The Bandeja summer 2024 issue

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.
WORLD CLASS PADEL TRAINING & FACILITIES.
WIN MORE GAMES. HAVE MORE FUN.
FOR ALL AGES AND ABILITIES
6 SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
THE PLACE TO PLAY AND LEARN PADEL IN GREATER MANCHESTER
7