The Bandeja summer 2024 issue

ISSUE 3 / Summer 2024 £6
From tennis
to padel
soft, patient, lob!
Manchester
a padel oasis
padel at the
Olympics
when & where?
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contents
contents// Issue 3 / Summer 2024
Basic rules
of padel
Tom Farquharson and Chris Salisbury.
Image courtesy Home of Padel (HOP).
7
GB
star’s
padel plan
41
Manchester:
a padel oasis
Serving
• All play begins with an underarm serve from
the right service court into the opponent’s court
diagonally opposite (like tennis)
• The server must bounce the ball once before hitting
it and the ball must be hit at or below waist level
The court lines are only important during the serve.
They are not a factor in determining the outcome of
points once the serve goes in
What’s out
The opposition wins a point if:
30
Padel at the
Olympics
10
Babolat’s
junior signing
• The server must keep at least one foot on the
ground when hitting the serve
• The server’s feet must not touch or cross the service
line when serving
• The serve must land in the opponent’s service box
diagonally opposite
• If the ball bounces in the service box and hits the
glass (side or back) it is a valid serve and must be
played by the opposing player.
• If the ball hits the net then bounces in the service
box and strikes the side or back wall, it is a let and
must be replayed.
• If the ball lands in the service box and hits the wire
fencing, it is considered a fault.
• If the ball hits the net then lands in the service box
and hits the wire fencing, it is considered a fault.
• In padel as in tennis, you get a second serve.
What’s in
Players are permitted to play a ball off any of the
walls (glass and cage) on their side of the court
(apart from return of serve. As above, if the serve
clears the net and hits the wire cage it is out)
• The ball bounces twice in any area on your side
of the court
• The ball hits you or your teammate while in play
• The ball hits the wire fencing, posts or any other fixture
before going over the net or landing on the opponent’s
court (apart from playing a boast off the glass).
• Once over the net, the ball hits the wire fence or walls
before bouncing on the opponent’s side of the court.
Volleys
The ball can be taken out of the air by any player
except on the initial serve and the return of serve.
Scoring
Scoring is the same as for tennis – so 15, 30, 40 and
advantage. Some matches will involve golden points
where you reach deuce and the next point wins the
game (rather than going to advantage). Golden points
are, generally, used to make matches shorter. If playing
in a tournament it will be announced at the start that
golden points are in play. Otherwise it is up to players
to decide if they will be used before the game starts.
With thanks to ipadel.co.uk
53
Head’s BOA
constrictor
20
Playtomic’s
map of the UK
53
Padel gear
From tennis
to padel
66
Padel racket
developments
62
@the_bandeja
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26 Building
Padium
65
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3

editor’s comment
editor’s comment
Sweeping
the globe
Welcome to Issue 3 of The
Bandeja, the magazine & website
dedicated to padel players in the
UK and further afield.
To date we’ve reached readers in 138
countries, including the rather isolated
Northern Mariana Islands, Congo, the
Faroes and even one that is yet unnamed,
according to Google Analytics.
The extent to which padel is taking
the world by storm was evident
at the recent Padel World Summit
in Malaga. This inaugural event
attracted exhibitors and delegates
from 66 countries and was a veritable
who’s who of the padel industry.
New padel products were launched,
investors matched with start-ups,
knowledge and experiences shared
and new connections made. It was a
tremendous three days and signifies
even more clearly that there is no
stopping the padel bandwagon as it
rolls out worldwide.
The UK is one of the countries at the
forefront of this growth. And while
courts are going up here at an ever
increasing rate, there are still huge
‘padel gaps’ throughout the country.
We believe everyone should have
the opportunity to at least try this
brilliant game. And for this to happen
we need local planning authorities to
facilitate quicker decisions, allowing
court building to progress, and local
councils/leisure operators to see
the value and benefits of padel and
develop affordable facilities that build
player communities.
There are many reasons why padel
has captured the hearts and minds
of so many people. It’s easy to pick
up (but difficult to master, so an
ongoing challenge), the court is
small so you feel close to those
you are playing with, the ball rarely
goes out so play can be fast, it
appeals to all ages and is pretty
social given four players are on
court. There’s a simple joy to hitting
a ball and when you do it well it’s
very satisfying. In short it’s a lot of
fun and unites people of different
ages and backgrounds in doing
something healthy.
In this issue
We delve into new court openings
- a favourite is Hove Beach Park on
the South Coast - as well as bring
news of John Lewis embracing
the padel party, speak to former
GB tennis ace Abigail Tordoff and
former world padel champion
Mauri Andrini about the skills
needed to make a successful
switch from tennis to padel, sneak
a tasty toasty at Rocket Padel’s new
Ilford club, round-up padel news
and padel products, look north to
the burgeoning padel scene in
Manchester, go behind the scenes
of building London’s flagship padel
centre Padium, in Canary Wharf,
and find out why the sport is so
addictive for ‘super senior’ players.
Emma
Emma Kimber
Founding Editor
The Bandeja team
Founding Editor
Emma Kimber
Consultant
Catherine Larrad
Designer
Emma Devine
Cover Image
Chris Beyers, professional
baseball player, model for
Dubai-based BearFish Sports
apparel and avid padel fan.
Read previous issues at
thebandeja.com
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IN SPAIN
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news
news
Nadal
partners with
Playtomic
Rafa Nadal and Playtomic have
announced that the tennis great
has invested in the padel/tennis
court booking app.
“I am very happy with this
opportunity as it manages, in a
social way, to unite a community
interested in padel and tennis and
makes these sports accessible
to all types of people regardless
of physical condition or level of
play. I believe that bringing sport
to everyone always has a positive
impact on society,” said Rafa.
Playtomic, understood to
have more than 80% of the
British market for padel bookings,
operates in more than 50
countries and has plans to
expand into new territories
this year.
Racket exotica
In a move that both companies described as ‘unexpected’, padel
equipment manufacturer Babolat has teamed up with supercar
manufacturer Lamborghini to develop a range of padel rackets -
the limited edition BL001. Rumoured to cost around €5,000 each, the
rackets are inspired by supercar chassis design and expected to
become collector items.
More details on our website www.thebandeja.com
An eiffel
of padel
We’re used to seeing padel played
in iconic locations but this is
perhaps one of the best yet - an
Instantpadel court at the foot of
the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Betclic
Remontada Padel event concluded,
after 10 stages, in the French
capital. And it sounds like fun, with
players participating in a range of
interesting categories, for example
pairs with a combined age of over
80 years or those 20 years, kilos
or tattoos apart - anything went
according to organisers!
Quick Ryde
Has Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club set the record for
the quickest padel courts planning approval yet?
The club, on the Isle of Wight, submitted plans for two all-weather padel
courts to its local council on March 25th and received approval on April
29th, a timescale most padel operators can only dream about. The scheme,
part funded by the LTA, is also interesting because the club plans to use
revenue generated by padel to help fund construction of the island’s first
purpose-built indoor tennis facility.
GB player’s
air dome padel
plans revealed
Two leading names in British padel are
behind plans for what is being described as
a ‘national hub’ for the game - and the first
indoor padel facility in Surrey.
Team GB player Nikhil Mohindra,
through his company Daminis,
is spearheading the six-court
project which is planned to be the
base for former GB player Sandy
Farquharson’s The Padel School,
an online coaching platform.
The courts will be built within an 11m
high air dome next to Leatherhead
Leisure Centre, with plans for the
centre to host training camps for the
GB squad, national and international
competitions plus provide outreach
for local organisations and schools.
The LTA - padel’s governing body
in Britain - has given its backing
to the scheme as has Sport England,
which described it as
‘a major new sports facility’.
The green air dome will occupy a
site previously approved for tennis
courts. Mole Valley District Council
recently passed the plans, describing
the facility as a ‘unique proposal’ with
‘a number of community benefits’,
including stimulating tourism in the
area and improving the health and
wellbeing of the wider community.
Robert
Mitchell
This issue of The
Bandeja is dedicated
to Robert (RJ) Mitchell,
our Chief Writer who
tragically passed away
in April following a
short illness.
Robert (known to many as Bert)
was a passionate advocate for
padel and particularly enjoyed
reporting on the performance
side of the sport, a job he did
with relish, a great turn of
phrase and top notch contacts.
He was instrumental in
providing content for the
launch of The Bandeja website
last year and his writing is
throughout this issue. His cando
attitude, journalism and big
personality are sorely missed.
No words can express what
a loss his passing represents
and we once again extend our
heartfelt condolences to his
wife Arlene and daughter Ava.
Robert was also a published
crime writer, basing a series of
books on his time as a police
officer with Strathclyde police.
It’s fair to say that he lives on in
his published words.
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Smashing it
out of the
podcast park
If you want to delve deeper into
your favourite sport let Minter
Dial & Dennis Timar assist.
Both have established their own padel
podcasts - The Joy of Padel (Minter)
and the aptly-named The Padel Podcast
(Dennis). We love them both (and not
just because both have featured The
Bandeja Editor Emma Kimber!).
The Padel Podacst
Minter Dial
Minter, an American
in London, hails
from a padel family
with direct links back
to the game’s
founder Enrique
Corcuera. Dennis
is a self-confessed
padel nut who digs
out padel movers,
shakers and players
to speak with.
High five to residents living near
Hartford Golf Club in Northwich, Cheshire,
who have thrown their support behind the
club’s plans for padel courts. No moans
about traffic, noisy balls or even noisier
players for these neighbours. Instead they
can’t wait for the courts to open, describing
padel as ‘thrilling’, ‘excellent’ and ‘brilliant’
in comments to planners. Our favourite
comment is just eight words:
“Unsure to why this would be a debate.”
Spot on!
Some of the members of the JMW specialist
padel team on court at Club de Padel in Manchester.
Pictured (from left) Simon Gerrard, Rebecca Young, Mike Blood,
Marc Yaffe, Daniel Clark, Bernard Ralph, Jemma Fleetwood,
Gill Alexander, Thomas Pearson.
Lawyers court padel
with UK first
Legal eagles are combining their love of law with a
passion for padel in what is believed to be the UK’s first
dedicated one-stop-shop legal team for the game.
Law firm JMW, which has offices in London, Manchester and Liverpool,
has united specialists from its real estate, IP, corporate, commercial
and employment sectors to form an expert padel team dedicated
to assisting clients keen to build courts and open clubs.
The move was the brainchild of JMW managing partner (and padel
fanatic) Marc Yaffe who, after discussing the exponential growth of
the sport with a business colleague post-match, identified the need
for an integrated approach to advising padel clients.
Already the team has almost 40 projects on its books, with particular
demand for guidance on real estate issues.
Marc said: “The key element of our offering isn’t just legal expertise
but our determination and desire to work together across multiple
specialisms with the aim of delivering a fast, effective and
specialised service.”
What lies beneath...
Ever wondered what’s under your
padel court? Then here’s the answer
- a super strong concrete ring beam
that holds the structure in place (the
glass alone can weigh a massive 3.2
tonnes). Thanks to Gareth Evans, of
Padel Ventures, for this pictorial insight.
We love a good constrution pic!
xxxx
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At the PRO-AM (from left) John Terry,
Maria Picio, James Argent, Jake Bewley.
Padel Aid’s
new PRO-AM
fundraiser
Former Chelsea FC captain and
now avid padel fan John Terry led
the celeb charge at Padel Aid’s first
PRO-AM tournament.
A host of well-known names, including rugby
player Jason Leonard, Beta Squad’s Sharky
and Sky Sports’ Sarah Stirk, joined GB padel
players including Christian Murphy, Sam
Jones and Nikhil Mohindra at the event,
which raised money for UNICEF.
Padel Aid is the brainchild of GB pro padel
players Frankie Langan and Nikhil. Frankie
told The Bandeja: “In setting up Padel Aid
we hope to raise the profile of padel in the
UK and around the world, and in the process
raise funds for an incredibly worthy cause,
UNICEF. We want to encourage as many
people as possible to try padel, especially
the younger generations as it can have a
huge positive impact on their physical and
mental well-being.”
The event was set to raise in excess
of £15,000 thanks to Padel Galis’s donation
of a state-of-the-art padel court for
a silent auction.
Babolat’s
first junior
signing
Babolat has announced sponsorship of Oliver
Hayday, a multi-lingual young player who took up
padel when Covid restrictions were lifted in Spain.
The 16-year-old, born and raised in
Malaga to a Swedish mother and
English father, relocated with his
family to the UK (Tiptree, Essex) just
under two years ago and has been
making his mark on the GB game
ever since.
So far he has clinched junior titles
as well as Grade 3 & 4 wins and
a quarter final loss in a Grade
2 tournament despite being in
recovery from a badly broken
collarbone sustained just before
moving to the UK. He’s also on the
LTA youth development radar.
“I had never played any racket
sports previously but quickly loved
the speed, energy and skill of padel.
It wasn’t long before I was hooked,”
said Oliver, who trains weekly at
Stratford Padel Club in East London
and plays at Padel United
in Maldon.
He described feeling ‘pleased
and privileged’ to be partnering
with Babolat, especially given his
racket of choice is the Babolat
Technical Viper: “I started using
Babolat in Spain when my coach
at the time recommended the
Technical Viper would suit my
game. Ever since it is the only
racket I feel comfortable playing
with,” he said.
Jake Whalley, UK Sport & Trade
Marketing Manager for Babolat
said sponsoring junior players was
‘vital’ for the brand. “By supporting
young athletes like Oliver we can
help invest in the future of the
sport. We are really excited to be
working with him and look forward
to his future success.”
Rocks Lane Padel development pathway
Rocks Lane Padel Academy
Nursery – Reception
Mini multi sports
The foundation of Rocks Lane’s growth enabling
even the youngest participants to develop a positive
and healthy association with sport. Mini multi sports
combine free flow games and physical development
activities with an introduction to other sports.
School years 1–12 to adults
Former World Padel Tour player turned
professional coach Álex Grilo has
established the Rocks Lane Padel Academy
with a firm commitment to developing
the skills of beginners through to top
class players of all ages and abilities.
All academy lessons follow the
‘Progressive Teaching Method’, a
standardised coaching system to ensure
that players receive high levels of tuition
delivered with a consistent approach.
Rocks Lane Padel Team - Quadruple
National Padel Champions!
Rocks Lane Padel Performance Pathway
supports UK No 1s & top players of
all ages from Juniors - Seniors -
UK Adaptive Padel players.
Padel competition pathway
School tournaments
LTA Padel
Youth Tournaments
U12s and U16s
Rocks Lane Padel socials
Playtomic matches
LTA Padel local and national
tournaments
Euro Padel League (EPL)
International padel tournaments
10
Calling all padel coaches looking for a new
challenge... Sol Padel NEEDS YOU!
“Australia is at a really exciting moment in the growth of padel and
our club is really moving forward,” said Sol Padel founder Erin Purtle.
“We are looking for someone who is keen to teach padel and help us
grow this amazing sport not only in our club but in Australia.”
Interested... Contact Erin: erin@solpadel.com.au
Buy The Bandeja print copies at www.thebandeja.com
Rocks Lane Padel Chiswick and Barnes information and bookings
via the Playtomic App – Adult Padel Academy courses (Academy),
book a court/join a match (Book), book onto a padel social or intensive
(Competitions) and purchase a membership (Memberships).
Rocks Lane Padel
Chiswick, Barnes, Dyrham Park Golf & Country Club in Barnet, Trevose Country Club and The Point, Polzeath in Cornwall.
General padel enquiries: padel@rockslane.co.uk. Corporate, sponsorship, community, media & press enquiries: emma@rockslane.co.uk
rockslane.co.uk
Follow us on Instagram @rockslanepadel.
Junior Padel
Academy Courses
Scan to view and
book online.

