The Bandeja summer 2024 issue

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
BORN
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