BY NICKY HORN
In my world everyone is talking about padel and its impact on squash. I love both – and as a coach of both sports I can really see the attraction of padel.
Here are seven reasons why padel is the game of the next decade.
1: It’s easier than squash to pick up
I can get all adults to hit a padel ball and play a game within one hour. I started with my children, then I got my Mum playing. The rest is history.
2: It’s doubles rather than singles
It’s more sociable than squash because you have banter with your partner
3: It’s indoors and outdoors
No stuffy squash court, padel is played inside or in the fresh air outside with no roof on a sunny day, it feels so good
4: It’s all over social media
It’s on Youtube, Instagram, David Beckham plays it, Jurgen Klopp plays it, and the owner of Tottenham Hotspur has a court on his yacht. It’s fashionable to play padel.
5: Accessible
In Harrogate we are within 10 minutes of 8 courts and 4 coaches. One venue is a club for members and the other is open to everyone. You can just play, or you can have coaching, you can play with friends, you can download the app and find opponents.
6: It’s fun
Its not a middle class indoor Victorian sport for club members – its easy tennis, its like on the beach hitting a ball, but then it gets addictive, and players come back for more and more and more, because it’s fun.
7: Coaches
Padel has coaches – and if there are coaches to empower players to enjoy the game then padel will grow. Squash does not have sufficient coaches who are the salespeople of the game to grow the sport.
I coach at Surge, Harrogate. It’s the largest indoor padel centre in England. We have six adidas courts, since opening in January – over 1,000 players have experienced the facility.
I have coached over 200 people – approximately 50/50 gender split, age split from 4 to 82. And they all love it. The town already had two courts at the local squash club but the majority of players now on the courts are new – coming from Leeds, Bradford, Skipton, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Why? Its accessible. There is no membership, it’s fun, you can bring your family, and everyone can play.
We run events – from social matches, to tournaments, to fun matches against other clubs, including the largest padel match in the UK – 32 players 16 v 16. Rawdon won, and everyone enjoyed the night.
And it’s good for squash and tennis. Why? Because new players playing padel see your tennis courts, see your squash courts and with their confidence in padel they wonder …. maybe I could try squash, or racketball, or tennis. I just need a coach to help me.
So, come on squash clubs and tennis clubs – build a padel court and get some coaches.