Smash & Grab
Grade 5
with Padel Pussy...
an anonymous viewpoint
Enter they said. It’ll be fun they said.
So we did...
My playing partner and I signed up for our
first proper padel competition, an LTA Grade
5 tournament. We were both quite excited,
a chance to let rip with our best shots
(mediocre at best, to be fair). We’d even
discussed how we would celebrate a win so
that we didn’t look too excitable or totally
surprised at coming first.
According to the LTA, Grade 5s are ‘more local
based competitions providing players with
their first experience of the LTA Padel Tour
and an opportunity to build up ranking points
in order to gain acceptance into Grade 3
competitions if they so wish’.
We had a good breakfast because we knew
there could well be more skilled opponents
across the net playing for points to gain them
access to (for us elusive) Grade 3 events.
We even warmed up before going on court
and had our energy drinks very close by. We
were ready for those Grade 3 interlopers with
our one metre kick smashes and enthusiastic
but often uneventful boasts. And then we had
to sit and wait for our first match. Two minutes
in and we were ready to go home. The padel
was, for us, just short of slightly insane. There
were a couple of teams at our level and those
matches were great. Fun even. But the rest
was Masters of the Universe V Noddy and
Big Ears.
Admittedly The Masters weren’t really Masters
standard as in playing for their country or
even on course for a Grade 1 tournament but
they were head and shoulders above us and
must, we thought, have been truly bored and
wondering what they’d turned up to.
Over a beer we discovered our slayers,
neither local nor eyeing up Grade 3
tournaments, knew what they’d let themselves
in for - LTA ranking points. By ‘playing down’
they were assured of going home with a
pocketful of points. No rules were broken, no
animals harmed but we left feeling it wasn’t
really in the spirit of the game, and we won’t
be saying yes again for a while.
Bull(padel)
in a china shop
Is this a sure sign that padel has
properly hit the spot for Brits?
John Lewis has agreed a deal
to sell Bullpadel rackets, the first
major UK retailer outside the sports
sector to bring a mainstream
padel brand on board.
Eighteen models of Bullpadel
rackets, ranging in price from
£79.99 to £264.99, are available
via the retailer’s online store, with
a number already sold out.
Theo & Victoria’s
Soul mate
Ambitious padel operator Soul Padel
has signed up two of Great Britain’s
top players - Theo Garton and Victoria
Nicholas, as brand ambassadors.
Bullpadel UK and Ireland
distributor MRH Sport brokered
the deal. MRH founder Maximillian
Holloway said: “This agreement is
a huge endorsement for padel
as it continues to take the UK by
storm. Being stocked at a highly
credible and established retailer
such as John Lewis just shows
where padel is right now and will
only help to elevate the sport.”
Theo, aged 20 and ranked eighth in the LTA Men’s rankings, and
30-year-old Victoria, currently fourth in the LTA’s Women’s rankings, will
support Soul Padel’s drive to inspire the next generation of players and
perhaps find a future GB world champion.
Mark Hewlett, co-founder and CEO of Soul Padel, said: “We’re excited to
be partnering with Theo and Victoria. Theo is not only a talented young
player, he’s well positioned to relate to kids aspiring to get into padel.
“Victoria also has a huge role to play in encouraging the next
generation of young girls to take up this amazing sport and become the
padel stars of the future. With their help we hope to create
a future world champion.”
Jersey boys
back in business
Just 10 weeks after Storm Ciaran devastated Island Padel, Jersey, the club was back
up and running with three outdoor courts open to players - and by the end of April it
had reinstated all five courts with just covers to follow.
The club - three covered and two
outdoor courts - was all but blown
apart by the November storm which
battered many parts of the UK
but was especially strong across
the Channel Islands, with Jersey
experiencing storm force 10 winds.
the devastation
caused by Storm Ciaran.
Padel Island founders Scott Clayton
and Morgan Jubb saw years of hard
work wiped out in hours, with daylight
revealing broken glass, twisted metal
and shredded covers across the
£1.2m facility, which had only opened
eight months earlier.
However, despite the utter
devastation, within days Scott
vowed that the club would come
back ‘bigger and better’ and, true
to his word, that’s just what’s
happened at the St Clement site.
With a huge effort from insurers,
court suppliers/installers Padel Tech
and a passionate padel community,
action was swift and the club was
able to open three outdoor courts
by mid January.
Scott told The Bandeja: “It’s definitely
been a test of character and will.
There was a massive deconstruction
project that had to take place to get
it down to ground level. The weather
was still quite bad during that
period and it took maybe a little bit
longer than we’d liked but the team
(PadelTech) here in Jersey that dealt
with it were absolutely fantastic. They
Hitting the spot
really prioritised our job and worked
really hard through all hours and all
conditions. We owe a lot to them for
the speed that they worked at given
the conditions.”
Within a month of re-opening Island
Padel hosted a busy half-term kids
camp and started a new league.
The second stage of rebuilding the
club, which hosted almost 100 players
from across Europe for a prestigious
Grade 1 LTA Padel National Tour event
last year, added two more courts to
take it back up to five. The final stage
see’s covers installed over three
of the courts. “I think considering the
damage and looking at other areas of
the island we’ve been very fortunate
as to how quickly we’ve managed to
turn it around,” added Scott.
Island Padel is hosting its second
LTA Grade 1 tournament in
September. Details on its website
www.islandpadel.com
Meet The Hook Club, the newest venue to grace the padel scene
in the North West of England. Inspired by the ‘El Gancho’ padel shot
(‘the hook’ in English), the four court venue opens this summer
within the grounds of Champneys Mottram Hall Hotel and Spa in
Macclesfield.With expansion plans for courts and canopies already
in the works, The Hook aims to provide an unmatched atmosphere
for players.“Inspired by luxury design, we’re creating an environment
where people will not only play padel but enjoy the entire
experience,” said CEO Jordan Ingoe.
www.thehookclub.co.uk
12 SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com
thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
13

news
Boys U12 winners Noah Morgan
and Charlie Stevenson.
Stan and Sholto
in action.
GB junior
talent
shines at HOP
The next crop of talented British juniors have
been in action at the adidas Hop Tournament
at the Padel Hub, Slough.
The youth tournament, which
featured three categories, ran
alongside the Pro and Tour events.
Nicholas Warner but fell 6-0 6-0 in
the second round to third seeds
Ethan Bardo and Willy Slayrd.
Tia & Louie
US bound
GB padel stars Tia Norton and Louie
Harris are competing in the US Pro
Padel League, which wraps up in New
York later this year.
The PPL is the only professional padel
league to feature team-based
competition in a city-based franchise
format. The competition debuted last
year with British No 1 Tia Norton part of
the Las Vegas Smash team that lifted
the inaugural title.
Tia has made a return to the team
to defend the title; Louie is making
his debut in the competition having
been selected to represent the San
Diego Stingrays.
“America is known for having
massive sporting competitions so to
be able to compete in a tournament
on such a big scale is huge. The level
is so high in my team and all the
other teams too, so it’s going to be
very special,” said 21-year-old Louie.
This year’s PPL has expanded from
seven to 10 teams and is being
played over four qualifying events
(two in Miami in April, two in Los
Louie (second from left).
Angeles in August) with
the final in New York in November.
www.propadelleague.com
Tia Norton.
Boys U16
winners Stan
Hunt and
Sholto Sen.
Girls U16 winners Rosie Quirk
and Chloe de la Mare.
The Boys U16 event was a highly
competitive affair with nine pairs
chasing glory. Victory was claimed
by top seeds Stan Hunt and Sholto
Sen in a closely fought final against
second seeds Harley Dixon and
Andrew Dunn. After sharing a set
apiece (7-6 3-6), Stan and Sholto
won 10-3 in the tie-break. The win
was especially sweet for the pairing,
who met for the first time on the day
of the tournament.
Sholto told The Bandeja: “It was an
amazingly competitive tournament,
but also great fun. I enjoyed playing
with Stan - we complemented each
other well and kept
our heads during the
crucial points.”
On their way to the finals
Stan and Sholto beat Jesse
Warren and Max Warner
in the semis - notable
because Jesse (11) is already
competing in U16 events.
Stan also competed in
the Grade 2 men’s draw
alongside fellow teen and
Essex club-mate Ben Welsford.
The pair won their first round
match 6-1 6-2 against Max and
The Girls’ U16 tournament saw
Chloe de la Mare and Rosie Quirk
lift another trophy together, with
a comfortable 6-0 6-0 win over
sisters Naomi and Natalie Aldaz.
Chloe and Rosie also competed in
the Women’s Grade 2 event and
came within a whisker of winning
their opening match against Alicia
Hazzard and Roxy Keshavarz, but
ultimately went down 4-6 6-4 8-10.
In the Boys U12 round robin
competition, Noah Morgan and
Charlie Stevenson finished top of
the standings with two wins from
two. The outcome was decided by
a decisive 4-6 7-6 10-6 win over
Luka Cerdena Porath Petersen
(who also played in the 12&U &
16&U) and Jude Jasinski.
Matt Stanforth, LTA Padel
Performance Manager, praised the
players’ ‘great performances’.
A number of them are on the LTA’s
GB youth radar. It is expected
selections for the GB U14 and U18
age groups will be made following
this month’s youth camp at Rocket
Padel, Bristol, taking into account
those juniors who were seen at
We Are Padel, Derby, in December.
Femme Open
in Australia
Femme Open, the sports network for
women, has landed in Australia!
Three tournaments have been held so
far, including one at Sol Padel in Albury,
New South Wales. Club founder Erin
Purtle described it as a ‘huge success’,
with 34 women playing across beginner,
intermediate and advanced levels.
“It was a hot summer night but that
did not stop some good padel! It was a
fantastic event and so good to see so
many women playing padel,” said Erin,
who has been working with Femme
Open UK founder (and fellow Australian)
Pep Stonor as well as Swedes Johanna
Livijn and Johanna Aybar who started
the movement.
hexagon returns
Organisers of The Hexagon Cup have announced it will be back in
2025 after the ‘overwhelming success’ of the inaugural team event
earlier this year, the first to be live-streamed on UK TV.
Celebrities, sports stars and business ‘names’ headed each of the
six teams, with tennis star Andy Murray’s Team Ad/Vantage winning
the overall tournament and a chunk of the €1 million prize pot.
The cup was one of the most watched padel events globally, with
live coverage in more than 190 international markets. In the UK,
ITVX streamed matches. With great camera angles and English
commentary (including from The Bandeja coach and former World
No 1 Mauri Andrini plus ITV sports journalist Ned Boulting), it was a
good opportunity to watch top level men’s and women’s padel.
Next year’s event is expected to take place from January 29 to
February 2, again at Madrid Arena, Spain.
Watch The Hexagon Cup via its YouTube channel.
Hexagon Cup team owner Eva
Longoria with legendary padel pro
Fernando Belagestuín.
14
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15

festival of padel
Co-organiser Jan Spence (centre)
with a group of players.
Festival of Padel
goes with a swing
The first The Bandeja Festival of Padel was held at Surge, Harrogate, with the
idea of bringing together ladies wanting to play different people in a relaxed
environment, perhaps as a precursor to entering LTA and other more competitive
events. Here Nicky Horn, one of the organisers, gives a low down on the day.
Co-organiser Nicky Horn (front right) with players.
‘Wouldn’t it be great to bring some
of our Facebook friends together
for a fun festival of padel?’ said Jan
Spence, founder of Facebook group
Padel Women UK. The idea of a
Festival of Padel was created.
Emma Kimber, founding editor of
The Bandeja magazine, loved the
idea and sought to ask sponsors if
they’d like to support such an event.
There was no hesitation - Bas3line
founder Wesley Teixeira was quick
to offer rackets for the winners;
NamethatBall’s Chloe Hughes
snapped up the chance to provide
bespoke printed balls for the day and
VibePadel founder Geoff Woodman
was only too keen to let each of the
players have top class grips for their
goody bags. And Harrogate’s very
own gin distillery, Slingsby, thought
1st: Michelle Eldrige &
Rachel Hanlon
2nd: Cheryl Mitchell &
Sue Stent
3rd: Jayne Dixon &
Joyce Watkins Jo Geary
& Jules Richardson
Ilkley
Ilkley &
Chapel A
Chapel A
The Bandeja Festival of Padel winners
Michelle Eldrige & Rachel Hanlon.
a spot of gin at the end of the event
would round it off nicely (it was right!).
Designed for women who don’t want
to enter an LTA event yet, the first
The Bandeja Festival of Padel took
place at Surge with 26 players. Each
couple played five matches with the
emphasis on playing new people.
The morning session was won by Jo
Lupton and Sandra Wiggins of HSFC,
Harrogate, who went through to the
afternoon session, which was of a
great standard (they need to enter
some LTA events).
Everyone so enjoyed the day, we had
some great feedback. Thank you
players, sponsors, Emma and Jan –
let’s do another one soon!
With thanks to our
sponsors:
“The ladies were a fantastic
bunch and made for a
supportive (yet competitive)
atmosphere with chat and
laughs in between matches.
I hope it is something that
continues to grow and opens
the doors to many more
women who want to increase
their confidence in padel and
padel competitions.”
Jan Spence - Founder, Padel
Women UK Facebook page
“Huge thanks to Nicky and Jan
for organising such a brilliant
day with fabulous feedback
from the players. The idea
of a padel festival to bring
women together to experience
gentle competition, perhaps
for the first time, absolutely hit
the spot. Padel is for all and
everyone and encouraging
players on their padel journey
is so important.”
Emma Kimber - Founding
Editor, The Bandeja
16 SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com
thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
17

The Bandeja met these lovely ladies at the opening of Rocket
Padel in Bristol. Admittedly it’s a while ago now but they were
having a great time, having travelled from Wales for the event, so
we think it’s worth giving them a shout-out and a wave.
Padel in
pictures
Rocks Lane founder Chris Warren launched the European Padel
League (EPL), a tournament contested by teams from five
countries (GB, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and France) and hosted in
each location. It’s coming to Rocks Lane, Chiswick, on July 4-7th.
She’s a Barbie girl, he’s Kenough! (aka Sean
and Pennie from Padel United in Maldon).
An inspired choice - a Stars & Stripes pop-up at RacketX
in Miami. Round of appaluse to Padel Courts Deluxe &
Act Sports for this all-American custom court. Adds new
meaning to hit the ball down the line!
The winning Gloucestershire men’s
team: Stuart Beattie, Kingsley Harris
(Captain), Robert Elvidge, Ian
Bloomfield, Keith Frith, Nick Baker.
…and this is why we
don’t play pickleball!
UK Padel’s Over 50s County Championship at Rocket
Padel saw Gloucestershire (above) reign supreme in
the men’s (beating Surrey) and the mixed (beating
Yorkshire). Yorkshire (below) took the women’s title
against Gloucestershire.
We LOVE
Welsh Padel’s
social media
An inspired move - newlaunch
club operator Soul
Padel (founder Mark Hewlett
is pictured) has opened courts
at two Decathlons (Stockport
and Glasgow) for three
months over summer. Book
via www.soulpadel.co.uk
The victorious Yorkshire ladies (from
left) Helen Cowlrick, Sally Bickerton,
Nicky Horn, Sally Fisher (Captain),
Audrey Henderson, Gilly Smail.
Game4Padel’s Edinburgh Park hosted a
delegation from Sport Scotland’s Fit For Girls
programme to find out more about padel. A
partnership between Sport Scotland and the
Youth Sport Trust, Fit for Girls is aimed at driving
engagement with sport for 11-18-year-olds.
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19

feature
Photo credit: Femme Open UK.
The UK’s
padel
obsession
laid bare
A country
obsessed!
Each pin drop represents
where players were when they
booked courts via Playtomic
in 2023. The darker the red, the
more the bookings, with some
London pins representing
45,000 bookings each.
If you needed any convincing that padel is becoming a national
obsession then check out this map from court booking app Playtomic.
Each red pin represents where
players were when they made
court bookings in 2023 - the
darker the pin the higher the
number of bookings, with some of
the London pins representing 45,000
court reservations.
It’s clear that people nationwide have
taken padel to their hearts and are
often willing to travel long distances
to play. It’s also reasonably easy to
pick out the National Parks (we had
wanted to superimpose sheep on
these areas but the nice man from
Playtomic pulled a face). That said,
there are definitely padel players
enjoying a day out on the moors, in
the mountains and on the lakes while
booking their court time. Respect!
The stats are a fascinating insight
into just how popular padel has
become – and we are constantly
being told this is just the start of its
journey, so with the co-operation of
the nice man from Playtomic we’ll
hope to revisit this map at the end
of the year, when we expect it to
look less Sweet Embrace (Dulux
Colour of the Year) and more Deep
Purple as padel rocks its way to
sporting domination.
There is every chance our green and
pleasant land will turn the colour
purple; Playtomic stats also revealed
that year-on-year growth from
January 2023 saw participation all but
triple from almost 12,700 hours of play
in January 2023 to just over 37,000
hours in January 2024. Playtomic’s
average marketshare for these
months was 85%. The total UK market
value for court bookings quadrupled
in the same period.
Interestingly the UK is leading
the way in female participation -
the Playtomic data shows 23% of
players are female compared to
a worldwide figure of 19%.
The nice man from Playtomic
(aka UK & Ireland regional manager
Alan Douglas) said the data
confirmed the ‘amazing growth’ of
padel, with new clubs, bigger clubs
and expanding chains delivering
much needed court availability:
“The UK is still an emerging
market for padel but all the signs
are that the sport will continue to
grow for perhaps another five years,
as it did in more mature markets
such as Spain. There is no doubt
that there is player demand as
every club opening results in a swift
increase in matches being booked
around it,” he said. •
20
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21

feature
rocket
fuel
Two words spring to mind when
describing my brother - creative
and contagious. This may sound
like sisterly bias, but everyone who
meets him feels the same. Creativity
is key when it comes to creating food
people love but it is his contagiously
positive attitude that keeps
customers coming back for more!
“I have always loved the freedom of
cooking – each time it is different,”
said Jamie, who is excited about
merging café culture with padel.
“It’s the same with serving, you
have to react to the energy of your
consumers and their needs.
“Nutrition has always been at the
forefront of my creative cooking
process and I strongly believe that
healthy can mean delicious. And
padel players need yummy and
nutritious food to allow them to play
their best padel,” he added.
Cheffing
After leaving school Jamie, 22, opted
out of the conventional route of
university and channelled his love for
Jamie Thomas
Rocket Padel has touched down in Ilford, London, delivering the
capital’s biggest padel centre yet with 12 courts - and a food and
drink team headed up by chef Jamie Thomas, who has a passion
for great taste, nutrition and padel! His sister Emily popped in to
catch up with her brother to find out more.
food into a career of private cheffing
around the UK and managing
Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurant
Queen of Cups nestled in the heart
of Glastonbury, pocketing invaluable
experience of the hospitality trade
along the way.
Growing up in a sport mad family
(mum Sarah represented GB as
a tennis junior and more recently
played in the GB Seniors padel team),
Jamie was exposed to all sorts of
sport, playing to a competitive level
in tennis, hockey and most notably
show jumping. Despite years of
playing padel in the Spanish sun
on family holidays, it was not until
the summer of 2023 that his love for
padel blossomed while working as
a host at Rocket’s hugely successful
pop-up court at Battersea Power
Station, London.
Game on
Armed with an eye for quality,
knowledge of food seasonality and
a passion for building a community
through food, Jamie was ready for his
next challenge and the opportunity to
lead the F&B team at Ilford.
He said: “I have always enjoyed how
food makes people feel. It changes
people’s moods, brings people
together and I love the social aspect
that the food and padel hybrid
brings. It is great to see so many
visitors giving padel a go for the first
time and inevitability as the game is
so addictive, they just keep coming
back. And not least for the Avo Attack
Smoothie – a firm club favourite!”
As well as heading up Rocket’s
catering, Jamie is also a part-time
padel coach, getting to know players
on and off the court and helping to
develop the facility’s all-important
‘club’ feel. The centre encourages
people to treat it like a home-awayfrom-home
– it has a gym, business
meeting rooms, work from home
stations and, of course, the café.
During my visit Jamie and I took to a
court and let our competitive spirits
run riot. Despite a handful of bickers
about me hitting the ball too hard
and Jamie repeatedly explaining
that ‘placement of the ball is more
important than power’ we just about
remained friends and I managed to
knab a free coffee, salad, and even
some cake. Winner!
Curated
It is the first time Jamie has had full
creative cooking freedom and he has
carefully curated a café menu for
easy fuel and refuel options, including
Joe and the Juice-style sandwiches,
staying on-brand with Rocket’s
Scandi roots. From club classics to
salads, cakes and smoothies, there is
something for everyone.
With Jamie are head coach Tom
Charnock (centre) and club
manager Oskar Wynne.
Rocket Padel, Ilford, will have 12 courts (nine doubles, three singles) when
completed imminently. The main building, housing four double courts,
two singles, the cafe, etc. opened first. The remaining seven courts are
housed within an adjacent building with retractable sides connected
to the main building via an Ibiza-style courtyard area. Ilford is Rocket
Padel’ls second UK site. Its first, in Bristol, is the UK’s largest centre with 14
indoor courts. A third - adjacent Battersea Power Station - opens in
a few months with four courts. Bookings are via Playtomic.
“We are a pescetarian and alcoholfree
centre, which was always
important when we were planning
our café lift off,” said Jamie. “And for
all our dishes we try to use similar
ingredients to reduce waste.”
The café also serves Clifton Coffee,
paying homage to Rocket’s first UK
site in Bristol. And the most popular
dish so far, putting aside the Ava
Attack Smoothie [editor’s note: I’ve
tried Avo Attack, it’s great.]
“Our Mature Cheddar and Mexican
Cheese Melt with pickled red onion
and chilli jam panini has been the
real crowd pleaser,” said Jamie.
“However our vision is constantly
evolving with our clientele, we have
lots more exciting foody plans up
our sleeves.
“This is just the beginning of Rocket
Padel, Ilford’s journey and I am keen
to see the centre thrive and grow
and see more people joining the
padel party in the UK. On a personal
level, it has allowed me to follow my
passions for cooking and padel under
one roof.” •
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23

