For Padel 100, installing padel courts in schools across Ireland is about much more than building courts. It is about building the future of the sport, creating healthier communities and giving thousands of young people the opportunity to discover a game they can enjoy for life. If we want padel to become a truly national sport in Ireland, schools must be at the heart of that journey.
Research from Sport Ireland has consistently highlighted the importance of giving children opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. Its research has also identified the challenge of keeping young people active as they get older. Children who regularly participate in sport are significantly more likely to achieve recommended physical activity levels. That is exactly why Padel 100 believes schools represent such an extraordinary opportunity.
Padel is accessible, social, exciting and relatively easy for beginners to start playing. You don’t have to be an elite athlete to step onto a court and enjoy your first game. Four students can pick up rackets, start hitting the ball and quickly experience the fun and social interaction that makes padel so appealing. And fun matters. If young people enjoy exercise, they are far more likely to continue participating.
For Padel 100, however, there is another important principle: accessibility. Young people should not have to travel to a private sports facility or depend on their parents paying significant fees simply to discover padel. We want to bring the court to them.
Padel 100 has announced a programme to install courts in schools around Ireland at no capital cost to participating schools, with students getting access during the school day and the wider community able to use the facilities outside school hours. More than 20 schools had already joined the initiative when the programme was announced, with 50 courts planned for installation nationwide.
That model can transform a school into a genuine community sporting hub. During school hours, students can use the courts for PE, Transition Year activities, competitions and recreational sport. After school, the same courts can bring together parents, families, local businesses, sports clubs and the wider community, and generate an income for the school that can be spent in any way the school wishes. This one sporting facility can potentially serve hundreds or even thousands of people.
There is also a bigger vision. Ireland’s future padel champions are sitting in classrooms somewhere today. They may never have held a padel racket. They may not even know what padel is yet. By putting courts into schools, we give those young people their first opportunity. Some will play simply for fun. Others will play socially with friends. Some will join clubs and competitions. And perhaps a small number will eventually represent Ireland internationally. But whatever level they reach, the objective remains the same:
Padel 100 believes in giving young people the opportunity to play. Padel 100 wants to help create a generation that grows up with padel as naturally as previous generations grew up with football, GAA, basketball, rugby and tennis. Because if we put padel courts where Ireland’s young people already are, in their schools and communities, we won’t simply grow a sport. We will create a sporting legacy for generations to come, and we will be really proud of why we have done it.
Michael Mulcahy – Padel 100
