As one of the Co-Founders of Padel100 and as someone that’s been in the media and publishing industry for close to 40 years, I am writing a regular opinion piece about Padel, and here in my first article.
Herein lies the simple question, and my answer is even clearer. That point of view stems from speaking with people across Ireland about Padel, and from over 40 years of experience in business and civic life. Let me explain: Back in the 1980s when handball courts were all the rage, almost every community and crossroads had one. Local people fundraised for them, got them built and used them. Handball is still popular in many communities, but many of the courts have either disappeared or lie abandoned. Padel is the sport of the moment and Padel Courts are springing up in different locations. Some are attached to sports clubs, golf clubs, tennis clubs, hotels, and businesses. Many are now also being installed in private gardens of homes that in years gone by, had tennis courts.
The Padel business I’m involved in, Padel 100 has Padel Courts in many of the above sectors that I’ve listed. However, schools are a key area for us in bringing Padel to communities. This works well for schools because we provide the Padel Courts to the school free of charge, and the school gets exclusive use of them until 3pm each school day, thereby encouraging the students to take up Padel. In the evenings and on weekends, the local community can play on them for €7.50 per player per hour. The school receives a royalty from every hour sold so this income can support whatever the school needs. That’s a community model for Padel in my opinion. It’s certainly not the only one. Recently, we heard of the great people of the village of Cullen in North Cork.
After seeing all the pubs in their village close down, 38 residents came together, invested €10,000 each, raised €380,000 and bought the last local pub. They refurbished it and reopened it as a new social space for their community. That’s community spirit. If they want a Padel Court in their car park for their community to use and generate income for other initiatives, why not? So, the answer to the question is clear: every community should and can have Padel Courts. You just need the determination to want it and to build a club atmosphere for it, because Padel is all about building a community, and what better way to keep our rural communities alive than by bringing Padel into them. #playpadel
