Westlife Foodworld, which operates McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, announced a strategic partnership with the Indian Padel Academy today to promote padel across the country. The collaboration marks McDonald’s India’s expansion beyond food service into community sports development.
The partnership will focus on strengthening padel infrastructure, coaching programs, and tournaments nationwide. The initiative aims to make the sport more accessible to children, providing opportunities to train under experienced coaches. The academy plans to enroll students through school programs, certified training, and city leagues.
Akshay Jatia, CEO of Westlife Foodworld, said the partnership extends McDonald’s global tradition of supporting sports, from the Olympics to grassroots initiatives. The company hopes to inspire young athletes and potentially develop world-class players who could represent India internationally.
Nikhil Sachdev, Co-founder of Padel Park India, said the collaboration would bring world-class infrastructure and global partnerships to India’s padel community. The academy, described as India’s largest structured padel facility, will work with international academies to build an inclusive sporting ecosystem.
Padel, one of the fastest-growing sports globally, has been gaining momentum in India. Westlife Foodworld operates 450 McDonald’s restaurants across 72 cities in West and South India, serving over 200 million customers annually. The Indian Padel Academy operates under Game Park Pvt Ltd, which develops sports infrastructure across India.
The shares of Westlife Foodworld Ltd were trading at ₹562.55 up by ₹2.05 or 0.37 per cent on the BSE today at 1.45 pm.