news
news
Women &
children first
the LTA’s strategy to 2027
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), padel’s
governing body in Britain, has a new strategy to take the game
through to the end of 2026. The Bandeja spoke to Tom Murray,
LTA Head of Padel, to find out more.
Tom Murray
The turn of 2024 marked a pivotal
moment for padel in Britain - the
number of courts hit 350, the
magic number that Tom Murray needed
to press ahead with phase two of
developing the game.
“It is exciting because we have finally
got the sport to the place where we
can justify greater investment and
be specific about our strategy,” said
Tom. “You could argue there is still not
enough infrastructure (courts) and there
isn’t, we are playing catch up with the
rest of Europe, but there needs to be
enough places to play so that marketing
actions don’t fall on deaf ears.”
It’s widely accepted that court numbers
have now broken through the 400 mark
and are heading towards 500 thanks to
a flurry of new openings in the last few
months, with many more planned for the
rest of the year. These growing numbers
feed into the LTA’s Padel Strategy 2024-
2026, which forecasts 500 courts by the
end of 2024, 700 by the end of next year
and 1,000 by the end of 2026.
This exponential growth is being
delivered, in the main, by the private
sector. Since 2020 the LTA has provided
35 tennis clubs with £3.9 million of
‘Quick Access Loans’ funding for 67
padel courts. In the same timescale
the association’s total investment into
padel has been around £5 million.
(Note: Quick Access Loans have to be
re-paid within 10 years).
Player numbers are also on the rise.
A recent LTA survey of venues put
participation at between 139,000 and
151,000, up from the association’s
previously quoted figure of 89,000.
“The next three years we are going to
see padel really grow and that is when
we are going to start to see changes,”
said Tom. “It is a huge opportunity for
everyone in the UK. Padel is growing,
it’s great for the LTA, it’s great for the
private sector and we are just there
to facilitate that.
“It (padel) is in a really good place and
these next three years we will be able
to show what the LTA is there for and
what we can do with the sport,” added
Tom, who denied critics’ claims that the
organisation wishes to control padel to
protect tennis. “It’s not let’s control padel,
it is just about helping grow the sport in
the right way,” he said.
Strategy
A key LTA focus is growing the sport in
the right way, particularly in encouraging
more women and children on to court.
This will be delivered via the LTA’s
updated padel strategy, which is split
into six key actions:
Invest in the visibility of padel and
its infrastructure to increase padel
awareness, for example through
content creation, strategic marketing
and commercial partnerships.
Diversify event space/focus on
commercial partnerships and ensure
padel is safe, inclusive and sustainable.
In practice this includes a medium/long
term major event strategy that supports
British players and drives visibility.
Grow the player base by making
programmes and the competition
landscape more accessible. The LTA
will developing competitions to improve
accessibility and increase participation
with a focus on local, county and
regional level.
Perform: build a pathway that supports
and future current players, for example
through youth activation sessions/
player identification opportunities.
Support the padel workforce, for
example through an education and
qualification pathway.
Lead padel in Britain to the highest
standards to ensure it is safe, inclusive
and sustainable.
County network
Tom explained that they are looking
to the LTA’s network of regional and
county teams to support national
efforts. “Counties can play a huge role
in this, as they do with tennis, from
county competitions to grassroots
programmes,” he said. With all counties
now having LTA padel ambassadors, all
but a few having courts and LTA funding
in place to support them, there’s a
real opportunity to supercharge padel
activations at grassroots level
So what is he most excited about?
“Growing padel participation. That
might sound pretty plain but for me
that is huge,” he said. “The issue was
infrastructure, there just weren’t enough
courts to be able to do all the things I
wanted to do. We are turning the corner
but still we have a long way to go.”
24 SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
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25

padium
“I have never seen this degree of complexity
on any other site and there will probably never
be another site like it,”
Paul Ross, director and founder at Edinbrugh-based Padel Tech
Padium
the most complex
padel build EVER?
Just two minutes’ walk from the
top of the huge escalator that
rises out of Canary Wharf tube
station, Padium is not hard to spot
with its three-arched roof and brightly
coloured frontage nestled amongst
30 and 40-storey skyscrapers.
But what visitors to the club won’t
see is the engineering ingenuity
hidden deep beneath the building.
For Padium was constructed on a
15m high scaffold sitting deep inside
a basement constructed in readiness
for a future skyscraper.
“I have never seen this degree of
complexity on any other site and
there will probably never be another
site like it,” said Paul Ross, director and
founder at Edinbrugh-based Padel
Tech, which constructed Padium’s
structure and courts.
extensive coordination and teamwork
from a large cast of companies.
From Canary Wharf’s designers and
designated contractors, to Padium,
Padel Tech and canopy supplier
Okatent, to the people who look after
the everyday safety, security and
logistics of London’s leading financial
district, there were many issues and
interfaces to juggle.
customer experience - how it
feels when you step into the club,
the interior design, changing rooms,
courts, even the smell.”
Having considered warehouse
locations on the outskirts of the
capital he realised that he needed
a more flagship location. Canary
Wharf was high on his hit-list.
Padium. It’s London’s flagship padel
club, an eight court oasis slotted
between the towering skyscrapers of
Canary Wharf. Within six months of
opening 5,000 people had streamed
through its doors and plans are afoot
to add another court and roll out the
Padium brand - backed by Spotify
co-founder Martin Lorentzon - to a
second location. But building the club
wasn’t just a challenge, it was an
audacious plan requiring heavyweight
engineering par excellence, as
Kristina Smith reports.
It’s quite a statement from a
company which has built padel
courts in some rather unusual places,
from onboard a ship to a remote
Caribbean island for a celebrity client.
It has also constructed around 50% of
the UK’s 400 or so padel courts and
draws on the experience of adidas’s
AFP Court installers around the world
as AFP’s only UK partner.
Aside from the weight of the
Padium building itself, the
connection between structure and
scaffold at the Canary Wharf Bank
Street site had to take the uplift forces
of the winds that blow through the
former London docklands area. With
the corridor effect created by the tall
buildings these can be substantial
and capricious.
Designing and constructing this
most unique padel facility required
Padium founder
Houman Ashrafzadeh.
“It needed lots of eyes, lots of brain
and lots of brain power,” said Paul.
“It was a real team effort that
delivered this project.”
Vision
Padium is the brainchild of serial
entrepreneur Houman Ashrafzadeh,
already a tenant at Canary Wharf
with one of his healthy fast-food
restaurants Urban Greens. Inspired by
clubs in Sweden, where he grew up,
Houman was keen to create a highend
padel experience in the UK.
“Back in 2019 there were only a
few courts in the UK and we didn’t
have premium facilities like the
ones we have in Sweden,” said
Houman. “I wanted to elevate the
“There were four or five other
operators bidding for the same site
but we wanted to do something quite
different,” said Houman. “Canary
Wharf already knew me as a tenant
through Urban Greens so they knew
that I am detail oriented, brand
oriented and a good tenant.”
Another happy coincidence was
that the wife of Canary Wharf’s CEO
Shobi Khan was already a keen padel
player. And now Shobi is a fan too,
enjoying games with Houman.
Engineering ingenuity
Originally Padium was to be built on
a site in Wood Wharf, a good location
but further from Canary Wharf tube
station. The basement structure there
26
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27

padium
padium
had been constructed but, with a
tenant earmarked for the level below
ground, there were issues that would
have complicated the structure and
layout of Padium. And so Canary
Wharf proposed the Bank Street site.
This required an even more complex
build but Houman welcomed the idea
with open arms - and a vision for an
even more premium club.
For Padel Tech, the shift in location
meant ripping up the designs it had
been working on for Wood Wharf
and addressing the challenge of
how to build on top of that scaffold.
Fortunately, they had the expertise
of Dr Mark Richards, director of NESTA
Consulting Engineers, who advises
Canary Wharf on structural issues.
“That scaffolding was not intended
to have a building on top of it,”
explained Mark. “It was designed to
take loadings from an area being
used for various sports but not a
facility like Padium. I had to do a
feasibility study to look at whether
the scaffold could take the facility.”
Working with Padel Tech, Okatent,
Canary Wharf-approved specialist
contractors ProPlant which built
the scaffold and ConCast, which
constructed the concrete slab on
which Padium sits, Mark helped guide
a bespoke design by the specialist
contractors which safely transfers
building and wind loads.
Under the arches
But the challenges didn’t end there.
In a different location Padium’s roof
would have been one arched canopy,
spanning from one edge of the plot
to the other. However, this would have
put too much force onto the edges of
the scaffolding.
The solution was to install four
specialist trusses running from
the front to the back of the site
– which is one city block in size –
with three arches spanning the
smaller distances between trusses.
Positioning of the arches allowed
the courts to be located perfectly
between them.
“We needed to increase the number
of point loads to spread the load
across the surface,” said Padel Tech
design and estimating manager Andy
Ponton. “The trusses are bolted to the
scaffolding and have built-in points
to which the canopy is anchored. The
concrete slab was initially cast up to
the trusses and then the trusses were
infilled afterwards.”
Some parts of the scaffolding had to
be beefed up too to resist wind uplift
forces from the roof structure, as Mark
explained: “The scaffolding had to be
strengthened along the truss lines.
We married that up with the forces
coming from the roof.”
It wasn’t just the final loadings that
had to be considered. With input
from Mark, Padel Tech planned every
move of the construction sequence
carefully so that the scaffolding was
not overloaded, from the weight
and position of construction
equipment used to deliveries of
steel and materials and where they
would be placed.
Delivering the project safely and
with minimum impacts on Canary
Wharf’s tenants and the environment
were key, said Paul: “Their tenants
pay a premium to know they are in
a safe environment. That’s part of
the USP of being in Canary Wharf.
We had weekly meetings with
multiple parties at Canary Wharf.”
Work to install the trusses and
concrete slab began in October 2022,
with Padel Tech starting on site in
February 2023. Towards the end of the
build Padel Tech liaised with Padium’s
fit-out contractor S&G Shopfitters
which constructed the mezzanine
level within the club from where
players can view the facility’s seven
internal courts.
Lux
For engineers the ‘wow’ factor for
Padium lies hidden, but for players it
begins as soon as they enter
the building. Walking through the
front door, with the showcase
centre court ahead, it feels like
you might be about to play in a
major tournament.
With an internal roof height of over
10m and details including acoustic
dampening, elegant, curved lighting
poles, pro shop and changing
rooms complete with matt-black
toilets and Dyson hair dryers,
Houman has worked to create his
perfect club and the attention to
detail from Padium’s design team
is evident everywhere.
Since opening in September,
Houman has added heating and air
conditioning to the mezzanine floor
which overlooks the indoor courts,
and is now looking to heat the whole
club. Players can also look forward
to a bar on the mezzanine and
perhaps a second outdoor court.
Oasis
For Canary Wharf’s tenants the
timing of Padium couldn’t have
been better. It opened as big
corporates were searching for
ways to lure employees back to
the office from home working. And
its location is about to get even
better. Canary Wharf has started
work on its ambitious Middle Dock
project to create an outdoor
oasis centred around the dock,
with trees and gardens, floating
boardwalks, water sports and
spaces for arts and culture right
on Padium’s doorstep.
Meanwhile, Houman is plotting the
next location for a second club.
Padium Factfile
Courts: 7 indoors, one outdoors
Head Coach: Jorge Martinez
Booking: via Playtomic app
(pay-and-play or membership)
Opening hours: 6am-10pm
Cost: From £80/hr/court
Address: 10 Bank Street, E14 4DE
The complexity of this build, alongside
challenges linked to the disruption of
material deliveries and rising costs
has not deterred him in his mission to
make Padium the biggest and most
premium brand in the UK.
“I know that challenges are coming
and I know that I will tackle them
somehow,” he said. “With five years’
experience of building a brand and
a business with Urban Greens I had a
lot of things in my toolbox I could
reach for.”
Padel Tech’s Paul echoed the
sentiment. His team’s experience on
major construction projects means
that he too relishes the intricacies
and demands of a complex build.
“We thrive on difficult projects,” he
said. “We are really looking forward
to the next one.” •
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29

Photo credit: IOC Greg Martin.
to padel’s Olympic dreams?
If breakdancing can make it to the Olympics surely there’s
a place for padel? Duncan Mackay reports on how it could
be who you know and how big your socials are that count
on the path to Olympic glory.
For a sport to be added to the
Olympic programme there used
to be a well-defined process.
Become a member of SportAccord,
now the Global Association of
International Sports Federations,
demonstrate that you had signed
up to the World Anti-Doping
code, get International Olympic
Committee recognition and then try
to persuade them to vote for you to
join the Games.
Some, like rugby sevens, taekwondo
and triathlon, were successful. Others,
like squash, were not.
Then Thomas Bach was elected
President of the IOC in 2013 and this
system was ripped up. His mantra
of ‘change or be changed’ and
Could padel be celebrating Olympic inclusion any time
soon? (Photo courtesy Premier Padel)
‘getting the couch potatoes off the
couch’ was designed to ensure
the Olympics appealed to a new
generation of youngsters.
AI & Esports
The Olympic Games have endured
the test of time, evolving from
their ancient origins, through the
19th century, flourishing in the 20th
century and now trying to redefine
themselves in the 21st century. While
television ratings may be shifting,
this change signifies an opportunity
to diversify viewership platforms
and engage younger audiences
while emphasising the essence of
unity that the Olympics represent.
Indeed, Bach’s references to the
use of artificial intelligence and
exploration of Olympic Esports
Games represent a visionary step
towards the future.
New sports
With the implementation of Olympic
Agenda 2020, adopted in December
2014, ‘the process of establishing
the Olympic programme changed
to enhance the popularity of the
Games while ensuring that the
numbers of athletes, and the cost
International Olympic Committee President
Thomas Bach.
and complexity of the event, remain
manageable’, according to the IOC.
As part of this new process the
Organising Committee of a specific
edition of the Olympic Games may
propose to the IOC the inclusion for
such edition only of one or more
additional sports.
For Tokyo 2020 the IOC voted to
add baseball / softball, karate, sport
climbing, surfing, and skateboarding
as optional sports. For Paris 2024, the
Organising Committee proposed
the inclusion of breaking (break
dancing), skateboarding, sport
climbing and surfing.
But it is the process for Los Angeles
2028 that offers real hope for
padel’s Olympic ambitions. Baseball/
softball was an obvious addition
due to its importance in American
society, but cricket, flag football,
lacrosse and squash probably all
owed more to the fact that they
each had powerful backers able to
put the case for their sport.
Premier Padel connection
If connections are to be the driving
force then surely few are better
placed than Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, head
of Qatar Sports Investments, which
last August bought out the World
Padel Tour, encompassing it within his
worldwide Premier Padel tour. Among
the many hats worn by Al-Khelaïfi
are chairman of beIN Media Group,
President of Paris Saint-Germain FC
and the Qatar Tennis Federation.
Social Media
Is the previously held notion that
Olympic acceptance is all about how
many countries a sport is played in
now being replaced by social media
following? Cricket, for example,
may be played in relatively few
countries but the International Cricket
Council consistently comes top of
international federation social media
rankings. In the latest list published
in January, the ICC had a total of
106,519,541 followers on Facebook,
Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok,
YouTube and X. That’s nearly 50
million more than FIFA.
The International Padel Federation
(FIP) currently has, according to
my calculations, just over 200,000
followers on its social media channels.
The sport needs to take a lesson from
cricket and get its numbers up into
the tens of millions otherwise the IOC
may not even consider it.
The next opportunity padel will
have to bid to be on the Olympic
programme is for Brisbane 2032.
Perhaps a better chance may be
2036 when it is widely expected the
Games will be heading to Doha. If
they do, then Al-Khelaïfi is certain
to have a say in which sports Qatar
adds to the Olympic programme.
And that could be very good news
for padel. •
Duncan Mackay has been covering
the Olympic movement for more
than 30 years. He was the founder
of insidethegames, a leading
independent source for news on the
Olympic Games, and is a former
winner of the UK Sports Journalist
of the Year and UK Internet Sports
Journalist of the Year awards.
30
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31

