Canadian Universities Padel League Launches with plans to become “World’s Most Transformative College Padel Network”

The Canadian Universities Padel League launched this month with plans, according to its two founders, of becoming “the world’s most transformative college padel network”. 

Founded by two McGill University students, Hector Brown and Arthur Brousse, the Canadian Universities Padel League - or CUPL as it will be known - is Canada’s official university student padel league. The CUPL joins its southern neighbour, the USA, in installing the framework for a national university college padel system––the United States Padel Association (USPA) announced the launch of the official University Collegiate Padel system in the U.S. in November with an initial five Universities onboard (Longhorn Padel at the University of Texas at Austin, Canes Padel at the University of Miami, Yale Padel Club, USD Club Padel at the University of San Diego, and FIU Padel Club at Florida International University). 

Widely accepted as the world’s fastest growing sport, with over 51,000 courts globally and enjoyed by 30m players, padel is on a rapid upward trajectory. In Canada, while the number of players remains low at approximately 30,000, there has been a 200% increase in court construction since 2022, and - if the U.S. is a precursor to what will come in the Great North - there are now 112,000 active padel players in the U.S., with over 3,500 new players picking up the sport each month and 31 states already home to courts. The signs are positive, which is what instigated Brown and Brousse (who only met in September) to launch the CUPL.

What started as a fun hobby, playing with friends, padel really quickly turned into a passion. Having played for over 4 years, starting in the UK, I saw that padel was very exclusive in Canada, with a lack of facilities leading to high prices, a major barrier for students to play the sport. In February 2025, I started the McGill Padel Club, the first University padel club in Canada, aiming to reduce the barriers to student padel within the McGill community. Once the club was formed, we quickly started tournaments, events and then fixtures against other Universities. It then became clear that there was one clear aspect missing, which was real competition. The CUPL was formed to create a structured framework for competitive padel between Universities in Canada. For students, run by students. 

"From the start, we wanted to build the CUPL properly rather than patch things together as we grow. Having Schoolyard come on board as a founding partner allows us to put solid systems in place from day one, while keeping the league student-led and easy to engage with across universities.” said Brousse. 

The CUPL will launch its inaugural season with a select group of universities based primarily in Eastern Canada, building around existing student padel clubs and emerging programs. Season One will feature a structured schedule of inter-university fixtures, hosted matchdays and a competitive playoff format designed to establish strong rivalries and consistent competitive standards. While the initial focus is on consolidating the league in the East, the CUPL has clear ambitions to expand westward in future seasons, ultimately working towards a national East–West conference structure and a Canadian university padel championship.

The CUPL founding group also includes Ben Nichols as its Executive Advisor. Nichols - who formerly lived in Canada for four years when working as head of Media Relations for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at their headquarters in Montreal - is the visionary Founder of Padel 22, the world’s leading Communications and Marketing Consultancy dedicated to the sport, and also Co-Founder of the Anglo American Cup, known as “the Ryder Cup of Padel” which debuted in London last year. 

“As someone that used to live in Montreal, I’ll always have a soft spot for Canada and doing what I can to help grow Canadian padel. I’m also a big supporter of students that want to enter the padel industry, because it’s the next generation who are going to truly shape this sport on and off the court, and seeing what Arthur, Hector and the team want to achieve with the CUPL is different and transformative. We want to be the Number one University Padel League association that’s daring, progressive and forward-thinking in all we do to grow collegiate padel. This is an exciting moment,” said Nichols. 

“From launching the University of Toronto Mississauga Padel Club to taking on the role of Head of Operations for the CUPL, I’m incredibly excited to help build and join the league’s growth across Canada,” said Kaddoura.

Head of Communications, Olivia Maracle-Hill, added: “As Head of Communications, I’m excited to grow the CUPL’s digital presence and visibility across Canadian campuses. Expanding the League’s reach and accessibility is something that I am proud to lead.”

As the league prepares for its inaugural season, the CUPL is inviting universities, student-athletes and partners across Canada to express interest in becoming part of the country’s first national university padel league.