Padel – the saviour of tennis clubs?
Padel – the saviour of tennis clubs?
An influx of new members, replenished coffers and a thriving cross-section social scene have left many tennis clubs basking in the glow of padel. Helen Gilbert reports.
Whisper it quietly, British tennis clubs are undergoing a revival. And it’s all thanks to padel.
The sporting phenomenon invented by Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera in the late 1960s is breathing life into tired venues across the UK, some of which were on the brink of closure.
Purley Sports Club, in south London, is one such example. Established in 1904, the site has evolved from its humble cricket beginnings into a multi-sport venue counting tennis, squash, bowls, netball and cricket among its many recreations. A year ago it exchanged two of its lawn tennis courts for a pair of floodlit padel alternatives. And it hasn’t looked back, with several hundred new padel members, half of whom are new to the club.
Vision
With a 95% court occupancy rate, the section was forced to introduce a padel waiting list and a third court earlier this year. It’s a far cry from the sobering situation the club faced a few years ago when it was financially hanging in the balance and a turnaround team was called in.
Since then Purley Sports Club has blossomed, with padel ‘massively’ contributing, according to its vice chairman, Toby Young. Much of the padel income is generated from court fees, which have not only provided the club with ‘a stable income’, but will enabled repairs to be made to ‘leaky roofs and drainage issues’, Toby said.
The game is also enticing a vibrant younger audience, with 20 and 30-year-olds accounting for half the padel demographic.
“We’ve had a lot more members using the bar and restaurant facilities, and a small percentage have joined tennis and squash after being introduced to our fantastic club,” Toby said. “This introduction [of padel], together with upgrades throughout the club, means Purley Sports Club has turned the corner and is getting back on track when three years ago it was very close to shutting its doors.”
Inundated
Padel’s burgeoning popularity has also been felt at The Limpsfield Club in Surrey, another multisport location boasting 15 tennis courts. It ’embraced the padel whirlwind’ in May 2021 when it replaced mini courts with two outdoor courts. According to Robin Engelbertink, the club’s head padel coach, the goal was to diversify its tennis, squash, badminton and table tennis offer. The decision paid off, with the club now counting its padel members in the hundreds.
Financial gain
Sandi Procter, president of the LTA, the governing body for tennis and padel, has opened padel courts at plenty of ‘forward-thinking traditional and multi-sport clubs’. In her experience, flourishing venues tend to be those that have introduced between one and four padel courts. She has also witnessed the ‘unifying and social effect’ the game has had between sections.
“Many have told me that padel has brought their club together because many of their squash and tennis players are playing padel and loving it,” Sandi told The Bandeja.
The additional revenue stream has also been ‘very welcomed by clubs facing high costs of maintenance for all their facilities’.
“Some have found their investment recovered within 24 months, plus [they’ve] increased income at the bar. For some, it’s been a great option for making use of underused derelict courts in clubs or using a spare piece of land,” added Sandi.
Historic
This was absolutely the case at the historic West Midlands-based Four Oaks Tennis Club, which dates back to 1906 and was founded on the site of a former racecourse. Marc Heames, grounds secretary and director, recalled the unpopularity of two shale tennis courts that ‘had not been played on for eight years’.
The Sutton Coldfield club now has two outdoor padel courts and rebranded to Four Oaks Tennis and Padel Club, attracting padel members from neighbouring tennis clubs.
Derelict land
It’s a similar story at East Glos Club, Cheltenham, a regional racquet sports site providing tennis, squash, and racquetball facilities. It installed three floodlit padel courts in 2021.
“The club had some spare land and wanted to diversify,” explained Darren Morris, club manager. “The LTA supported the original development with an interest-free loan, following which we offered pay & play.”
This format gave people the chance to experiment with the game without the commitment of a yearly membership. The result, noted Darren, was that people who played more than once a week became members. With a high court occupancy rate, the club added more courts, bringing its count up to seven, including the county’s first singles.
But while padel is undoubtedly providing a lifeline to some tennis clubs, it can ruffle feathers among tennis purists.
The Kingsley Tennis Centre in Hampshire hit the headlines last year when local players opposed proposals to turn the four-court indoor tennis dome into a padel centre. The venue was ‘likely to close’, and in poor condition, with outdated and limited facilities, a tired bungalow for a clubhouse and weeds growing on the outdoor courts, according to Steve Summers, one of the shareholders of Advantage Padel, which converted the site into a state-of-the-art seven-court indoor padel centre earlier this year. Interestingly, a large proportion of the former tennis members have now joined and expressed happiness that the premises have been ‘given a new lease of life’.
So should tennis traditionalists worry that their sport will suffer because of padel? It’s a question often posed to Sandi by tennis enthusiasts. Her answer is no.
Sandi points to the recent ITF (International Tennis Federation) Global Tennis Report, which revealed more people playing tennis across the globe than ever before – 106 million today, compared to 84.4 million five years ago. She views padel as an additional racket sport, like pickleball, which appeals to different audiences, ages and abilities.
“To be honest, tennis can be a bit of a tough sport for some, so offering some easier racket sports will help tennis clubs stay relevant,” she said.
Sandi, who confesses to having ‘completely crocked knees, added: “I haven’t played competitive tennis in a long time. What I can play is red tennis, walking tennis, padel, pickleball and table tennis. I would enjoy being at a club that offers all of those.”
Management committees take note. 🎾