heading
for 550?
Rocket Padel at Battersea Power Station
Counting padel court numbers in Britain is increasingly like herding cats;
with so many new courts going up it’s become an almost impossible task
to keep track.
At the end of 2023 the LTA put
a figure on court numbers
of around 350, a little shy of
its stated aim of 400 but it’s widely
accepted that that number has now
been reached and surpassed, with
many more new courts and clubs in
the pipeline.
High profile projects planned include
Rocket Padel/Battersea Power Station;
The Padel Club/TraffordCity; the
Padel Social Club/London’s O2 arena;
Game4Padel/Hove Beach Park and
Rocks Lane’s continued expansion.
club in Canary Wharf, London), the
audacious and brilliant four-court
Club de Padel in Manchester city
centre and the sport’s northern
Mecca that is True Padel (nine indoor
courts). Padel United (PDL) is also
worth a mention, it’s quietly going
about its business opening courts
around the country (Colchester and
Torbay are new launches on the
horizon) and, as mentioned earlier,
Rocks Lane (based in Chiswick,
London) has just opened new courts
at its centre in Barnes and has
planning in for Barnet, north London.
these problems will ease. There
is understandable hesitance
from councils and committees who are
yet to understand the benefits of padel
to their community or club,” he said.
Love all
Tennis continues to embrace the sport;
according to Tom Murray, Head of
Padel at the LTA, 50% of British courts
are located at tennis clubs. Golf, rugby,
hockey and cricket are also getting
in on the act, as are leisure operators
(including some of the Better and
Everyone Active sites).
PadelStars is fairly new out of the
traps with its first club having
recently opened in Reading (one
court) but it has ambitious plans
and the financial backing of
leisure specialist Dwellcourt, which
has taken a major stake in the
company, founded by Andy Knee
and Jamie Brooke. Many of its
future sites (Basildon, Chigwell,
St Albans, Bournemouth and
Bracknell particularly) are in
locations with other padel facilities
within striking distance.
Smash Padel opened with three
courts in Bicester and recently
acquired MVP in Oxford. Its next
move is three covered courts in
partnership with Whitstable RUFC
(east Kent is a virtual padel desert
at present) and courts in Cardiff,
another area that is padel deprived.
Pure Padel’s first venue has three
courts in Alderley Park, Manchester,
but company founders Sammy
Amora and Fraser Higson now have
planning in for two additional sites,
including an indoor venue.
So where’s next for padel to pop?
Birmingham is looking a good bet.
It has a handful of clubs, some
private. CorteSport has just opened
three courts at The Hayes, home
to Alvechurch FC in Kings Norton,
and Powerleague is moving in too.
And where would we like the next
hotspot to be? Exeter - it’s the place
we get most messages about re
playing padel.
Game4Padel
pushes ahead with
court roll-out
Brighton & Hove padel players are in for a
treat after Game4Padel, working with the city
council, announced it will be opening four
padel courts on the seafront.
The courts (plus six tennis courts) form part of the new Hove Beach Park,
which includes bowls, croquet, a skatepark, pump track and roller area, and
are due to open this summer.
Game4Padel, which has tennis stars Andy and Jamie Murray, Annabel Croft
and Andrew Castle as investors, is also opening a permanent three-court
covered floodlit facility at Withdean Sports Complex in Brighton this summer.
A temporary court it’s operated there since October 2022 has proved
extremely popular with ‘excellent’ court occupancy. With significant demand
in the city for more padel facilities the new courts are sure to hit the spot.
Green Quarter
Game4Padel has also scored a first with the opening of courts at Parkside
Padel Club in West London. The three-court facility at Berkeley Homes’
new Green Quarter development in Southall represents the first time a
residential developer has planned padel into a scheme. “This is a
game-changing partnership for Game4Padel”, said CEO Michael Gradon.
“This first project with the Berkeley Group is exciting because the potential
to introduce padel across their residential developments could mean a
much faster roll out of the sport, helping us achieve our goal of nearly
400 padel courts in the UK by 2027.”
James Purton, Operations Director at Berkeley Group, added: “Padel has
proven to be more than just a sport; it’s a catalyst for creating vibrant
communities and fostering social connections. As an avid player myself I
have seen first-hand how it brings people together and it will provide an
opportunity for a new generation of padel players.”
Game4Padel currently has 59 courts across some 25 venues plus clubs in
Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
Big names are also seeing the
potential - David Lloyd Clubs are
installing courts around the country,
with plans for 33 in 14 UK clubs by
the end of the year. And five-a-side
football specialist Powerleague is
developing padel facilities in London,
Birmingham and, most notably
Gateshead, where it wants to install
courts on top of the Metro Centre.
These add to padel’s recent ‘big wins’
of Padium (a gorgeous eight-court
Ian Colligon, founder of iPadel, said
the overall outlook is ‘really positive’
in terms of organisations wanting
to build padel courts, adding: “But it
is still extremely frustrating at how
difficult it is to actually get them built.
So many have finance, planning
or club committee issues, so many
obstacles that make the process
difficult and long.
“However, as padel becomes
more well-known and mainstream
Fancy a weekend break with padel
thrown in? Then check out the Manor
and Ashbury resorts in Devon, which
boast their own indoor courts. And we
don’t know if Ryan Reynolds or Rob
McElhenney play padel but good news
if they do - Wrexham Lawn Tennis
Club has gained permission for three
covered courts.
Looking ahead, keep your eyes
on PadelStars, Smash Padel and
Pure Padel.
Padel is Us
Gloucester is to get 9 courts
following Cheshire-based The
Padel Club’s announcement that
it is turning the city’s former Toys
R Us store into an indoor padel
centre. Work has already started
on the project, which is hoped to
be open by Autumn. Bookings will
be via Playtomic.
An artist’s impression of the
new Hove Beach Park
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33

Padel Social
Club to score
a first?
Rooftop padel is coming to Wandsworth,
London, after the Padel Social Club gained
planning permission to build six covered
courts above Southside Shopping Centre.
sport powerhouses
set to drive padel
expansion
The two-level, 30,000ft2 club, is scheduled
to open at the end of the year and could
be the UK’s first rooftop padel venue if
Powerleague doesn’t achieve it first with
its plans for courts on top of a car park at
Gateshead’s Metrocentre.
The Wandsworth project includes
changing rooms, wellness area, food
and drink kiosks, social spaces (including
co-working spaces overlooking the padel
courts), seating and an outdoor area with
views over Wandsworth.
“We’re delighted to see this project
coming to life and to be able to bring
our all-encompassing padel experience
to Wandsworth”, said Padel Social Club
CEO Kristian Hunter.
Rebecca Ruddle, Centre Director at
Southside Shopping Centre, said: “We’re
confident that this new facility will bring
something new and exciting for our
community and create a vibrant space
that fosters connections whilst introducing
a sport that is becoming increasingly
popular throughout the UK.”
The Padel Social Club has already opened
five outdoor courts in Empress Place, Earls
Court, London, and has plans for an indoor
centre on the banks of the River Thames
at the 02.
bringing padel
home to Durham
To paraphrase the Hollywood
movie Field of Dreams – if you
build it they will come - and the
baseball-themed film could
have been describing the impact
of True Padel, which has seen
massive interest since opening
in January.
The Durham venue is the ‘field
of dreams’ for brothers Alex and
Adam Carr, who quit jobs overseas
to return home and build what is
one of the largest indoor centres
in the UK, with nine indoor courts.
The club, which has quickly
become a padel Mecca in the
North East, has gone into the
former Soccarena football centre
in Belmont Industrial Estate,
New Ferens Park. A key feature
of the venue is roof height – at
its maximum it offers 14m of
clearance, making it one of -
if not the - highest indoor padel
centre in the UK.
Plans
The centre has been a big hit,
attracting players from Durham
County Cricket Club, Newcastle
United FC and Sunderland FC,
a small but significant Spanish
community and students from
the city’s university.
And even with nine courts,
demand for peak times means
booking days in advance, with the
real masterstroke in attracting
people to padel being its ‘mix-in’
events and ‘introduction to padel’
sessions, as Alex explained: “It’s
just been crazy. It’s a massive
relief, but also exciting to see
people walk through the doors
and enjoy the game for the first
time. I think the biggest thing for
us is a lot of the introduction to
padel sessions. They’ve been
really key as we put them on
extremely cheaply over weekends
and through the week. They’re
very, very popular and pretty
much every one gets fully booked.
It’s a good way for people to get
used to the rules, get used to the
court and meet people.
“These sessions lead straight into
our mix-in events, which have
also been extremely successful.
We put three or four on every
week. People turn up on their own
or with a partner and by the end
they have met another 20 or so
players that are a similar level.
Straight away communities are
starting to be built.”
The club has built on this early
enthusiasm by hiring a full-time
coach - Spaniard Suso - and
developing an academy, leagues
and tournaments. Plans are
already afoot to open a second
True Padel venue.
Sporting giants Powerleague and David Lloyd
are both accelerating their efforts to drive padel
forward in the UK.
Five-a-side football specialists
Powerleague announced its
intentions to diversify into padel
last summer with plans for a
rooftop facility in Gateshead.
However, sites in Birmingham
and London have leapt ahead of
Gateshead and are set to be the
company’s first facilities to open,
according to Powerleague head
of padel Freya Tringham.
Work has just got underway at the
Birmingham venue, located in the
Aston area of the city. It will have
three covered courts. Shoreditch
will have four courts.
“We’re hoping to launch in
Manchester (Manchester Nicholls
site) before the end of the year
and I would say at least another
two clubs,” said Freya. “We’ve got
ambitious plans for the next two
years. There’s plenty more in the
planning pipeline that we should
hear back on imminently.”
David Lloyd
It is a similar picture with David
Lloyd, which has ambitions to be
the UK’s largest padel operator with
plans for 33 courts in 14 UK clubs
by the end of the year. This is in
addition to almost 90 courts across
133 clubs in nine other countries, and
further plans for expansion.
expanding
its reach
Rocks Lane is continuing to expand its padel
provision, this time with the addition of four courts
at its centre in Barnes Common, London.
The new courts bring the organisation’s total court
count in the capital to 16 (its Rocks Lane Chiswick
HQ has four covered and eight outdoor, including
a singles). It also has four courts in Cornwall and
plans for four courts at Dyrham Park Golf & Country
Club in Barnet, North London, bringing its total to 24.
The Bandeja understands that Rocks Lane founder
Chris Warren is looking to add another six courts
to the portfolio at a location yet to be revealed.
The operator currently offers
padel in eight UK Clubs - Chigwell,
Bushey, Raynes Park, Bicester,
Cheadle, Harbour Club Chelsea,
as well as new clubs Rugby and
Shawfair, Edinburgh.
David Lloyd spokesperson Liz
Bartlett said: “The aim is to have
about 170 courts across 133 clubs
by the middle of next year. Spain
already had a good share of courts,
but we’re spreading. We’re building
them in other countries, but a big
focus on the UK. We’re expanding
at pace and it’s an area where we
are seriously investing in. Where
it’s possible, where it’s practical,
we’re introducing it.”
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35

Move over
football...
The Social Sports Society has opened its first venue
- three courts close to Wembley Stadium in North London.
Wembley Padel is the
neighbourhood’s first padel venue
and bookings have been rolling in
via Playtomic. A series of events
and coaching programmes will be
announced for summer.
A Social Sports Society spokesperson
said: “The venue will be welcomed
by local padel fans, among whom
there’s a high demand for courts.
With an on-site snack bar and comfy
seating, players will enjoy a space
to socialise before and after matches.
It boasts a central location close to
Wembley BOXPARK, London Designer
Outlet and, of course, Wembley
Stadium itself.”
After securing the site from
developers Quintain Living last year,
the company worked with courts
manufacturer MejorSet to prepare
for opening.
Hayling Island life
Life on Hayling Island may soon be
boosted by the addition of padel if
Seacourt Tennis Club gets plans for
two floodlit courts past planners at
Havant Borough Council.
The club is unusual in that it already
offers padel, but on a rackets court
that is slightly shorter and narrower.
Despite this, the Seacourt Padel
Group has been running for several
years, with ‘upwards of 100 people
playing’ according to comments on the
borough council’s planning portal.
The scheme has attracted strong
feelings for and against. One
supporter said: “The current makeshift
padel court at Seacourt is the
wrong size and has the wrong wall and
floor playing surfaces. It floods when
it rains and is insufferably hot and
airless when the sun shines. Despite
these drawbacks the demand to play
Social Sports Society founder Jesper
Konstantinov, a London-based
entrepreneur, said: “Padel is one of
the most fun, accessible sports. It can
be played at any level, it’s easy to
learn and has a unique ability to bring
together a cross-section of society.”
* To read more about the Social Sports
Society and Jesper’s padel plans for
the UK visit www.thebandeja.com
and search ‘Jesper’
is ever-increasing and, as word gets
around, will soon outgrow even these
very much sub-standard facilities.”
The plan also has the support of the
council’s leisure officer, who said the
courts had ‘the potential to impact
positively on the borough’s poor
physical activity levels and health
inequalities by providing a new
sporting offer to the borough’.
A decision on the scheme is awaited.
PadelStars
shoots onto the
club scene
PadelStars is a new name with big
ambitions - eight new padel clubs
and 27 courts to be precise - with its
first (one court at Berkshire County
Sports Club in Reading) already
up and running.
Founders Andy Knee and Jamie
Brooke are working with sports clubs
and leisure facilities to introduce padel
to their sites, with five more venues
planned to open this year - Golfplex,
Bracknell (four courts); Trojans Hockey
Club, Southampton (six courts);
Ferndown, Bournemouth (two courts
plus pickleball); Batchwood Golf and
Sports Centre, Harpenden (two courts)
and Old Loughtonians Hockey Club,
Chigwell (four courts). The company
is using its own app - PadelStars
- for court bookings.
PadelStars is sponsoring Southampton’s Trojans Hockey Club
U16 boys team, which had an amazing 2022-3 season (English
Hockey Tier 1 Championship & English Hockey Tier 1 Supra
League Championship winners).
PadelStars’ Jamie
Brooke, Jeevan
Gill (Director of
Operations) and
Andy Knee.
In addition, it has plans to develop
padel at Basildon Sporting Village in
Essex (four courts) and The Three Hills
Sports Park in Folkestone (three courts).
PadelStars recently announced
major investment in the business by
leisure specialist the Dwellcourt
Group. Jeff Hilliard, Dwellcourt
Chairman, said they’d ‘had several’
approaches by padel operators hoping
to build courts on their sites. “Andy
and Jamie stood apart for their vision,
dynamism and professionalism,”
he said. “With a pipeline of strong new
sites being secured, we have decided
to once again back impressive
people and see how we might offer
our operational experience as well as
our investment to help them scale
their business.”
10 court
plan
An ambitious scheme to build
indoor padel courts could score
two UK firsts - the first listed
building to be turned into a padel
centre and the first to have two
floors of courts. Owners of the
Grade II*-listed Machine Shop
No 8, at Chatham Dockside, Kent,
have gained consent to install 10
padel courts - two floors of five
- into the historic building, built
in 1840 and believed to be one of
the oldest surviving iron-framed
dry dock covers. The building
will be restored and partially
clad in aluminium to protect the
skeleton structure.
Padel
Enable-d
Four popup padel courts have
opened for the summer in
Battersea Park’s Millennium
Arena thanks to an initiative
by not-for-profit organisation
Enable, which manages facilities
for Wandsworth Council.
Enable has also turned the popup
court it installed at Battersea
Sports Centre last September
into a permanent court, with
hopes that it may be able to do
the same at Battersea Park.
All courts are bookable through
the Padel Mates app.
36 SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
37

feature
padium
Pinpointing
padel nirvana
On the road - Paul Lloyd
38
What makes a great padel club? It’s a question with a lot of answers
- and to nail them down Soul Padel went on a road trip visiting UK
venues ahead of opening its own. The Bandeja reports.
With facilities popping up quicker than
daffodils in spring, ensuring you have
all the right elements to be a success
is essential.
So what better way to find out than
go to those that have already trodden
this path, which is exactly what Mark
Hewlett, founder of Soul Padel, and his
business partner Paul Lloyd, did.
They chalked up more than 1,400
miles, visiting eight venues in pursuit
of perfection, calling in to Bristol’s
Rocket Padel and Surge Padel, plus
Surge Padel in Harrogate. There was
a double date in the north-east
going to the newly opened True
Padel in Durham and Middlesbrough
Padel Club (one of the UK’s longest
running clubs). The final destinations
were Chiswick’s Rocks Lane, Club de
Padel in Manchester and Alderley
Park in Cheshire.
Mark shares why he and Paul decided
to embark on such an extensive
research mission, what he has learned
about the padel scene in the UK.
What gave you the idea to
visit other venues?
We wanted to make friends in the
padel world and learn from those that
have travelled the path we are taking.
What did you want to learn?
Firstly, how to play padel better! And
ultimately what is the ‘secret sauce’
that makes a great venue.
Mark Hewlett
What did you learn?
The venue has to be about much
more than playing padel. Successful
clubs are also places where people
want to be. Meeting friends, playing
padel and making new connections.
Competitive socialising is what we are
calling it.
What do these venues do well?
• The quality of the courts really
matters. Players are looking for
consistency of conditions to help
improve their games.
• Access to good quality coaching
is vital to enhance development
and encourage new players to take
up the sport.
• A welcoming and friendly
atmosphere is a must.
• A good mix of events, competitions,
leagues and corporate hosting
all make for a great club
environment too.
Who did you meet on
your travels?
At Rock’s Lane we met club owner
Chris Warren and longtime friend
and iPadel guru Ian Colligon.
At Middlesborough Padel Centre
we met owner and padel
pioneer Nigel Garton alongside his
son Theo, ranked in the top eight
GB men. We also had the pleasure
of hitting with Libby Fletcher, coach
of the GB ladies padel team. At
Surge Padel we met owner Stuart
Perrin and got resoundingly
beaten by him and his operations
manager 6-0 6-0 6-0!
Did you play padel at
each venue?
Almost. We wanted to get a
real customer experience -
experiencing playing indoors vs
outdoors, different lighting systems,
alternate turf colours, the quality
and price of rental gear, the
showers and changing facilities.
Which brands had they partnered
with and why? What was the proshop
like? Could we park easily and
find the venue quickly - basically
we looked at absolutely everything.
Soul Padel has partnered
with Decathlon to open two
courts each at Decathlon
Stockport and Glasgow for the
summer. Book via its website
www.soulpadel.co.uk
The Padel & Pickleball Club Builder is a
new-launch B2B supplier directory for
organisations and companies supporting
the development of padel and pickleball
clubs and venues.
It is brought to you by the team behind
The Bandeja.
If you are a court manufacturer, court
builder, canopy supplier, manufacturer of
portable buildings, acoustic curtains, or
provide F&B services, planning assistance,
legal support, security solutions, turf, nets,
equipment, rackets and apparel for pro
shops etc get in touch for more information.
emma@thebandeja.com
To order print copies
of The Bandeja head over
to our web shop
www.thebandeja.com
/buy-gear/
Buy The Bandeja print copies at www.thebandeja.com thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
39
ISSUE 3 / Summer 2024 £6
From tennis
to padel
soft, patient, lob!
Manchester
a padel oasis
padel at the
Olympics
when & where?
WIN! A £295
Wilson Racket
Heads up
it’s a BOA!

