Anyone who is interested in racquet sports can’t fail to have noticed the exponential rise of padel tennis, which is enormously popular all over the world and is currently taking the UK by storm. It was invented in Mexico in 1969 when Enrique Corcuera didn’t have room to install tennis courts, so he built smaller walled courts to play a hybrid of tennis and squash. It’s a social and fast-moving game predominantly played in doubles formation on an enclosed court 10 x 20 metres, which is about a third of the size of a tennis court. The racquets were stringless, solid wooden paddles, which is what gave the game its name, although nowadays they are usually made of carbon fibre or fibreglass. Smaller than a tennis ball, today’s padel ball is made of rubber and foam, which is what gives it its bounce and speed.
One of the reasons it has become so popular is that strategy is more important that power, which means people of all abilities can play together, including families. The scoring system is the same as tennis, although a ‘Golden Point’ was recently introduced in padel competitions. This occurs when a game reaches deuce (40-40) – instead of only winning if you are two points ahead, the point following a deuce is the decisive point. Points are won, as in tennis, by a double bounce, double fault or ball in the net from your opponent, but also if your opponent hits the ball out of court without hitting the ground on your side, or hits the walls or structures before going over the net.
Padel tennis is the world’s fastest-growing sport, with 25 million players in over 90 countries, and has recently been recognised as an Olympic sport. It also has the advantage of supposedly being a low-risk sport in terms of injury!
With the surge of interest in padel tennis in the UK, a considerable number of new courts will need to be built. Statistics suggest there are around 155 courts across 70 locations, which isn’t anywhere near enough to accommodate the approaching 90,000 padel players currently enjoying the game – let alone the expected rise in numbers over the next few years.
When constructing a padel court, as with any sports surface, careful preparation is needed to ensure optimum playing conditions. A padel court can be either inside or outside, and can even be placed over a tennis court without a foundation, using anchors and a ballast to hold it down. However, although cheaper, this isn’t such a robust solution and may also not be very popular with the tennis players!
Planning permission will be needed, particularly if a number of courts are being built, as facilities may be required such as toilets, offices and cafes. How people travel to the court and parking arrangements are also an important consideration.
The first thing to check prior to starting the build is that drainage is sufficient for the court if it’s open to the elements, or, if it’s a covered court, where the run-off water will go in the event of rain. Once this has been established, the foundation trench can be dug round the perimeter of the court and filled, usually with mass reinforced concrete. It’s vibrated as it’s poured in to ensure a completely level surface, because if there are undulations this could cause the ball to bounce incorrectly and lead to numerous heated exchanges over the net!
The padel surface laid over the foundations is artificial turf, dressed with silica sand which has the effect of stabilising the turf and reducing friction for faster movement. The amount of sand can range from 8kg to 12kg per square metre, depending on the type of artificial grass which is used.
The walls are fabricated from low-maintenance galvanised or powder-coated steel posts with glass or Perspex infills. The glass should be tempered and needs to be 12mm thick for outdoor courts and 10mm for indoor ones. The columns are bolted to the footings on the ground beams, and lighting can be fitted to them for evening games, subject to planning permission. The light needs to be cast evenly over the entire court for optimal play. Finally, the net needs to be put up – it’s obviously smaller than a tennis net but made of the same material. Now the court is ready for some competition!
Here at Oakwhite we’re already involved in padel court development as part of our commercial fit out and refurbishment work throughout the UK. We are renowned for completing projects on time and on budget, and we work hard to complete each job to our client’s total satisfaction.
If you’re interested in having a chat about padel courts, or any other type of fit out or refurbishment, contact us via email, or give us a call on 01403 586062 and have a chat with one of our helpful team members.