As part of its sustainability initiative, Primedia Sport, in partnership with Amazeballs, is helping create new sporting opportunities for learners in Diepsloot by donating more than 600 balls used at the inaugural Pretoria Premier Padel P1 to Musenga Vhadzimu Primary School.
The balls, which were used during professional practice sessions and main draw matches throughout the tournament, will now form part of the school’s Sporting Chance programme, which gives learners greater access to sport, sporting opportunities and equipment. Two Amazeballs ball storage bins will also be donated to the school.
For Primedia Sport, promoter of the inaugural Pretoria Premier Padel P1 tournament, the initiative is about making sure the tournament’s impact continues long after the final match.
Tobie Badenhorst, Vice President at Primedia Sport, said: “We wanted the Pretoria Premier Padel P1 to leave something behind. These balls have been part of a world-class sporting event, and now they have the chance to become part of a young person’s sporting journey. That feels like a meaningful legacy for the tournament.”
The donation is made possible through Amazeballs, the tournament’s official sustainability partner. The organisation repurposes used padel and tennis balls with the aim of reducing waste while supporting local communities.
Lesley Waterkeyn, Founder and CEO of Amazeballs, said: “For us, sustainability is about more than keeping something out of landfill. It’s about finding a new purpose for it. These balls have already had their moment on centre court. Now they are in the hands of children who can use them to discover a love of sport.”
The recipient of the donation, Musenga Vhadzimu Primary School, is a zero-fee school in Diepsloot and runs a sporting programme through Sporting Chance, which creates opportunities for children to participate in sport and develop through structured sporting programmes.
Rose Segale, Principal of Musenga Vhadzimu Primary School, said, “For our learners, having access to equipment can be the difference between simply watching sport and being able to take part in it. What makes this donation special is the story behind the donation. They have come from a major international sporting event, and now they are here with our children. We hope they will be used, enjoyed and, most importantly, inspire our learners to believe that there is a place for them in sport too.”
The donation also reflects the broader ambition behind bringing Premier Padel to South Africa for the first time. The Pretoria Premier Padel P1 created a platform for the country’s leading players to compete alongside the global elite, while introducing new audiences to one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.
But for Primedia Sport, the tournament’s legacy cannot only be measured by what happened inside the arena.
“If we can take one part of that experience and use it to open a door for a child who might not otherwise have had the opportunity, then the tournament has done something that a scoreboard can’t measure,” added Badenhorst. “That is the real opportunity in sport, not just creating fans, but creating participants, believers and, potentially, the next generation.”
Today, the journey of those balls continues, from the professional courts of the Pretoria Premier Padel P1 to the sporting programme at Musenga Vhadzimu Primary School.
The tournament is over. The opportunity is still in play.