Club de Padel, Manchester.
Image courtesy of JPDrone.
Manchester
A padel oasis
In the last issue we threw a spotlight on padel’s takeover of Bristol. But
while it was basking in the glory of being the UK’s padel hero with 35
courts, Manchester and its surrounds were making plans to claim the
crown, with 24 courts now open and 38 planned. The Bandeja reports.
First we need to start with a
disclaimer. Wilmslow is actually
in Cheshire but for the purposes
of this piece we’re bringing it into
the Manchester/Greater Manchester
fold because conversation about
the city’s padel scene really needs to
start with The Padel Club in Wilmslow.
This is where padel’s ascent in the
North West began, with two ‘concept
courts’ growing into a thriving fourcourt
padel hub with expansion plans
for four new - and covered - courts
on an adjacent site. The Padel Club
is also behind £2 million plans for 11
courts (nine of which will be covered)
at TraffordCity, a scheme hoped to be
open by the end of the year.
In less than two years the club has
established a strong and committed
player base; founder and CEO Kris
Ball recently stated that it’s had
more than 10,000 players through the
doors at Wilmslow, and more than
1,000 ‘unique’ players each month.
Included in these numbers are a fair
few celebs, including former England
cricket captains Michael Vaughan
and Jos Butler, actors, footballers and
even Strictly stars (Katya Jones is a
big fan, as is her friend and former
40 SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com
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41

The Padel Club, Wilmslow.
Aimee Fuller and Scott Thomas at The Padel Club.
An impression of how The Padel Club
at TraffordCity will look.
The team at Manchester Padel Club (from left) Director of Padel
Leo Padovani, coach Rachel Thomas and co-founder David Thomas.
Olympic snowboarder turned
media personality/HOP tournament
compere Aimee Fuller).
Football - and padel’s popularity
with its high-profile players - has no
doubt been a driver in the game’s
development, as Kris explained: “It
has been very good for the growth
of the sport in general,” he said. And
Manchester in particular? “A lot of
footballers are playing and that
brings a lot of exposure in social
media. That is a big factor, and
including cricket and rugby players,
it undoubtedly helps.”
Manchester Padel Club
David Thomas, co-founder of
Manchester Padel Club in Heald
Green, credits The Padel Club for
getting the ball rolling and he too
believes that football has been
integral to padel gaining a strong
foothold in and around the city.
“The football connection to padel
is strong, the two sports work well
together,” David told The Bandeja.
“Padel really took off in the region
with the opening of the Padel Club.
The team there did a great job of
marketing the sport. Since then Club
de Padel has opened as well as our
own club, Manchester Padel Club.”
But, as is the case for most padel
facility operators, the route to
opening new courts has not been
quick, as David explained: “While it
may seem like padel is just gaining
traction in the city, the journey to
this point spans at least 15 years.
Initially the only court in Greater
Manchester was tucked away in a
warehouse in Bury. Frustrated by the
lack of accessibility, players often
travelled to Yorkshire to play.
“From there, Manchester City
Football Club built a private court
at its training facility. Some local
players were lucky enough to be
invited to play there but there was
still unmet demand for courts,”
added David, who was keen to
develop his own padel facility.
“However at this point we were well
aware that not that many people
knew what padel was. An indoor
club in Birmingham had also gone
bust so as a business opportunity it
was seen as a risk,” he said.
Fast forward a few years and David
was given a helping hand by former
world No 1 Fernando Belasteguin’s
agent and former Deportivo de
La Coruña player Francisco (Fran)
González Pérez, leading to a
meeting with Leo Padovani, a former
international padel champion. He had
been scouting for his own location
and the pair joined forces.
The result is Manchester Padel Club,
with Leo in place as Director of Padel.
His elite standing - he’s a former
world top 10 player and coach to
many of the world’s leading players
including former No 1 Juan Martin Diaz
who recently featured in the ITVtelevised
Hexagon Cup.
Leo said: “We’re establishing a worldclass
padel academy in Greater
Manchester. Having played alongside
and coached some of the world’s
best players, I’m confident that, with
the benefits of our unique training
facilities and our team’s experience
in padel, we can introduce a
whole new level of padel sporting
excellence to the region.”
The pay-to-play club opened last
July with one court and now has
three, including a game-changer
tech-enabled covered show court
with stadium seating, making it a
perfect location for tournaments.
David described it as ‘one of
Manchester’s best kept sporting
secrets’ - but it’s now stepped into
the spotlight and is rolling out a
programme of initiatives, including
padel for schools and hopes for a
disability/adaptive padel scheme in
collaboration with specialist advisors
(including Paul Kelly from Manchester
City’s City in the Community disability
programme and the LTA’s Sue
Morrison).
“We want to establish our club -
and the region - as the place where
people from elite level all the way
through to beginners can come to
learn the game, improve their skills
and ultimately have fun,” said David.
Manchester Padel Club.
And when he talks elite he means
elite, even if the sport is not padel;
Usain Bolt has been training and
playing at the club when in town
and a number of well-known names
have also enjoyed honing their skills
in what has until now been a relatively
private setting.
Club de Padel
One of the most exciting padel
developments in Manchester is
Club de Padel in the city centre. The
brainwave of three friends with a
Olympic sprinter
Usain Bolt on court at
Manchester Padel Club.
passion for padel - David Blake,
Matt McKinlay and James
Wigglesworth - the club has proved
hugely popular, with thousands
of players streaming through its
doors since it opened just before
Christmas. The location is an
inspired choice; Club de Padel
nestles beneath the tallest towers
in Manchester in the city’s emerging
New Jackson on Deansgate area.
Exposure for the sport is guaranteed,
with thousands of people living and
working in the area.
42
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43

feature
Pure Padel founders Sammy Amora
& Fraser Higson.
The Pure Padel courts
at Alderley Park.
The courts may serve a city centre
population of 80,000 but its founders
didn’t take it as red that ‘build
and they will come’ would apply,
with David Blake explaining that
organising a variety of sessions,
including coaching, has been key to
building a padel community - and
an occupancy rate that rarely drops
below 90%.
“We were always quite confident that
a new padel club in Manchester city
centre would be popular, but to be
honest even we’ve been surprised by
how busy it’s been,” he said. “We’ve
hosted more than 6,000 matches in
our first four months and coached
close to 1,000 players - many of
whom were completely new to the
sport and are now regular players,
which is really rewarding to see.
“Community and experience
are absolutely key for us. We’re
an experience-led club - the
service, music, merchandise and
community are at the forefront of
our minds. Anyone can buy great
courts and maintain them. It’s all in
the extras for us. We’ve created a
third space for city dwellers and
the resident workforce alike,
hosting first dates, meetings, hens
& birthday parties, global sporting
brands and world class athletes
in their downtime.
Pure Padel, Alderley Park.
“Our Padel 101 sessions - teaching the
basics to new players - continue to
be some of the most popular, which
is great, as it means we’re welcoming
dozens of new players into our
community every week. Equally our
new ‘Improver & Intermediate Socials’
are selling out well in advance.
We’re proud to be at the vanguard
of padel in Manchester, which is
being driven in no small part by our
active, experience-seeking and social
media-savvy community. Manchester
is one of the most famous sporting
cities in the world so it’s no surprise
the world’s fastest growing sport has
exploded here.”
Meanwhile
Club de Padel is also interesting
because it’s a ‘meanwhile project’,
making use of a site earmarked for
development but with no date for
that yet in the calendar. It’s a growing
trend - Padium in Canary Wharf,
London, is another example and
more applications are being made
for padel facilities citing ‘temporary
change of use’ or ‘temporary
permission’. Given the level of
investment that goes into developing
these projects there is very little
temporary about them. Savvy
building owners and commercial
property agents are increasingly
seeing the value in a padel tenant,
Club de Padel founders David Blake,
James Wigglesworth, Matt McKinlay.
which is a real positive for those
searching for sites.
Pure Padel
The Padel Club in Wilmslow is
not the only operator looking to
branch out with new sites. Pure
Padel, which opened three courts
in Alderley Park last October has
planning applications currently under
consideration for six indoor courts
in Cheetham Hill and five courts at
Manchester Maccabi Community
and Sports Club in Prestwich. The
Cheetham Hill scheme, if successful,
will be the first indoor padel club in
the region, a huge feather in the cap
of Fraser Higson and Sammy Amora,
the team behind Pure Padel.
The number of players it’s welcomed
runs into the thousands, something
Sammy puts down to using court
booking platform Playtomic: “It really
helped us achieve those numbers
in such a short space of time as we
could really tap into a huge customer
base that other padel clubs in the
area generated beforehand! We are
operating at high court occupancy,
the key to operate successful padel
clubs is to drive occupancy during
the off peak hours of the day.”
The venue also works hard to raise
awareness of the sport and, as
Sammy put it, ‘get as many rackets
in hands’ as possible. Pure Padel hosts
regular intro to padel sessions and
beginner socials, plus private events
- think birthday parties, team
bonding, networking days etc -
and has a keen focus on coaching.
“We place a huge impetus on
delivering great coaching. It not only
drives occupancy during the off peak
hours but it is also great for customer
retention when people see their level
and ability improve,” added Sammy.
Northern’s rock
At the Northern Lawn Tennis Club,
its two covered padel courts have
generated significant income for the
private club, with peak hours and
weekends generally fully booked
since the courts opened in November.
Managing director Jonathan Kinsella
described their introduction as
‘transformative’ in bringing the club
together: “It has allowed people to
find common ground, have a bit
of a laugh and a joke and given us
an opportunity for growth. It’s been
massive for the club,” he said.
“The money generated from
padel is astounding.”
The courts - opened by Stockport’s
Wimbledon ace Liam Broady - are
open to non-members (who pay
more) and the club has seen interest
from its health and fitness members
too, including those who have never
played a racket sport, as well as
tennis and squash players. “It has
been something that has really
bought the club together and we are
glad that we made a leap of faith
with it,” added Jonathan.
However, the road to gaining planning
for the courts was ‘brutal’ according
to Jonathan, with fierce local
opposition to the scheme and the
involvement of MPs. But, despite the
two courts replacing championship
level grass tennis courts, the scheme
gained the backing of planners
and pressed ahead with the help
of funding from the LTA (the tennis
courts were replaced with three
synthetic courts).
Courts Open
Manchester Padel Club 3 courts Heald Green
Soul Padel 2 courts Stockport Decathlon (3 months only)
The Padel Club 4 courts Wilmslow
Pure Padel 3 courts Alderly Park
Club de Padel 4 courts Deansgate
David Lloyd 3 courts Manchester TraffordCity
2 courts Cheadle
Hale Country Club 2 courts Altrincham
Courts Planned
The Padel Club
4 covered Wilmslow
11 courts TraffordCity
Pure Padel 6 indoor Cheetham Hill
5 courts Manchester Maccabi Community
& Sports Club, Prestwich
Powerleague 6 courts Manchester Nicholls site
Dunham Forest Golf Club 2 courts Altrincham
Manchester Padel Club 2 courts Heald Green
Discussions are now underway to add
a third - and possibly fourth - padel
court. Just don’t tell the neighbours!
Let’s get social
Manchester’s court count had been
heading for 64 but the Social Sports
Society’s plans for nine covered
courts in Peary Street were withdrawn.
Let’s hope they return to the table -
the scheme for temporary use of a
former industrial site included multiuse
courts, boule/pétanque courts,
a bouldering wall and kids’ obstacle
course, would no doubt have been a
valuable addition to the area. •
The Hook Club 4 courts Champneys Mottram Hall Hotel
44
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45

Jack’s
blockbuster
year of
padel
By Robert Mitchell
By any account Jack Binstead has
packed a lot into his 27 years.
But before we even roll the
highlights reel it’s important to
note that everything Jack has
achieved must be prefixed by the fact
that he suffers from Osteogenesis
Imperfecta or Brittle Bone disease,
which has seen him suffer more
100 broken bones as a result of this
debilitating and potentially lifethreatening
condition.
Yet Jack is a special character and
despite this ‘challenging condition’
by the age of nine he was already
wheelchair racing before going on
to represent the disabled England
pool team in his early 20s. Then of
course there was his starring role as
Rem Dog in BBC 3’s Bad Education
which spawned a part in the Disney
production of 101 Dalmatians.
Jack & Alessandro
But now Jack’s love of padel is looking
to make 2024 his blockbuster year.
He’s already represented the newly
founded GB Adaptive Padel Team in
international competition in Dubai,
Milan and Barcelona, at the behest
of the legendary Alessandro Ossola,
founder of the Inclusive Padel Tour
(padel played by a disabled player
partnering a non-disabled partner).
Then there is the small matter of
Jack lobbying for padel to become a
paralympic sport!
“Alessandro is one of the loveliest
guys I’ve met and he is so passionate
about what he does. He made
contact with me back in October
about coming out to Dubai and
being part of the IPT association. So
I’ve now played alongside him and I
know he has big plans to expand over
the next couple of years and there is
a chance I will play a part in that and
that is very exciting,” said Jack, who
is supported by, Rocks Lane padel
centre in Chiswick, West London.
“I’m in Rome in June under the IPT
with Alessandro, it will be slightly
different as I won’t have Luke
(Dolphin) as my doubles partner
there due to an injury he suffered,
so another coach from Rocks Lane
will hopefully fill in. There will also be
a few more tournaments over the
year with the biggest one in Nigeria
in December. I will be attending that
one and that is exciting. I am also in
conversation with a few international
padel clubs about hosting with us
from an England Adaptive Padel
Team perspective – so a lot going
on really!”
GB aspirations
Jack’s horizons are, however, far
from limited by the calendar year:
“Because padel is not a paralympic
sport there isn’t a paralympic
GB team. I am looking to have
conversations with the right people
so we can officially have a GB
padel team for wheelchairs and
disabilities as there is, of course, a
Team GB for able-bodied people.
“There is great potential for
collaboration with them at some
point but when I came into padel
I was made aware that I was one
of the only people in a wheelchair
playing padel, so we were already
late to the game compared with
Europe. What I don’t want to find
is that they approve padel for the
Olympics and we don’t have a
team until it’s too late.”
LTA support
With Jack now a ‘veteran’ of three
international padel tournaments
at which his form has steadily
Jack is now Padel Site Supervisor for
the Social Sports Society’s new padel
centre in Wembley, North London.
improved, his prospects have been
given a huge boost by the donation
of a ‘quickie’ wheelchair from the
LTA, which helped propel him to his
best padel yet at an international
tournament in Barcelona.
When it comes to the benefits of
a new set of wheels, Jack admits
it has been a game-changer:
“Although I don’t actually have the
upgraded chair I’d like at this point
(weighing 6kg and costing around
£5,000) through training with the
LTA I was given an upgraded tennis
chair to use and this is pretty
significant compared to what I
used out in Dubai.
“I have made contact with RGK
wheelchairs, which provides chairs
for all the top disability player in
tennis like Alfie Hewitt and Gordon
Reid, so I’ve been sized up for
a chair and I have a quote but
at this point I can’t afford it all
myself and I’m looking to get
sponsorship to cover it. There is a
fair amount I can provide in return
for sponsorship,” added Jack.
His determination to make a
difference by making padel
accessible to people like him is
impressive: “I am looking to find
as many people with disabilities
as possible and get them onto
a court and give them a racket
and I am sure they will fall in love
with padel just like I did the first
time I played it. So far it’s me and
Rob Teague, who was originally a
wheelchair tennis player and who
Jack
with Luke
Dolphin.
made the final 16 in Milan and he
is very strong and powerful and
just a good player.
“I have managed to get two
others along with wheelchairs to
Rocks Lane and they will come
back whenever they can and I
am in conversations with a few
different padel companies and
clubs about them helping me in
growing the team and getting
more people to join us.”
If you are interested in
supporting Jack’s ambitions for
adaptive padel, helping sponsor
his new wheelchair or want to
know more about joining Jack’s
adaptive padel squad email:
luke@rockslane.co.uk. •
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47

