Manchester, UK, 11 August 2026
Wigan-born 24-year-old becomes Soul Padel ambassador, combining his ambitions on court with a shared commitment to making padel accessible to more people.
Soul Padel has welcomed Great Britain’s number one wheelchair padel player, Louis Telford, as its newest ambassador, beginning a partnership built around a shared belief that padel should be a sport where everyone has the opportunity to meet, play and connect.
The 24-year-old from Wigan will train and receive coaching at Soul Padel’s clubs as he pursues his ambitions in wheelchair padel, while also sharing his experience and perspective as Soul Padel continues to grow its community.
For Louis, the partnership brings together two things that matter deeply to him, competing at the highest level he can and helping make sport more accessible.
A former professional wheelchair basketball player and coach, Louis discovered padel almost by chance while on holiday in Tenerife. He was immediately drawn to the game and, on returning home, began playing regularly. That introduction has developed into a new sporting career which has already taken him to number one in the GB wheelchair padel rankings.
It is a journey that particularly resonated with Soul Padel CEO and Founder Mark Hewlett. Both Louis and Mark come from the same town, while their conversations quickly revealed a shared view of the role sport can play in bringing communities together.
Mark Hewlett said:
“There was an immediate connection with Louis. We’re both Wigan lads, but much more importantly, we see sport in a very similar way. Padel is competitive, of course, but what makes it special is its ability to bring people together. That sense of community has been at the heart of Soul Padel from the beginning.
“Louis has already achieved an enormous amount in sport at just 24 and I love the fact that he discovered padel on holiday, came home, picked up a racket and has taken it all the way to becoming the number one wheelchair player in Britain. We want to help him see how far he can take it.
“We’re also looking forward to learning from Louis’s experience and perspective. Accessibility and inclusivity are fundamental to our ambition to make padel a sport for everyone, and having people like Louis within the Soul Padel family can only help us better understand how we make more people feel welcome and able to enjoy the game.”
Louis Telford said:
“What stood out to me about Soul Padel was that Mark and the team weren’t just talking about sponsoring me as a player. We had a lot of conversations about making padel accessible and creating opportunities for more people to experience the sport, and that was really important to me.
“I’m excited to have access to the Soul Padel clubs and coaching and to keep pushing myself as a player. And, being from Wigan, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Soul Padel open at Robin Park. Having a club like that coming to my hometown makes this partnership even more special.”
Louis joins fellow Soul Padel ambassador Theo Garton, who has just competed at the London Premier Padel P1 after earning a wildcard into one of the sport’s biggest international events, as Soul Padel continues to support players representing the sport at the highest levels of competition.
The partnership comes as Soul Padel prepares for a significant period of growth. Following the recent successful completion of a significant funding round, the company’s near-term development pipeline is fully funded, with planning permission already secured for several new clubs and sites progressing across the North of England and Scotland.
As Soul Padel grows, Louis’s experiences within wheelchair sport will provide another valuable perspective as the company continues working towards its ambition of making padel welcoming and accessible to as many people as possible.
Louis will now be part of that journey as an athlete representing the brand on court and an ambassador for the inclusive, community-focused values at the heart of Soul Padel.
About Soul Padel
Soul Padel is a community-focused padel operator with a simple ambition, to make padel a sport for everyone.
Its clubs are designed as places where people can meet, play and connect, combining high-quality padel facilities with coaching, competition and community programmes for players of all ages and abilities.
Soul Padel believes the uniquely social and communal nature of padel can help more people become active, build connections and enjoy the physical and mental benefits of team sport. With a fully funded near-term pipeline across the North of England and Scotland, the company is building a growing network of clubs as part of its ambition to expand across the UK and beyond.
For more information about the partnership, please contact:
Mark Hewlett
Email: mark@soulpadel.co.uk
Phone: 07961310078
Website: soulpadel.co.uk
