spanish national women’s coach, will coach GB’s women; while Alex Grilo Acosta, head coach at Rocks Lane Padel Club in London and coach of GB no.1 Aimee Gibson, will lead the men’s team.
The teams representing Great Britain at the Seniors Euro Padel Cup in Valencia are as follows:
Women
Coach: Belen Castrillo de la Cruz
Team:
Susie Azoulay
Sophie Cousins
Helen Crook
Angela Wood
Victoria Davies
Sally Fisher
Dawn Foxhall (Captain)
Sarah Lochrie
Carol Prado
Jo Ward (Captain)
Kerry White
Reserves:
Louise Baker
Nicky Horn
Women’s Pairs event:
Teresa Catlin
Helen Cowlrick
Gilly Smail
Karen Hazzard
Lucie Wade
Men
Coach: Alex Grilo Acosta
+35s
Maniel Bains
Andrew Brigham
Jack Hazelwood
Elliot Selby (captain)
+40s
Ali Anderson
Richard Brooks
James Southwood
Mike Tolman
+45s
Ben Gudzelak
Ross Murdoch
Gareth Nicol
Mark Openshaw
+50s
Nick Baglin
John Dunseath
Andrew Warren (captain)
Steven Wood
+55s
Keith Gilbert
Kingsley Harris
Chris Warren
Peter Wright
Find out more information about the 2025 FIP Seniors Euro Padel Cup here