ireland
the most inclusive
Padel club in the
world?
When Padel Tennis Ireland threw open its doors in November
it was less an ‘opening’ and more a crashing onto the padel
scene, with it quickly scooping up scores of new players and
a raft of awards. Lee McLaughlan reports.
It’s fair to say that Padel Tennis
Ireland founder Mark White is
a man on a mission - and that
mission is very clear.“Our ethos is
all about inclusivity and we want to
do everything possible - and give
back as much as we can - to the
amazing Cork organisations that are
doing so much for so many,” he said.
That the club is a shining beacon of
inclusivity is driven by Mark’s personal
experience: “I was bullied the whole
way through secondary school. From
the age of 13 to 18 I went to school
every day with a knot in my stomach,
not wanting to talk about it – so I
know what it’s like to be different.
At several times in my life I’ve been
excluded from things - so for me it
feels very rewarding to have a facility
where everyone feels welcome and
nobody is excluded,” he added.
It’s therefore no surprise that the
latest award making its way into the
already groaning Padel Tennis Ireland
trophy cabinet is for inclusivity and
diversity, with the judges of The Pride
of Cork Awards 2024 recognising
the impact the facility has had
in making padel accessible to the
whole community. The award joins
the trophy for Cork’s New Business
of the Year 2023, scooped just three
weeks after opening.
This was further cemented in
March when Mark and his partner
Jeremy Coyle announced a new
Sports Partnership Programme
working with 300 businesses to
deliver tangible impacts for 300
voluntary, social, civic, charitable
and non-profit organisations in the
county.Mark, an experienced tennis
coach, has been working in inclusive
sports for a decade, leading
programmes for blind and visually
impaired children, summer camps
for children with neurological and
physical disabilities and those with
dyspraxia and autism.
He said: “I used to get dozens of
heartfelt messages from people
saying you really don’t appreciate
how that one hour is the highlight
of the week for those children and
their families. I don’t do it for the
money, it’s not for a moral
compass either, I do that because
I enjoy it.”
Bougie
The idea of opening a padel facility
began on a tennis trip to La Manga
in May 2022. Mark and Jeremy, a
wine maker from Sydney, had taken
a group of Mark’s tennis playing
clients on a tennis and wine trip
to Spain. After the tennis sessions
everyone would indulge in game
of padel and feedback from the trip
was nothing short of a holiday of a
lifetime – with padel being the star of
the show, which set Mark and Jeremy
off on their padel adventure.Having
competed in provincial and national
level tennis tournaments in Cork for
most of his childhood, Mark knew it
had all the right ingredients for their
foray into padel, particularly given
the Cork population’s love of sport.
They drafted a business plan, found
a location and their passion for
the project, mixed with inclusivity
at the core, secured them silent
investors.Mark said: “We got the
funding on a Monday, purchased the
courts on a Tuesday and the
fit-out started in the middle of August.
We opened the doors on November
4th - so it all came together very
quickly! We have created is an
incredible sports facility for everyone.
The word bougie is only in my
vocabulary since we opened, but
people say the facility is very bougie
with a slick and eye-catching blue,
black and grey colour scheme.”The
inclusivity theme continues in how the
facility operates, with no joining fee
or membership structure, so reduced
economic barriers to participation.
Rebels
Padel Tennis Ireland founder Mark White (fifth from left).
“It was amazing that the
narrative of what we’re trying
to get across has been so read,
so received, even at the highest
level of Irish government.”
To generate interest in their new
business Mark contacted more than
100 schools and put on a range of
activities for clubs and associations
across Cork. Users have included
the Rebel Wheelers, a group of
youngsters using wheelchairs who
tried padel for the first time, the
Sundays Well Rebels, a mixed
ability rugby team, and the Bloom
Youth Group, for children aged
eight to 16 years who have
neurological disabilities.
While the club’s inclusivity
programmes have been a smash
hit, the centre has proved hugely
popular with the wider Cork sportsloving
community, with more than
11,000 players passing through its
Mark White, founder, Padel Tennis Ireland
doors in under five months.It
also welcomed Irish government
Minister Simon Coveney to officially
open the courts.
A second community opening
was broadcast on local TV and
attended by Speaker of the Irish
Senate, Senator Jerry Buttimer,
David Stanton TD (equivalent of
a UK MP) and Coun Anthony Barry.
Blind padel player Anna Nora took
a starring role at the event,
stepping up to cut the ribbon.
All VIPs were forthcoming in their
praise of Mark and Jeremy. “There
was such flattery, and I don’t know
how many times the word inclusion
was used,” Mark said. “It was
amazing to hear that the narrative
of what we’re trying to get across
has been so read, so received,
even at the highest level of
Irish government.” •
Tennis Ireland
Factfile
Courts
4 indoors with plans for 4 more
Head Coach
Laia Raigal
Booking
via TPC-Matchpoint on
the website
Opening hours
9am-10pm
Cost
From €43.60/hr/court
Address
Fota Junction Retail Park,
Carrigtwohill, Co Cork
48
SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com
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49

Friends Anne Wodhams
& Diane Caulkett.
Anne & Diane entered last December’s Super Seniors Padel Festival at
The Padel Hub, Slough, coming second in the Phoenix Cup for females
aged 69 years+. They lost out to Rosie Connell and Louise Dalgleish.
Pictured with them is The Padel Hub’s Charles Winterton.
you’re never too
old... for padel
Certainly the first part of
Kassem’s claim could have
been penned specifically
to sum up Diane Caulkett and
Anne Wodhams, who play at Padel
United in Maldon, Essex. Respectively
septuagenarian and octogenarian,
the ladies took up padel some 18
months ago and haven’t looked
back. But don’t think they are on
court for a gentle game (or even
worse say it out loud!) for the friends
are fiercely competitive and most
definitely in it to win it.
And neither do they expect
concessions because of their
age, as Diane, who plays up to four
times a week, explained: “I’m quite
competitive and the thing about
padel is you are always involved,
it’s just so fast but it’s also tactical
and I like the challenge of working
out the tactics.
“I still play tennis and sometimes
that is a bad thing as some padel
players don’t like tennis players as
we can hit the ball too hard!”
laughed Diane. “Fortunately I’ve
learned to temper that but also a
long while ago I played squash so
the back wall isn’t too much of
a problem.
“We have ‘mix-ins’ at the club
and so I play with a wide variety
of people but because Anne and
I joined together we tend to play
together if there is a competition.”
Social
When it comes to the benefits
of belting a padel ball Diane -
who has amazingly used padel
as part of her rehab from a knee
replacement - was in no doubt:
“Socially I get an awful lot. The
club is really sociable and the
people really friendly and activity
wise it’s great.
Robert Mitchell
reports.
The American writer/artist Suzy Kassem famously said ‘you are never
too old to learn something new or too young to learn too much’.
“I think padel is an addictive sport
as you know you can do it, so you
want to keep doing it and keep
practising difficult serves and taking
the ball off the back wall, and we’ve
had lessons.
“In fact our best lesson was with
Aimee (Gibson, GB No 2) and she
gave us one very useful tip which
was to send balls down the middle
and we’ve just built on that and it’s
such fun, I just love it.”
Next into bat is Diane’s padel
partner in crime Anne, who has little
doubt about the type of attitude
that is required to make a success
of a sporting pursuit found later
in life: “There seem to be a couple
of attitudes to playing any sport.
One: you just play for fun and tootle
around. Two: you are competitive
and you want to improve and Diane
and I have a similar attitude in that
we want to improve.
“As with tennis you play every point
to win as otherwise there is no
point in playing but as to the actual
outcome that is not the be all and
end all. That said I’m just keen
to get better as I don’t like doing
things badly.”
Structure
When it comes to the benefits that
most appeal to her about padel, Anne
said: “The pluses are enormous. We
both play tennis so we are still clearly
active anyway. We thoroughly enjoy
padel because there are different
challenges with it and our club in
Maldon is full of nice, friendly and kind
people and it works really well.”
“Sport gives you a structure to your
life and it’s a huge benefit. Obviously
I am not particularly young and the
smaller area in terms of the court is a
blessing in terms of charging around.”
For both of the ladies there is one
huge plus which elevates padel
above other activities, as Anne
explained: “Everyone is younger than I
am and it’s absolutely magic to play
with them. That is perhaps the most
special thing about padel, despite
the disparity in age I am accepted
and welcomed to play with them no
matter their age.” •
Sally Bickerton & Rosie Connell winning
their team match against Italy.
GB ASpirations
Put a racket in Rosie Connell’s hand
and it’s likely you’ll get a winning
shot back, whether the sport is
racketball, tennis, squash or more
recently padel, her new love of some
three years standing.
For Rosie, who’s in her seventies, has
notched up a host of achievements
in the first three sports, including
playing up to national standard.
But it’s padel that delivered her first
taste of representing her country -
and she’s delighted.
“I could never have dreamt that
within two years (of starting to play
padel) I would have been training
to represent the country,” said Rosie,
who plays mostly at Rawdon and
Chapel Allerton clubs in Yorkshire. “I
am very proud, I am the first one in
my family to play for my country.”
Libby Horn with her
daughter Nicola.
racket sport number 4!
Racket sports have been a huge part
of Libby Horn’s life for decades - and
she’s determined not to give up her
love of hitting a ball despite injuries
that have ruled out tennis and squash.
Four years ago, as she was heading
towards her 80th year, Libby
discovered a new love thanks to
daughter Nicola, a GB padel senior
player, Yorkshire padel force of
nature and champion for female
participation in the game.
Libby said: “Nicola started playing
padel about four years ago and then
coaching it. I joined in and enjoyed
it immensely. It is fabulous. I play 2/3
times a week and with ladies quite a
lot younger than I am. I am the eldest
in the club by about five or six years
but they all treat me very kindly.”
Padel has filled a potential rackets
void for Libby, who had to give
up squash some 30 years ago
following a hip replacement, and
tennis after breaking a wrist. “I
found it difficult to hit the (tennis)
ball back as I wanted,” said Libby.
“Tennis is very different to padel
because you have a much bigger
court and more court to cover. With
padel you have the walls, and the
ball can’t get any further.”
Libby’s ‘home’ club is Harrogate
Sports & Fitness but she also plays
at the North Yorkshire town’s sixcourt
Surge and admits to being
spoilt for choice with courts at
Harrogate Spa Tennis and Ripon
Tennis Centre, adding to those
already at Huddersfield Lawn
Tennis & Squash Club and Rawdon
Golf & Lawn Tennis.
Given that she captained the
Yorkshire lacrosse team at one
point, was squash county No 2,
played in the tennis vets team and
has coached all three sports, it’s fair
to assume she’s no push over on a
padel court. But she’s modest about
her padel aspirations, despite
continuing to play tournaments:
“Padel just means that I can get
out a lot more; I have got a ‘thing’
apart from dog walking!”
Her introduction to padel, which she
described as a ‘wonderful’ game,
came when Rawdon added two
padel courts to its golf and tennis
facilities and she hasn’t looked back
since. She was soon trialling for the
GB senior squad, securing her place
and going on to help the team claim
a raft of impressive wins at home
and abroad.
Rosie firmly believes that you are
never too old for padel, which she
likened to a game of chess, working
out the strength and weaknesses
of opponents, and advised other
players to just keep playing for as
long as possible. •
50
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51

feature
products
Paul Jenkins (far right) was the non-playing captain of the Welsh team
at the recent Four Nations Super Seniors at Rocket Padel, Bristol.
Decathlon KUIKMA
RRP: From £109.99
www.decathlon.co.uk
Padel’s
senior service
Paul Jenkins’ padel odyssey, which began in the picturesque southern
Costa Blanca village of Dehesa de Campoamor when he was aged 57,
is still going strong some 15 years later and is perhaps a prime example
of the senior service padel can provide. Robert Mitchell reports.
The Welshman, who has twice
skippered the Welsh super
seniors at the now annual
Four Nations tournament (playing
in 2023) was, by his own admission,
topping the scales at 20st when
he was offered the chance to try a
sport he’d never heard of – and the
rest, as those who know the popular
Welshman will agree, is history!
“I took up padel in 2008 in Spain after
we had moved there to live,” said
Paul. “Someone said to me come and
have a game of padel and I said ‘it
must be rubbish, I’m a quizmaster
and know every sport going but
haven’t heard of padel!’”.
“I was 20st and they gave me a crap
bat and I stood in the corner and all
these guys who had been going to
coaching were going nuts. All my
years of squash and table tennis
came flooding back and that was
it – I was gripped!”
“I also ended up at one point
captaining the team at the
Montepiedra club, which was full
of much younger Spanish boys
– not because I was the best but
because I was older and they
wouldn’t argue with me! I still head
over now for a game or two and
they call me Capitano because
they feel like they owe me that
loyalty, which is very nice.”
By his own admission Paul is
still learning, even at 73. He is
now an LTA Level One qualified
coach and his finest moment
in padel arrived last year when
he donned the Welsh colours to
captain the national team for the
Super Seniors at We Are Padel,
Derby, which he described as a
‘very proud moment’.
Paul said: “I don’t go for many
winners and I like to dink and
make my opponent play one more
shot. For me the best game of the
tournament (Super Seniors 2023)
was John Byrne for Scotland playing
lovely cultured slow padel and
beating the guys younger than him
who wanted to play hard and fast.
That showed just what you can still
achieve on a padel court well into
your 50s and beyond.” •
Decathlon has released two new padel racket ranges with a focus
on performance and durability. There are three rackets in each
range (round-shaped Control, diamond-shaped Power and Hybrid),
all with rough faces and longer, thinner handles. Decathlon has
added two technologies from its Pro racket range - the Shock Block
system (elastomer inside handles to reduce impact vibrations) and
Air Foam Frame (a double-tube frame to enhance rigidity and
power, with EVA foam inside the tubes in the racket head to
reinforce the frame and increase durability).
The Metal range uses medium-density EVA foam and incorporates
Decathlon’s Metal Biaxial Core, a metal mesh intertwined with
fiberglass in the core of the racket to provide improved resistance
to bending. It is ideal for players wanting control, versatility or power
and is the collection with the softest touch, ideal for players looking for
lightness and flexibility in the racket face. Racket weight is 365g.The
Carbon ranges uses high-density EVA foam with a 12K carbon face. Its
rackets are slightly heavier, at up to 372g, and designed for precision
and power, with weight shifted towards the handle.
objects
of desire
Joma
RRP: From £135.99
www.joma-sport.com
Joma is a relatively new padel brand in the
UK but it comes with an established reputation
for performance and value for money across
its range, which includes shoes, apparel and
rackets. The new Joma Pro rackets are
made from high density Black Eva foam
for power and control and a 100%
carbon frame for durability and rigidity.
And, thanks to what Joma describes
as its Vibra-Out Gold system, racket
vibrations are reduced by 40%.The
Pro range comprises the Gold Pro,
Tournament Pro and Slam Pro. All have
high balance, weigh 350-350g and
are geared to experienced players.
Heads up, it’s a BOA!
www.head.com
The innovation boffins at Head
are at it again with more industry
firsts - this time they’ve taken their
Motion Pro shoes and added the
BOA lacing system, delivering super
quick and easy lacing with great fit.
And that’s not all, they’ve matched
their ‘hole-less’ racket technology
(see page 50) with the lightest
materials and secret know-how
to develop the first 300g racket,
shaving some 30g off the lightest
yet. Both innovations were revealed
at the Padel World Summit in
Malaga recently. Keep your eyes on
the ‘Gear’ section of our website
(www.thebandeja.com) for news of
the launches, where to buy etc.
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53

products
products
padel products
Cuera
RRP: from £19.99 for socks
www.cuera.co
Named in tribute to padel’s inventor Enrique
Corcuera, Danish apparel brand Cuera fuses
sustainability, performance and quality to produce
sportswear for on and off court. The range, in muted
colourways of grey, black, brown, beige and offwhite
(with some orange thrown in) includes socks,
shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and skorts made
from recycled polyester and organic cotton.
Snauwaert
RRP: from €79
www.snauwaert.com
Snauwaert is an established name in tennis
(established 1928, re-launched in 2018) and now
you can take advantage of its expertise channelled
into padel. Rackets start from €79, rising to
€399.00 for the Vitas Tour 3D, its most advanced
and powerful racket with 3D braid carbon, EVA 10
foam, large sweetspot, hybrid shape and built-in
dampening system.
Babolat new Ace padel ball has been
developed specifically for competition and is
approved by the International Padel Federation
(FIP). Compared to ‘regular’ balls it is made of
firmer rubber and with a more tightly woven
felt, making it more reactive and slightly less
cushioned than recreational padel balls.
RRP: £6.49 per tube of 3
Ace it!
The Roger Clubhouse Pro is the latest addition
to On’s almost cult-like shoe collection.
Designed in conjunction with tennis giant
Roger Federer (who has been spotted playing
padel), the Clubhouse Pro is being marketed to
‘everyday tennis’ fans and padel players, likely
because it has a herringbone sole. The shoes
have more cushioning than the standard
Roger Pro, with a combination of soft foam
and the award-winning CloudTec® sole.
RRP: £150
www.on.com
THE Roger Clubhouse Pro
Perfect Pete
www.originalpenguin.co.uk
We’re loving Original Penguin, both for men and
women. The men’s piped blade collar performance
shirt (£45, in bright white, quarry or turquoise) is a new
release made from 35% recycled polyester. The wicking
fabric is slightly stretchy and the shirt is finished with a
cute Pete the Penguin logo on the chest. The women’s
16” asymmetrical golf skort (£70) is, quite frankly,
wasted on golf! The Black Iris colour way is dark navy
with pink pleats hidden behind a zip. You can choose
how much - or how little - pink you want on show.
Babolat Veron
RRP: from £209.99
Babolat’s new Veron rackets have an integrated shockabsorbing
elastomer to absorb vibrations, a bonus for players
concerned with (or recovering from) arm/elbow injuries.
Babolat has worked with materials/damping specialist SMAC
to develop the range, which is suitable for players of all levels
wanting power and control. It also features the manufacturer’s
Carbonflex surface, a weave of two racket face materials
combining carbon and fiberglass for strength and durability.
54
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thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
55

