Pitch us, or send the whole thing.

What we are looking for

Stories that are specific, well-sourced and editorially valuable to people in the sport. Our register is editorial first. We are not interested in press releases re-skinned as articles, hagiographies, or coverage that exists primarily to sell something.

• Reported features. 1,500–3,500 words. A clear thesis, named sources, on-the-ground reporting. Examples: the economics of a new club opening, the people behind a new tournament, the rise of a country.
• Profiles. 1,000–2,500 words. Players, builders, club operators, federation people, photographers. The story has to go beyond "they are good at the sport".
• Interviews. 800–2,500 words, edited Q&A. The conversation has to have happened in person or by video, not by email, except in exceptional cases.
• Gear reviews. 600–1,500 words. Real time on court. Not a press-kit summary. We purchase the equipment or return it to the manufacturer. Reviewer must disclose any pre-existing relationship with the brand.
• Destinations and clubs. 700–1,800 words. Specifics that matter: court surface, glass quality, opening hours, real pricing, how to get there. Photography matters.
• Short essays. 500–1,200 words. Voice and argument. Tagged Opinion.

Topics we are actively interested in right now: the build-out of padel infrastructure in the Gulf, the maturing UK club scene, the long quiet plateau of Argentina, the relationship between padel and design, the business models of new club groups.

How to pitch

A good pitch is two paragraphs. The first answers what is the story: the angle, the specific characters or places, the new thing the reader will learn. The second answers why now and why you: timing, access, why you are the writer for it.

If you have the finished article, paste it into the body field below. Otherwise, the pitch text area is enough for first contact. Either way, please confirm the rights agreement at the bottom.

What happens after you submit

1. Acknowledgement within minutes. Automated email confirming we received it, with your submission reference number.
2. Editorial review within five working days. An editor reads the pitch and decides whether to commission, decline or come back with questions. We try hard to give yes/no honestly rather than letting pitches sit indefinitely.
3. Commission agreement. If we commission, you get a one-page agreement covering brief, deadline, length, rights and any expenses.
4. Editing. We edit closely. You will see edits before publication and have right of reply on substantive changes.
5. Publication. Your byline, photograph if you supply one, and a short bio.

House style notes

• British English (UK GDPR, organisation, behaviour, colour).
• Numbers under ten in words; over ten in figures, with the usual exceptions.
• Em dashes are out. Use commas, semicolons or a fresh sentence.
• Oxford commas are out unless the sentence cannot survive without one.
• Single quotation marks for dialogue inside a paragraph; double inside single.
• Hyperlinks are sparing and live. No tracking parameters.
• Body sentences run; the form is editorial prose, not blog scan-friendly.

Photography and rights

Original photography preferred. If you are submitting your own images, please supply 300 dpi minimum, JPEG or TIFF, with caption and credit per image (the form below has fields for each). If you are using a third party's images, you must hold a licence and tell us about it. We will not publish images for which the rights are unclear.

The rights checkbox on this form is a binding statement. By submitting, you confirm you own or have permission for everything in the submission and grant us licence to publish. Read it carefully before ticking.