“We’re actually helping to grow padel in the UK and elsewhere in Europe,” says Alfonso Sernandez, Director of Padel and General Manager of Club MMGR in Torre-Pacheco near Murcia, Spain.
It’s a bold claim for a facility situated almost 1,000 miles from British shores – but when you visit the club within the deluxe Mar Menor Golf Resort, it starts to make sense.
Holidaymakers come to Mar Menor for a luxury getaway in one of its villas or apartments and to play on its renowned golf course, but many are soon distracted by the MMGR Club, situated on a roundabout opposite the resort’s supermarket.
The club has seven padel courts, gym, swimming pool, mini golf and a beautiful bar and restaurant area which hosts many a lively social soiree.
As The Padel Paper editor, I was lucky enough to be invited to the club in early August, coinciding nicely with a family break in nearby Orihuela Costa. My two teenage children and I were greeted warmly by Alfonso (known affectionately by all as Fonsi) and Guest Relations Manager Jemma Rigby, who hails from Widnes in Cheshire.
As they both explained, the club’s many visitors from the UK, Ireland and elsewhere don’t take long to fall in love with the club and the game of padel – and it’s a holiday romance many are keen to keep alive when they return home by seeking out their nearest padel court – helping to grow the game back in their homelands.
Linda Walsh, from County Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland, was on holiday with her four children during my visit. She had no racket sports background at all but admits she’s become hooked on padel after being introduced at Club MMGR.
“I didn’t know what padel was but it’s been absolutely fantastic for all of us” she says. “It’s such an accessible sport. It doesn’t matter what your age or ability, everybody can play. We’ll be looking for padel centres when we get back home because it’s something we’d love to keep up.
“This place is not just a padel centre – it’s more of a community. Padel is the nucleus of the entire resort as there’s a big social scene. We’ve met people we’d never normally meet and we can play padel morning, afternoon and evening whatever your level. It’s been brilliant for us this year.”
Guest Relations Manager Jemma is a massive padel convert since working at MMGR. She joined us for a hit with coach Fonsi, who gently scolds me (a lifelong squash player) for my open racket face.
Jemma says the club’s reputation is starting to attract couples, families and groups of friends to the resort specifically for padel coaching, matchplay and its social scene. She reveals one man recently travelled on his own from Iceland for a week-long intensive padel masterclass from Fonsi and fellow coach Ines Munoz (who plays on the World Padel Tour).
Fonsi is a practising attorney as well as a highly qualified padel coach, instructor and referee. Once a student at the world-famous Nick Bolletieri Academy in Florida, he switched from tennis to padel in 2005 and never looked back.
“Padel is easy to learn and difficult to master,” he says. “After 30 minutes, you’ll be able to play a rally – and after that, the most important thing is the social experience you have after the game. That’s the reason this sport became so popular.
“This is not like other places, where people come in, do an activity and leave. Too many padel facilities are like that.
“This is a place where individuals and family can spend all day, playing padel, swim in the pool, gym, mini golf and eating and drinking. We have created a feeling of community and we’re very proud of it.”