products
products
nox
RRP: apparel from €32.23
Luxury Genius rackets from €247.89
The summer Nox Pro apparel has landed,
featuring navy blue, purple and pink across the
men’s and ladies’ ranges of tops, shorts and
skirts. And once dressed like a pro why not try
and emulate their play with a racket from Nox’s
sponsored player Augustin Tapia? The AT Luxury
Genius range has three variants, including Tapia’s
weapon of choice, the 18K Alum 2024.
WIN!
Lion’s mane tea
RRP: From £4.99
Various outlets
We’re big fans of a cuppa at Bandeja HQ so were super
intrigued when a box of Cheerful Buddha Lion’s Mane
mushroom green tea dropped onto our desk. A little bit of
research and we’re hooked - the Lion’s Mane mushroom (a
shaggy little thing that’s protected in the UK) is packed with
health benefits (supporting mental wellness, brain function, gut
bacteria and a good night’s sleep). Combined with Sencha
green tea, which brings inflammation reduction to the tea
party, and Cheerful Buddha is a powerhouse of goodness.
We have a Bela V2.5 Pro (worth £295)
to give away - see page 53.
The Bela V2.5 is an updated version of the V2, with
a new look, new protective ‘bumper’ strip for better
durability and what Wilson describes as ‘C2 tubular
construction’ for enhanced durability and great
shot control. The range comprises three versions -
the Pro (firm EVA foam, 370g), Elite (soft EVA foam,
365g) and the LT (soft EVA foam, 355g).
Bullpadel’s Vertex range continues to dominate the
brand’s sales. Seven months after launch the Vertex
04 range accounts for 26% of Bullpadel UK sales, with
the Vertex 04 model alone taking a 10% share. Of the
Bullpadel performance rackets launched for 2024,
the Vertex range accounts for 55% of sales. In Spain
it is regarded as the best-selling performance racket
of all-time, according to Bullpadel. Expect stability,
reduced torsion and great power/control from a
Vertex racket. The 12K carbon used in the Vertex 04
(diamond shape) and Vertex 04 Hybrid (hybrid-round
shape) delivers feel and power. The carbon and
fibreglass Vertex 04 Comfort is softer and lighter and
the Vertex 04 Woman lighter with a carbon/fibreglass
composition for performance and comfort.
RRP: from £195
BULLpadel
TUYO
RRP: from €79.95
www.tuyopadel.co.uk
Unsure what padel racket to go for? Help is
at hand from Tuyo, a new Spanish/Dutch
brand which has a handy racket selector on
its website. Just select your style of play, skill
level and other racket sport experience and
it will come up with suggestions. Tuyo has
rackets for novices through to advanced
players, all developed in collaboration with
padel professionals.
RRP: from £200
www.wilson.com
Bela V2.5 Pro
Starting out on your padel
journey and not sure you have
the right grip? Then check-out
Gripfixer, a teaching aid that fits
on racket handles to guide your
fingers into the correct position.
According to developer Morten
Dannerfjord, Gripfixer helps
achieve the correct grip from
day one.
RRP: £16.00
www.amazon.co.uk
gripfixer
padel intelligent
RRP: from €3
www.padelintelligent.com
Check out two products from Padel
Intelligent - the Comfort Bracelet and
the Closing Ball. The silicone Comfort
Bracelet slips over racket safety
straps to make them a bit more funky,
reduce friction between the strap
and your wrist and slack in the strap.
The Closing Ball reduces slack in wrist
straps that don’t have a sliding knot
closure, ensuring a snug fit.
Head
Alfonso Hohenlohe
RRP: from £44
www.head.com
We’re loving the new campaign
from Head promoting its
collaboration with the
Alfonso Hohenlohe Padel
Club in Italy in tribute to
‘the pioneering prince who
fell in love with the game’.
The range has men’s and
women’s apparel plus a
Speed Motion padel racket
kitted out with cactus motifs.
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Padel Court
Construction
Free, independent consultancy
service for installing padel courts.
Why use iPadel
The only UK company to offer an
independent advisory service
All courts supplied by leading manufacturers
in Spain, Sweden and Italy
A variety of options to give you choice
depending on your requirements
Finance and investment solutions available
We have done the research for you
“Ian is one of the industry leaders when it comes
to the padel industry. A pioneer in padel, who has
amassed an amazing knowledge and expertise in
this field. If you have an interest in developing padel
at your club or facility, speaking with Ian is a must!
I can’t thank him enough for all the help, support
and encouragement he has given me. It has been
invaluable in building may first padel venture.”
BORN
IN SPAIN
Gordon Watson
Padel Verse
07765 403 769
Email: ian@ipadel.co.uk | www.ipadel.co.uk
Lane End, Little Common Lane, Bletchingley, Surrey RH1 4QF
Conquering the world since 2020. TUYO, the Dutch padel brand
that was conceived and born in Spain. Check out our rackets &
gear and get TUYO! WWW.TUYOPADEL.CO.UK
SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
59
SPECIAL OFFER 20% OFF - USE CODE BANDEJA20

entrepreneurs
Wesley Teixeira
no shocks
Amy & Hannah, Pokita founders.
Stuck on you
The Pickpad is an ingenious piece of kit
specifically designed to fit padel rackets and
help players collect balls from the ground
without fully bending their knees or back.
The hook-and-loop accessory sticks to the
top rim of rackets to pick balls off the floor
- just position your racket head on the ball,
twist and pick up.
Inventor is padel player (and architect)
David Dionísio, who came up with the
idea in response to a player’s difficulty in
bending over repeatedly: “In the games
and tournaments we played, one of our
partners had difficulty bending down to pick
up the balls due to an old hip injury. That’s
when i had the idea of attaching a light and
practical accessory to the top of the racket
to hold the ball,” said David.
Get a grip!
Perk up your padel racket with
Vibepadel’s colourful overgrips,
which come in a range of colours
and patterns. Its Grip ‘n’ Rip Overgrip
features three-layer technology
for a great tacky grip, comfort and
sweat absorption. And, because
they are specifically designed for
padel rackets, they are just the right
size so no cutting and no waste.
entrepreneurs
The grips are the brainchild of Geoff Woodman, who is intent on
improving players’ padel experience with high-quality, stylish and
affordable equipment which strikes a balance between performance
and good looks. There’s a range of rackets coming soon too, keep an
eye on Vibepadel’s website for details.
RRP: From £9.99 for three
www.vibepadel.co
Wesley Teixeira is uniquely placed to talk
about padel rackets and injuries, being an
experienced physiotherapist with his own
racket range geared to injury prevention.
The specialist physio noticed a surge in
padel-related injuries at his practice in the
Queen’s Club, London, setting him off on a
journey of investigation which culminated
in the formation of his racket brand Bas3line,
founded on evidence-based research and
cutting-edge technology to ensure players’
safety and performance.
The design of Bas3line rackets incorporates
ergonomic features coupled with high-grade
Japanese carbonfibre and super soft EVA foam,
combining to deliver great weight distribution
and shock absorption to help players to reduce
the risk of injury and improve their gameplay.
Racket design also includes new technologies,
including Vibrasorb technology for greater air
flow in the handle to reduce the risk of wrist
injuries, and the Shockwave Flex system to
absorb vibrations, further guarding against
tennis elbow and other arm injuries.
“Bas3line rackets are designed with a balance
between power and control, ensuring players
can strike the ball accurately and effectively
without overexerting themselves,” said Wesley.
BAS3LINE DYNAMO
RRP: £100
www.bas3line.com
Pocketing
Pokita
Padel playing friends Amy and
Hannah took the search for good
quality, well-fitting, sustainable
sportswear into their own hands when
they couldn’t find kit that hit the spot
and wasn’t too short - and their brand
Pokita was born.
Pokita is characterised by bold animal-inspired prints, great
colours and well-designed tops and bottoms. The leggings, skorts
and skeggings (skirt/leggings combo) are blessed with well-sized
pockets for phones and balls. Sustainability is key, with the brand
championing ‘regenerated’ fabric made from leftover material
and waste garments to make new, high quality activewear fibres
that are soft and wicking.
The Bandeja first encountered Amy and Hannah at The Padel
Club in Slough, where Pokita is stocked, along with other clubs
and padel facilities across the south east. You may even has
spotted their red and white combo being rocked by super
snowboarder and Strictly star Aimee Fuller, who loves the
colourway despite it not quite being ‘Wimpy Whites’!
Navy leopard embossed skirt is high-waisted with
silicone dots to keep the shorts in place.
RRP: £58 (check website for offers)
The Bandeja asked player Jane, from
Padel United in Maldon, to test out Pickpad
after she returned to padel following a hip
replacement. Her verdict? “It is useful and
does help to pick up balls without bending
right down. It did take me a few attempts
before I got the knack of doing it properly.
It think it is a great idea, especially for the
older generation.”
Pickpad
RRP: £9
www.thebandeja.com/buy-gear/
If you’ve plans to visit Dubai then make a note to check out
BearFish sports caps, the brainwave of former Emirates airline
executive Roger Duthie, who was fed up ruining caps when
travelling so decided to design his own.
Lightweight and in bright colours (one of Roger’s goals is to make
sportswear more colourful), the caps come with a crush-proof
carry case to keep them pristine when not in use.
“When I was travelling and playing golf or tennis I used to purchase
caps in golf pro or local shops. When I came back to Dubai the caps
were smashed or ruined so I thought of developing a small carry case
that could clip to the side of a golf bag or sports bag,” said Roger.
The boutique Dubai brand, a spin-off of Roger’s sport marketing
consultancy, takes its name from his wife’s nicknames for their
children - Ollie is OllieBear and Isabella IssyFish. With plans afoot to
develop shirts and hoodies and a desire to go global, BearFish could
well be coming to a court near you!
RRP: $70
www.bearfishsportsmarketing.com
Is it a fish? Is it a bear?
No, it’s a cap!
60
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61

products
products
All holes
barred
Padel rackets are round (ish) with
approximately 55 holes, right? Er. wrong,
according to racket manufacturers Head,
Stiga and Siux, which have pushed the
boundaries of design. The Bandeja finds
out more.
The Head Extreme One is extreme for one reason
- there’s just one hole in the racket face. But why?
And how? We’ve spoken to Head’s R&D boffins to
find out more.
The Head Extreme One is a good
looking racket that attracts
attention even before other
players realise it has no holes - then
there’s a double take and questions,
usually about weight, wind resistance
and having a go with it! Court time is
precious so generally the answer is
short - light, no major difference and
of course.
Yes, light. The design experts at Head
have managed to create a solid
racket that is extremely light at just
345g. Compare this with standard
bats which can be up to 380g and
‘light’ rackets which are generally less
than 355g (even with a grip added the
Extreme One is still sub 355g).
Lightness doesn’t mean a compromise
on power though. The diamondshaped
racket is aimed at higher level
players and in tests was a hit with those
playing tournaments. Head recognises
it may not have enough ‘mass’ for some
but considers that its key advantages
will hit the sweetspot for a wide range
of people.
Better without
Head returned to the design drawing
board for what it considers to be one
very good reason - that padel rackets
without holes make more sense than
padel rackets with holes, delivering
potential for improved manoeuvrability,
durability, aerodynamics and a
consistent spin.
Pasquale Ruzicka, Head Global Business
Manager for padel, explained further:
“We always had doubts with regards to
the holes. We had limitations because
there were holes in rackets and holes
weaken the construction. It was
therefore an ongoing process to think
‘let’s wait a second, do we really need
the holes?’ Always the answer was the
best thing would be to have no holes.”
Putting holes in rackets was borne
out of the need to make early
wooden padel rackets lighter, with
players drilling their own to reduce
weight. As the sport progressed
holes became enshrined in FIP - the
International Padel Federation - racket
specifications, with it ruling that
rackets must have at least one hole
with a minimum 9mm diameter. Head
has implemented this to the letter with
a single 9mm diameter perforation
very low down on the racket face.
Air resistance & spin
It’s a commonly held view that holes
improve racket aerodynamics but
Head research turned this thinking,
quite literally, on its head; testing
via external labs showed that
aerodynamic performance was
heavily influenced by the angle of
each shot - and most padel shots are
not hit straight but at an angle.
“If you hit with the leading edge of the
racket the air resistance of the holes
make it less aerodynamic,” added
Pasquale. “The air moves in the holes,
out of the holes, in the holes, out of
the holes and not really through the
holes. Of course if you hit a smash
it might behave differently because
it is very straight and the air runs
through. But in general we found that
the aerodynamics of the (no holes)
racket improves in total. Not on every
shot, but in total, which was pretty
interesting for us to see.”
Removing holes also delivered a
‘cleaner’ hitting surface. “You have
a better consistency of play without
holes,” said Pasquale. “You can
generate spin with a hole if you hit
it correctly but timing this is pretty
tough depending on the level of your
play. And if you don’t hit the hole as
intended you have a different kind
of spin. With the Extreme One spin
surface everywhere there is more or
less the same spin no matter where
you hit the ball on the racket.”
Former padel World Champion
Mauri Andrini gave his verdict
on the no-holes approach: “It
makes the racket go very quick,
the manoeuvrability of the racket
is much quicker. I think it goes
together with padel - padel is
going faster, it is going quicker.”
Durability
When padel rackets break its often
on the frame or between the holes.
Designing-out holes allowed greater
focus on designing-in strength and
removing or redistributing weight. Many
of the materials used are familiar -
carbon and fibreglass - but they’ve
been used in different ways. Or as
Pasquale described it ‘more cleverly’.
The result is a robust diamondshaped
racket with a 12K carbon
hitting surface and larger than normal
sweetspot. Durability tests have shown
the Extreme One to offer twice the
durability of previous rackets in the
Delta line (which the Extreme
line replaced).
According to Pasquale it’s also proved
a hit with padel coaches: “We’ve had
really good feedback from coaches
- they are a long time on court and it’s
not about the weight of the racket to
demonstrate shots, it is more about
consistency and a long period of
time working with the racket.”
Revolution
A hole-less racket has been done
before - Drop Shot launched a version
some 10 years ago but the idea
failed to take off. So will the Extreme
One be different? We think it may
well; Head hasn’t just removed the
holes, it’s engineered a whole new
racket with no holes, which is very
different. Pasquale feels they have
‘revolutionised the possibilities of
rackets’ and he may well be right.
For sure the science seems to stack
up - remove the holes, use different
types of carbon and fibreglass given
you aren’t drilling through it, improve
shot consistency thanks to the uniform
hitting surface, beef up durability and
positively impact manouverability. It’s
a fun racket to play with and quick to
get to know. And the durability aspect
may well prove popular with those
who’ve lost rackets to cracks.
But we’ll leave the last word to Daniel
Picot, Head product manager for padel:
“This is the product I was looking for.
When you have this racket in your
hand the feeling is just amazing. The
racket plays amazingly even though
it has less weight. We balanced the
racket to be stable and solid. The 12k
carbon hitting surface has a really nice
feeling, it has a powerful feedback and
the sound is something different, the
sounds impresses you (editor’s note:
we can vouch for this, it makes a much
deeper ‘swoosh’ noise).”
“It has been such a special project.
Working so many hours with the team
doing lab tests, creating prototypes
etc, when you have this racket in your
hand and play with it you have the
feeling that what we have done is
going to be perfect,” added Daniel. •
Watch Pasquale Ruzicka talk
about Extreme One on the Total
Padel YouTube channel.
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products
products
stiga
& suix
It was, perhaps, only a matter of time before
Swedish manufacturer Stiga Sports looked at its
hexagonal table tennis bats and thought... padel.
Some two years and much
research later and it’s launched
the Stiga Cybershape, which
ditches racket head curves for sides
and angles. There’s real hope that the
Cybershape’s edges might deliver the
ultimate weapon for digging balls out
of corners and from the super tricky
serve/floor/wall combo.
And we’re not alone. Former World
Padel Tour pro and Swedish national
team coach Daniel Dios, instrumental
in the development of the Cybershape,
doesn’t think he will go back to round
bats any time soon: “This racket takes
the concepts of sweetspot and power
to a whole new dimension,” he said.
“The ability to reach balls close to the
ground or the walls was probably the
most surprising thing to me. Every shot
feels fantastic and you can hit hard
without compromising on technique.
After testing Cybershape for almost a
year I find it very hard to imagine going
back to my old round rackets.”
Sweetspot
But that’s not all. Cybershape has
a 20% larger sweetspot than round
rackets meaning that, theoretically,
you have a higher chance of hitting a
decent shot. John Bandstigen, Product
Manager Racket Sports at STIGA Sports,
said this feature, combined with the
racket’s ‘blistering’ acceleration’, is a
benefit of the hexagonal mould. “As
you hit harder and faster shots you get
tremendous power and forward assist
that gives you a sense of total control,
despite the high speed,” said John.
Testing
In developing the Cybershape, Stiga
wanted to address the ‘limitations
of conventional round designs’, with
extensive testing and collaboration
involving Sweden’s Royal Institute
of Technology. And it’s not just the
shape that’s changed, Stiga has
used advanced composites and
manufacturing techniques to deliver
performance and durability.
Sell-out
Perhaps one reason that we’ve been
unable to get our hands on a racket
is that Stiga can’t make enough,
as a spokesman explained: “While
innovative sports equipment often
encounters a spectrum of reactions
initially, the Cybershape’s reception
has been overwhelmingly positive,
a testament to its exceptional
performance and the credibility of
the professionals endorsing it. We are
unable to meet demand.”
The Stiga Sports Cybershape padel
racket comes in three versions:
Cybershape 3K, Cybershape 18K
and Cybershape 18K Hard. All have
a 100% carbon frame, longer
handle and weight 360g +/-8g.
Prices start from £279.90.
Siux Fenix
Pro 4
Stiga isn’t the only padel
manufacturer that thinks the
padel racket world isn’t quite
round. Specialised Spanish
brand Siux has launched the Fenix
Pro 4 in standard and lightweight
versions. And while it’s not quite as
angular as the Stiga, it’s definitely
not a standard shape.
Álvaro Alejandro, Product Manager
at Siux, explained that they’ve
developed the Fenix Pro 4 for
players with an aggressive game.
Its high balance, hard touch and
sweetspot at the top of the racket
are designed to enhance this style
of play.
Prices for the Fenix Pro 4
start at around £195
Editor’s note
I had the pleasure of playing with
this racket during a trip to Spain
(thank you to Ana Belén Polo
at Siux). First off it’s a fantastic
looking racket and drew plenty of
attention - it might not be quite
so reflective in the British sun but
under warm Spanish rays it glowed
burnt orange, really eye-catching.
In play it felt like a best friend
from the off, beautifully balanced
and just lovely to play with. I’m an
average player so the level of tech
in this racket is likely wasted on me
but the overall package felt great
and it played really well. The only
downside? I had to give it back.
With strings
attached!
Developing racket technology isn’t confined
to established sports equipment manufacturers,
as The Bandeja finds out…
Solving the problem of padel
rackets breaking proved an
irresistible challenge for keen
player and inventor Mikel Azcona.
The Spaniard couldn’t help thinking
that tennis rackets, which last longer,
held the answer and so he invested
almost a year and three attempts
into a developing a prototype
stringed padel racket.
He told The Bandeja: “First I tried
using a padel racket, removing the
core and using the frame to attach
string to a new core. It didn’t work
very well since the frame didn’t have
the necessary rigidity. Then I tried a
tennis frame but it didn’t have the
right dimensions or rigidity either. I
finally decided to make the entire
frame. I created a mould, prepared
the materials and tools and then I
achieved the first prototype. I did all
of this by hand in the garage of my
father’s house.”
His invention was launched to the world
via YouTube and LinkedIn - but Mikel’s
joy at his new creation was short lived,
as he explained: “I discovered after
showing my work that the manufacturer
Vairo tried the same solution some
years ago with the Vairo Innovatic 7.2.
“At first I was very disappointed given
the effort I had invested in my research.
After the initial disappointment I felt r
elief and peace of mind as I’d decided
not to patent it, so at least I saved
myself some money.”
But Mikel remains undeterred: “Creating
the racket has helped me obtain
valuable contacts in the padel world
that may be useful in the future as I am
already working on another innovation.”
Mikel Azcona
with his stringed
padel racket.
The version that Vairo
developed, we think around
17 years ago.
WIN!
Fancy playing with this gorgeous
Wilson Bela 2.5 racket, worth £295?
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competition to win it.
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65

