The FACE team are so proud to have organised the biggest corporate padel event in Malta.
We would like to give a huge thank you to the sponsors and participants as well as Karl and Yanika of Padel Malta for making this event possible. We are pleased to say that we are coming back even stronger in 2023 so kindly stay tuned for updates.
So… where to start?
Those smiles say it all! Since this was the first time that an event of this sort has happened locally, even though we had a plan and a vision, we did not know exactly how it would turn out, but once we saw the first set of participants entering the venue, we had this strong feeling of positivity that gave us that boost we needed to deliver an outstanding event.
On the 7th of May, we had the longest and hardest qualifiers ever! 64 teams competed throughout the whole day on only two available courts. The schedule was extremely tight but the team’s coordination was top notch and we are extremely proud of all the individuals that stepped in to help out including but not limited to the scorekeepers, the venue owners, the FACE team and all of the helpers we brought in that made this an unforgettable day. At around 23:00 hours we finally discovered the 32 teams that would go on to compete in the main event on the 14th of May.
What was great was that we had a whole week to make any corrections/adjustments and to ensure that the main event was delivered without a single problem or glitch. We met as a team a couple of times to go through the final preparations, adjust the rules for the main event and create the final schedule. Once we had this done, we were confident that the event would turn out incredible.
The team arrived at the venue on the 14th in the early hours. Everything was set up and we were awaiting the first qualified teams to make their way to the courts. The tournament finally started and the padel that was being played was just a joy to watch. Lots of emotions and amazing points with teams competing to progress to the knockout stages. There were disappointed players of course, however, they soon forgot about their losses by making their way to try the incredibly tasty BBQ food prepared by our fantastic grill maestro and which was given out on a complimentary basis, throughout the whole event.
Late in the afternoon, the core FACE team started taking their well-deserved breaks in turns. They freshened up, wore their new set of IFR Padel Cup organizational team t-shirts and made their way back to the venue. The sky got darker, the floodlights went on, the padel matches became longer and more intense and Cheryl Balzan and her band started their sound check on the main stage. In the meantime, the sponsor representatives and company guests started making their way to their respective VIP tables where they ordered their gin, vodka and whiskey bottles. A new chef made his way to the venue too and started unveiling the food items on the VIP set menu and that divine smell of food attracted even more visitors to the centralized bar area.
The band at this point started playing, people started dancing, and the whole place came to life. The concept, the hard work and the vision of the team became a real thing. We knew that this is what we had worked for in the past couple of months. Finally, the Grand Final started, PressEnter Group was up against Raketech. Two brilliant padel teams fought it out for almost two full hours and we ultimately got our first IFR Padel Cup champions, Mr. Mike Tonna and Mr. Karl Wijkmark from PressEnter Group!
The last part of the event featured the closing ceremony which was presented by IFR’s host Ms. Trudy Kerr and as soon as the IFR Padel Cup trophy was lifted, the stage was set for DJ Don Peltrinsky to close the event off with a great set, enjoyed by those that still had a little bit of energy left in them to dance the night away.
