Whether you’re an ardent lover of padel or you barely know anything about it, there is no escaping the arrival of the sport in Surrey thanks to the fact that the first new courts for playing it have been opened in Guildford. It is considered to be one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, so it isn’t all that surprising that locals have been keen to see an area in which to play the game created for residents. If you are keen to know more, you can head along to Surrey Sports Park and see what will be one of the largest dedicated areas to padel sometime next year.
The Pre-Cursor
By 2023, the International Padel Federation claimed that the sport had more than 25 million active players based across in excess of 90 countries around the world. That meant that the sport was worth in the region of €2 billion a year, allowing it to rival numerous other racket sports. In spite of this, it had never really taken off in the United Kingdom, as evidenced by the fact that few people had heard of it in this country, even though it was believed to have been invented in Acapulco in Mexico at the end of the 1960s, with the Padel World Championship starting in 1992.
Such was the growing popularity of the sport in Surrey that applications were made to build padel courses near Godalming, but they were objected to on account of the fact that some of the courts were planned to be built on green belt land. It is fair to say that the objections went against the grain when it came to the sport’s rising popularity, which was believed to have hit the UK thanks to how popular it is along the Costa del Sol in Spain, as well as in Portugal’s Algarve, where visiting Brits got to watch it being played and began to show an interest in playing it themselves.
The New Padel Facility
In spite of the objections that led to the initial courts elsewhere in Surrey not being built, plans were soon put in place for the creation of a padel facility at the University of Surrey’s Surrey Sports Park. The aim was to create the largest padel court facility anywhere in the Higher Education sector, with the university partnering with PadelStars in order to get it built. The hope is that it will open in its entirety in 2026, being the first of its kind in Guildford and having the likes of a café, extensive social area, bar and retail section in addition to the actual padel courts themselves.
The sport is essentially a mix between tennis and squash, with its popularity leading to courts being built around the country. The larger padel facility will involve the creation of ten covered courts, as well as a show court that will have the ability to host elite matches in competitions that can be watched by the public. Given the fact that it is one of the country’s fastest growing sports, it is a boon for Guildford, and Surrey as a whole, that the facility is to be built at the Surrey Sports Park rather than elsewhere in the county. It could prove to be a pivotal moment for the padel movement.
Four Courts Have Opened
Whilst those that already know about the sport have all but fallen in love with it, it isn’t outrageous to suggest that there are a wealth of people who don’t know much about it. If that is the bracket that you find yourself in, you might well be pleased to learn that four of the courts at Surrey Sports Park have already been built, opening for use on the 19th of December. They have been delivered thanks to a partnership between the University of Surrey and the sports park, serving as somewhere that students can go as well as members of the faculty and residents of the region.
It means that you can get along and see the sport being played, if you want to, learning more about it and figuring out if it is something that you personally will want to get involved with in the future. There were only around 50 padel courts anywhere in Britain in 2020, whilst now there are more than 700 and around a quarter of a million people play the sport on a regular basis. That is, at least in part, down to the fact that the likes of footballers and Formula One stars enjoy playing it, which has seen it feature on their social media profiles and garner interest that way.
One of the Leading Venues in the Country
When the new facility opens, it will be one of the leading venues for the sport across the United Kingdom, with the Chief Executive Officer of PadelStars, Andy Knee, saying that the early launch means that the Surrey community doesn’t need to wait until then. As well as being able to book to use one of the courts, you will also be able to head down and get some coaching in order to learn how to play the game properly. It is not only fun to play, it is also a great way to get some exercise in and is a sociable sport, which is why the café and other areas are being included in the build.
By the time the new facility is up and running, PadelStars will have 34 courts available across ten different sites, yet it is the one in Guildford that will be the crown jewel of the company. In spite of its similarity to tennis, it is the fact that the ball can be bounced off the wall, as in squash, that makes it a sport that requires specialist facilities. The sport is one that is only going to become more and more popular as the number of people who have seen it being played, or played it themselves, grows, so it is great for Surrey that the facility is being built in Guildford.