Making the shift
from tennis
to padel
Padel is the world’s fastest growing sport and on a massive upward
trajectory in the UK, with its popularity and demand at an all-time high. It’s
often described as a cross between tennis and squash so it’s no surprise
that many players from both sports are giving it a go. But tennis players
particularly need to adjust their game, as Emily Thomas reports.
Tennis players are at a natural
advantage when picking
up a padel racket, with their
established hand/eye coordination
and armoury of lobs, volleys and
ground strokes
They may initially find the glass walls
constrictive, claustrophobic and
slightly impossible but quickly learn
to love the exciting and dynamic
opportunities the walls present to
keep points alive. The game has an
addictive quality and there’s little
choice but to improve.
However, tennis players may step
onto the padel court with a bag full
of shots and plenty of racket sport
experience but their years of top spin,
hard hitting and preparing early for
sweeping ground strokes can work
against them. And while both games
are strategic, padel has a larger
variety of shots to learn.
So, tennis players, there are five key
points that most padel aficionados
agree upon when switching sports:
• Power is not rewarded, placement
of the ball is
• Move up and down the court
as a team.
• Lobs are a vital element of padel
• Make your racket swing smaller
• Invest in coaching
Slow burn
I had the pleasure of speaking to
former tennis pro and Octagon sports
agent Abigail Tordoff about her rise in
the padel world. Abigail contributed
greatly to the GB tennis community,
representing her country on several
occasions. She is now CEO of tennis
charity Give It Your Max, which
enhances the lives of disadvantaged
and vulnerable children in the UK
through tennis. Abigail has also
turned her hand to padel and in just
two years ascended to being a padel
pro, playing regularly for senior and
open international sides and hosting
coaching clinics.
But it wasn’t love at first hit for Abigail:
“I first picked up a padel bat in 2012,
just before the London Olympics when
I was out in Barcelona for work. I was
invited to play with Spanish former pro
motorcyclist Sete Gibernau in his back
garden. I didn’t really enjoy it and kind
of thought what is this game?”
She didn’t play again until lockdown,
when her love for the game
blossomed. Having retired from
professional tennis in 2000 she found
she did not miss the tour. However,
once playing padel regularly her
competitive spirit shone through and
she was hooked. “I got the padel bug
that everyone talks about,” she said.
“I’d had quite a lot of time out of
competitive sport and I hadn’t realised
that I had missed competing. Once I
started competing in padel I thought
this is amazing fun.”
In her first year she partnered with Lisa
Phillips and the duo dominated the UK
padel scene, winning the vast majority
of tournaments they entered. “We
also played a couple of tournaments
abroad, which was a huge eye
As a tennis player
“
you think if you
whack it hard
enough they won’t
get it back but to my
initial surprise it kept
coming back...
”
opener,” she said. She tries to play most
days whether that be early in
the morning, evenings or lunch breaks:
“I work my padel sessions around my
job and children, so it is a bit of
a juggling act, but it is my passion
and I absolutely love it.”
Unlearning
Tennis gives players a free pass into
padel and Abigail’s game benefitted
from years on the professional tennis
tour. She acknowledged this ‘huge
advantage’: “You have good hand eye
coordination, you know how to volley,
split step and move around the court
and, most importantly, compete.”
But even she had to unlearn some old
tennis habits, as she explained: “As a
tennis player you think if you whack
it hard enough they won’t get it back
but to my initial surprise it kept coming
back.” A mental shift was required, with
Abigail telling herself ‘you can’t whack
this ball, less is definitely more in padel’.
Room for two
Abigail still loves tennis and believes
the two sports can co-exist and
complement each other. She’d like to
see more tennis players make the shift,
particularly semi-professionals nearing
the end of their tennis journey, and is a
firm advocate for getting more women
and girls into padel.
“There are so many benefits both
mentally and physically,” she said.
“Especially when women get older,
in terms of muscle loss, the benefit
of playing any racquet sport is
just so great.” •
Abigail organises female-focussed
coaching clinics through her company
SET. For more information email
hello@setpadel.club
Shorter, flatter
& off the glass
Manchester Padel Club coach Rachel Thomas
shares her top tips for making a successful
transition from tennis to padel.
1. Adapt shots and swings to the smaller court
The smaller court in padel means there is much less time to prepare
to hit the ball compared to tennis. This means your racket take-back
needs to be shorter, a challenge for some players, particularly on the
forehand where you can end up connecting with the ball later than
intended. If you find that happening, focus on guiding the ball rather
than hitting it.
2. Reduce pace and topspin
I would describe my tennis style of play as ‘aggressive baseliner’.
I use topspin and pace on my groundstrokes to create an opportunity
to go for a winner from the back of the court. In padel, this
style of play is likely to lose you points. Pace and topspin
can make the ball bounce higher, making it easier for
your opponents to retrieve and counterattack. Instead,
hit the ball flatter or with slice, which will cause it to
bounce lower or die off the glass.
3. Make use of the back glass
The back glass can take some getting used to for
players transitioning from tennis to padel. When I first
started playing padel I would try and hit everything
before the glass and end up hitting a difficult
half volley, which would often lead to errors
from me or an easy volley for my opponents.
I’ve worked on this and now, by allowing
the ball to hit the glass, I have more time
to hit a better shot.
4. Master the different
overhead shots
Mastering the different overhead
shots in padel can be the difference
between winning and losing. In tennis
my strategy typically involves delivering
a powerful smash to quickly conclude
a point. In padel I use multiple overhead
shots during a rally.
Start by honing specific shots, such as the
‘Bandeja’ and ‘Rulo’ overheads. Each of these
shots demands a distinct technique and leads
to a different outcome. Even after mastering
them in practice, the decision-making process
during a match scenario might take additional
time. Therefore, try and allow yourself the
necessary time to make the right choice in
the heat of the game. •
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A C A D E M Y
More patience,
less power and
use the walls!
Former padel World Champion
Mauri Andrini - through his Hello
Padel Academy - has partnered
with The Bandeja to bring
world-class coaching tips and
insights to our readers.
Former padel World Champion Mauri Andrini, of Hello Padel Academy,
gives his top tips for making the transition from tennis to padel.
Forget power shots
A goal when we play padel is to make
the opponent hit the ball from below
net height, and us always above.
Therefore using strong strokes in
padel will make the ball bounce and
remain high, giving an opponent the
opportunity to counter attack. It is
more effective to make a slower or
softer shot, looking for the ball to die
off a wall and not bounce, making the
counter shot much more difficult for
rivals.
Forget topspin shots
Topspin makes the ball rise, both
when it bounces on the ground and
when it bounces off the wall, leaving
an easier ball for the opponent. It is
better to use flat or slice shots to try
to get the ball to rise up as little as
possible. Perhaps the only exceptions
to using top spin would be when we
seek to make a touch shot, return to
the feet or when hitting the ball with
the aim to bring it back to our side of
the court or take it out of court.
Be patient
In tennis, especially if you are serving,
it is likely that you can win the point
relatively quickly by serving well. In
padel it is very unusual to win a point
with just a few strokes, especially as
the level of the players increases.
That’s why we have to play more
patiently because finishing a point is
more difficult. Tennis players have to
change the psychological/tactical
mind set of being aggressive and
playing with powerful strokes to the
mindset of being patient and working
on the point until they get a ball to
finish it.
Make fewer
definitive smashes
It is very common to see tennis
players try to hit strong smashes
to finish points. In padel (leaving
aside professional players) we rarely
manage to finish the point with a
smash and should not try to win
every ball that is hit to us from above.
Often it is better to hit a less powerful
and well-placed smash with a good
spin (or a bandeja/vibora) than a
very powerful and flat smash, as the
opponent can intercept this more
easily.
Learn the bandeja
& víbora
This point is linked to the previous
point. In padel, when we are faced
with a lob or a high ball, in the
majority of cases it will be more
effective to hit a bandeja or a víbora
than a winning smash. Therefore,
learning how to do, above all, the
bandeja, should be a priority for
players who come from tennis.
Use the walls.
It is typical to see that tennis players
who have only recently started
playing padel don’t use the walls.
From the back of the court they will
play without letting balls bounce off
the glass. They will even volley from
the back rather than let the ball
bounce off the glass. In padel this
is a mistake. The walls are not our
enemies but we have to know how
to make them work in our favour and
not against us.
Hit more lobs
In tennis you rarely use the lob
when your opponent goes up to the
net. Most of the time you opt for a
passing shot as the tennis court is
big and the player can’t cover the
whole court. In padel the court is
smaller, there are walls that make
the balls bounce back into play and
we always play doubles, so getting
a passing shot is almost impossible.
That’s why we hit a lot of lobs, with
the aim of sending our opponents to
the back and gaining the net, which
is where we win points and matches.
Switch between
attack & defence
In tennis when one of the players
takes the initiative they keep it
until they win the point, force the
opponent to make a mistake or
make an error themselves. Rarely
is there a change of role within the
same point. In padel it is very typical
to see both partners switch from
attacking to defending several times
within the same point.
Play the middle
In tennis you try to play to the sides
and open up angles to make your
opponent run and force errors. Padel
is not like that. As there are walls the
ball will always bounce and return
into court. It can be more effective
to hit the ball to the centre, moving
both players to the middle and
generating gaps on the sides and at
the same time there is a chance (in
less experienced pairings) that the
opponents are not sure whose ball
it is.
Get to the net
Many tennis points are won from the
baseline. In padel it is more difficult to
win a point from the baseline. That’s
why, as soon as you have the chance,
you should go to the net, which is
where you win most points and
matches.
Slice volleys
Padel players rarely win a point with a
power volley. Most of the time we will
have to play a volley that is not very
powerful with a short spin, looking
for it to barely bounce and rise from
the glass to make it as difficult as
possible for our opponent to return.
More forward &
backward movements
In tennis the vast majority of
movements are lateral. In padel
there are lateral movements but
also many forward and backward
moves because of rebounds on the
back wall and because one of the
objectives is to win the net whenever
possible.
Move as a couple
In padel it is very important that the
couple moves in unison, for example
up to the net, moving to the back
court and when moving to the
corresponding side when at the net.
Shorter racket preP
& follow through
Make shorter stroke preparations than
in tennis. The court is smaller and
hitting hard will often work against us.
Also, by doing a short preparation we
are ready earlier. It will give us much
more ball control and help to hit the
ball in front of the body.
Serve more slowly
In tennis the vast majority of first
serves are about power. In padel you
have to serve from the maximum
height of the waist and serving faster
will give less control of the direction
of the ball, more chances to miss and
less time to get to the net. We benefit
more from a low serve with a slice
spin (so the ball is not lifted) and a
medium speed, giving us a chance to
be near the net before the opponent
returns. Even if we manage to hit a
very fast and well-placed serve, the
Scan this QR code for a 15%
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coaching content
opponent will almost certainly be
able to return it as he can always let
the ball pass and wait for it to bounce
off the glass. If you need convincing
of this look at professional padel to
see how many points you see won
with the serve or if the pros always
serve strongly. •
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the last word
The Last Word
with Christoffer Granfelt,
co-founder of Instantpadel
Swedish entrepreneur Christoffer Granfelt and
business partner Magnus Berglund are the brains
behind Instantpadel, arguably one of the most
important developments in padel.
70
In under six hours you can have a
Instantpadel court up and ready
to play, no planning permission or
groundwork required. They’ve been
installed on ships, in shopping centres,
posh members clubs (think Babington
House) and now come with pickleball,
footy and basketball marked out.
Where did the idea for Instantpadel
come from?
Magnus got the idea during Sweden’s
padel boom in 2020. He felt the sport
wasn’t as accessible as it should be.
The question was ‘does it have to be
so complicated to build a padel court?’
What are Instantpadel’s USPs?
Instantpadel is unique, a portable court
that doesn’t require major groundwork
and has less need for permits (ie
planning in the UK). Courts are easy to
install - the team from Game4Padel
holds the unofficial world record for
building an Instantpadel court in two
hours and 15 minutes. Normal time is
approximately 4-6 hours.
What challenges have you faced?
We’ve needed to put time in to
explaining our concept and guiding
clients on when and why they should
use us. We are not suitable for all
projects but perfect for others. We have
a court that delivers great access to
many unique city centres to increase
the sport’s accessibility.
Your success in numbers?
Since launch in 2021 we have installed
160 Instantpadel courts in 18 countries.
What’s the difference between
InstantPadel and a normal court?
We use polycarbonate panels instead
of glass because they are lighter (100kg
v 250kg), therefore easier to transport
and install. You don’t need to bolt our
courts to the ground.
Player feedback?
The response has been overwhelming.
In the UK our partners Game4Padel and
Hexa Padel have completed several
installations with very good response.
Hexa had a client in Torquay who
installed our court on an existing tennis
court and within three months got 120
new club members.
How important has Instantpadel
been in introducing padel to
communities?
I believe we are, for sure, part of the
global growth of padel since our
installations at iconic locations have
created attention for the sport. We
are truly humble and happy about
the role we are playing in the padel
industry worldwide.
One goal is to get councils, public
sector, parks etc to explore us more.
We are the perfect solution for turning
unused community areas into active,
fun social spaces. Our courts are very
easy to move around if needed.
Your favourite Instantpadel
installation?
Westfield Padel Festival (November 2022)
at Westfield shopping centre in West
London in conjunction with Game4Padel
(see Issue 2 of The Bandeja for the full
story). Andy Murray and Tia Norton,
together with other high profile people,
played on our court. It was such a great
success, and we are still getting global
articles about our presence there.
The most unusual installation?
On a ship outside Kuwait City. It really
proves that we can install a padel court
anywhere and everywhere.
An installation you are especially
proud of?
We are installing at the iconic West
Side Tennis Club in New York. It has
hosted 60 US Opens and several Davis
Cup and will be our first installation
in the States.
You’ve developed a dual surface
court for padel and pickleball. Why?
To reduce barriers into sport and focus
on accessibility. This concept is perfect
and cost effective for tennis clubs
pivoting into a rackets club. We are also
launching a multi-sports court soon;
by changing the flooring and lines
you can use our cage for soccer and
basketball. It will be very exciting to see
where this leads us. •
The Padel & Pickleball Club Builder is a
new-launch B2B supplier directory for
organisations and companies supporting
the development of padel and pickleball
clubs and venues.
It is brought to you by the team behind
The Bandeja.
If you are a court manufacturer, court
builder, canopy supplier, manufacturer of
portable buildings, acoustic curtains, or
provide F&B services, planning assistance,
legal support, security solutions, turf, nets,
equipment, rackets and apparel for pro
shops etc get in touch for more information.
emma@thebandeja.com
To order print copies
of The Bandeja head over
to our web shop
www.thebandeja.com
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ISSUE 3 / Summer 2024 £6
From tennis
to padel
soft, patient, lob!
Manchester
a padel oasis
padel at the
Olympics
when & where?
WIN! A £295
Wilson Racket
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