Island Padel in Jersey is set to confirm its return to former glory after a “truly horrific” period since it was ravaged by Storm Ciaran last winter.
At 11.56pm on the night of 31 October, the canopy roof over three of the club’s courts collapsed in the face of 175mph winds that also caused severe damage to local homes and businesses – many of which still haven’t fully recovered.
But the padel industry and the club’s loyal members have rallied round, re-building Island Padel and re-opening its three covered outdoor courts. The club has now confirmed it will be ready to host an LTA Padel Grade 1 competition in September for the third successive year.
For Island Padel co-founder Scott Clayton (pictured above, right, with co-founder Morgan Jubb), the storm came just three days after the birth of his first born son – so last winter was, to put it mildly, a period of conflicting emotions, stress and very little sleep.
“It has been horrific – there’s no other way of describing it really,” he tells The Padel Paper. “The damage was so bad that it basically set us right back to square one. It has been difficult, to say the least.”
The club re-opened partially in January with three uncovered courts, then all five courts from April, but some of the courts have had to shut again periodically as the canopies were being built over the top of three of them.
Now, the re-build is almost complete – the club will re-open fully in July and the Grade 1 tournament on 6-8 September sponsored by Rathbones will mark a celebration of the club’s completed re-birth. As well as the UK’s top male and female pro players and some from abroad, there will be an over-40s draw and a record £10,000 in prize money (compared to £4,000 in 2022 and £6,000 last year).
The club will look resplendent for the tournament, which will be a far cry from its state over the winter and spring. “You’ve only got to look at houses adjacent to the club which have no roofs to understand the severity of it,” says Scott.
“Afterwards, we weren’t trading at all for a few months and even now we’re not trading at full capacity. The insurance company have been excellent, which has been a real blessing, but there has been no income.”
Padel Tech, who originally installed the courts, have returned to lead the re-build, with a Spanish company installing the canopies and local contractors also helping out. Just as important to the recovery, though, has been the good will and support of the island’s padel community.
Scott says: “Mentally, when you’re put in a situation like that you have no option but to go again. We’ve faced a lot of challenges – but the support of our players has been incredible. They have supported us without realising it.
“We maintain that in order for a club to be successful it’s all about the people. Myself and my business partner manage the facility and the coaches facilitate the vibe, but it needs the people to buy into it and the community support has been amazing. We have an amazing product in padel, it’s about what you create around it.”
