A relatively new sport that is a cross between tennis and squash is taking the Harrogate district by storm.
Padel is played between four players on reduced sized tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.
Nicky Horn, a Harrogate coach who has played the sport for 10 years, said she has seen a remarkable amount of interest in the sport in recent months.
She pointed to courts being built at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate, which is expected to see six new dedicated courts, and planned new courts at Ripon Tennis Club as an example of its booming demand.
Since the first covid lockdown, Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre has also seen high demand for its padel courts on Hookstone Wood Road.
A game of padel tennis in Harrogate.
Nicky said she expects to see padel’s popularity increase further over the next five years now that the Lawn Tennis Association oversees the sport.
She said:
“It’s really taking off.
“It’s a reasonably accessible sport because the players can hit the ball easier.”
‘Largest female padel tennis match’
Nicky played padel in Spain before returning to Harrogate to take up two teams. She currently coaches Harrogate and Rawdon on a Monday and Saturday.
Read more:
- Boom in padel tennis brings new centre to Harrogate
- Ripon Tennis Centre seeks local support to build padel courts
Last weekend, the two teams got together to play a game which Nicky believes was the largest female padel match in the UK.
Despite the cold conditions, 32 players, who ranged from eight-years-old to 80, turned up to take part as Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre.
Nicky said:
“Everyone had lots of fun.
“Some of our players were squash players and some were tennis players, but everybody loved it.”
6,000 players in the UK
The local boom has been reflected across the country.
With more than 6.000 padel players in the UK, according to the LTA, the sport is one of the fastest growing in the country.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Ballon D’or winning footballer, Lionel Messi, are also reported to be players of the sport.
Here are 10 facts you might not know about padel, from the LTA:
- There are more than 6,000 padel players in the UK
- Padel was invented in Mexico in the 1960s
- It is played in doubles
- Padel rules are similar to tennis – but you serve underarm
- It’s the second-most-popular sport in Spain
- Jamie Murray has played in a professional padel tournament
- Padel balls are smaller than tennis balls
- Lionel Messi has a padel court in his garden
- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp discuss ideas with his coaches while playing padel
- It may not be an Olympic sport yet but campaigns are underway to make it one
Harrogate Sport and Fitness Centre has reopened today after one of its members tested positive for coronavirus.
The centre on Hookstone Wood Road was forced to close this morning for a deep clean. The council and department of health gave it the green light to open at 12pm.
James Gaston, general manager at the centre, said:
“Thank you for your understanding and apologies for any inconvenience. We want to keep your club as safe as we possibly can.”
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He urged people who went to the gym on Friday to get a test and inform them of the results.
The fitness centre has a gym, four squash courts, a dance and fitness studio, two boules courts and a bar with balcony available for hire.
It follows the news that The Navigation Inn in Ripon closed after one of its customers reported a positive coronavirus test.
Harrogate fitness centre responds to craze for new sportA health and fitness centre in Harrogate has had plans approved to build more padel courts and changing facilities due to increased demand for the sport.
Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre on Hookstone Wood Road offers a range of different facilities including a gym, squash courts, studios and therapy rooms. However, its padel courts are seeing particularly high demand.
The only courts of their kind in the region, they see people travel from Hull, Liverpool and Manchester to play. Padel, a racket sport described as being a mix between squash and tennis, is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.
Since reopening the courts on July 4, the Harrogate centre has seen an increased demand from people wanting to use the facilities. The courts are currently booked from 7am until 10pm, seven days a week, until the end of August.
Planning approval has been granted for a new glass-enclosed padel court.
Plans to build another glass-enclosed court along with changing rooms and toilets have recently been approved. The addition will be funded by the centre, the Lawn Tennis Association and Sport England.
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James Gaston, general manager at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, told the Stray Ferret that people of all ages come down to exercise:
“The whole point is to try and encourage people to play sports and make exercising cheap for communities. We try and make it so there’s something for everybody here from young people to older people. It’s like a big family.”
The sports centre also has a cafe which serves healthy food and drink.
Leo Campagna, a member at the club who is nearly 80 and plays squash most days of the week, told the Stray Ferret:
“I am nearly 80 and people my age have difficulty keeping fit. When you stop exercising you start to stiffen up and so you have to keep going. I am so glad to be able to play squash again. I come nearly every day of the week.”