London, May 2026 CourtBrain has been named a finalist in the Best Equipment Innovation (Technology / Accessories) category at the inaugural British Padel Awards 2026, a new national awards platform created to recognise the individuals and organisations shaping the rapid growth of padel in the UK. The awards were held on 16 May 2026 at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester.
CourtBrain was shortlisted alongside a select group of finalists in a category focused on innovation in technology and accessories, with the official shortlist including Bas3line, CourtBrain, NameThatBall, PadelFast, Pango Sports, Racket Rescue, and Smash by THG Studios.
The British Padel Awards describe themselves as the first dedicated national awards ceremony for the sport in the UK, created to celebrate excellence across the ecosystem, from performance and coaching to innovation, community impact, brands, and clubs. The 2026 edition featured 21 award categories.
For CourtBrain, the finalist recognition is another strong signal that the market is responding to the company’s mission to make racket sports easier to discover and access through a more open, connected, and user-friendly experience.
CourtBrain is building an open and independent discovery platform for racket sports, enabling players to search across booking systems without requiring clubs to replace the infrastructure they already use. In a fragmented market, the company’s focus is on helping players find where to play while giving clubs and platforms greater visibility within a more connected ecosystem.
“Being named a finalist at the inaugural British Padel Awards is something we are incredibly proud of,” said Hans Villanueva, CEO and Co-Founder of CourtBrain. “It is meaningful to be recognised in a category focused on innovation, especially at a time when the UK padel market is growing so quickly. We see this as a strong validation of the work we are doing to improve discoverability and access across racket sports.”
The recognition also reflects CourtBrain’s continued momentum in the UK market, where the company is focused on building stronger connections between players, clubs, and booking platforms through a neutral discovery layer rather than yet another closed system.
As padel continues its rapid expansion across the UK, CourtBrain believes the next stage of growth will depend not only on more courts and more players, but also on better digital infrastructure that makes the sport easier to navigate and more accessible for everyone involved.