Bedfordview’s Zareef Minty launches new Nabob Cup padel league
The new Bedfordview padel league aims to bring residents, sports lovers and local businesses together through weekly Friday night matches at Virgin Active Bedfordview.
Bedfordview resident Zareef Minty has started a new padel league to strengthen community ties and build networks in the area.
Minty recently kickstarted the Nabob Cup, set to officially launch in mid-September. The league aims to unite the community and strengthen bonds between residents and sports lovers as they participate in and attend the events.
Minty, one of the founders of the league, explained that many surrounding areas have padel group or team leagues.
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“It is something that as become really popular, but for some reason, there was nothing in the East. So I thought to myself that we needed to get this going,” he said.
Minty, who owns a media company, said the business recently reached 250 000 followers on TikTok.
“We all sat down and decided to use the moment as a chance to celebrate, and we created the Nabob Cup. The idea behind it is to bring the community together.”
Instead of having two players face off in a standard padel game, each team in the league consists of 12 players.
The six teams in the league so far include the Nabob Lions, the H&M Aces, Your Solar SA Sharks, PCS Eagles, Padel Raptors and the Anti Intrusion Falcons.
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Minty said during the league the various players will rotate and play against each other, gaining skill and experience.
“The idea is to build community and team chemistry. So far, people are very excited about the cup.”
Minty said each business owner bought their own team, after which the team owners and captains bought players at an auction held on August 21.
“Each team got a book and a limit of 500 000 of Nabob funds to bid on players. A tier-one player was worth 30 000 Nabob monies, while a tier-two player was worth 20 000, and a tier-three player was worth 10 000.”
The league will start in mid-September and will be hosted every Friday night at the padel courts at Virgin Active Bedfordview.
In the spirit of community building, local vendors from the surrounding area will be present on game nights.
For more information or to get involved, email zareef@nabobmedia.co.za
