Padel operators have praised the impact of Instantpadel courts in re-energising communities and accelerating the sport’s growth by capturing the attention of thousands of new players.
Instantpadel is a unique concept from Stockholm-based Instantcourts that enables its courts to be constructed in under four hours – without the need for expensive and time-consuming groundworks and planning permission. Because the courts are in essence ‘temporary’ they can be placed strategically in under-utilised locations that would otherwise be impossible for padel (or other sports activities) to take place.
This flexibility also opens up huge possibilities to place courts in high-footfall areas and turbo-charge padel’s visibility and accessibility to the general public. As newcomers discover the game’s benefits, this leads to wider social benefits as new players increase physical activity levels and deepen engagement in their local community.
As Instantpadel co-founder Christoffer Granfelt says: “We want to be part of enabling padel for all – anywhere and everywhere – and at the same create a positive social impact by activating kids and families through sports.”
This summer, leading padel operators Game4Padel and Hexa Padel have erected Instantpadel courts in multiple locations in London – and the results have been spectacular.
Game4Padel have installed Instantpadel courts at locations including the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace, Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City and Virgin Active in Chiswick.
Game4Padel’s co-founder and COO, Peter Gordon, said: “For beginners who haven’t necessarily experienced padel, this is a brilliant point of entry. It’s a great way of getting people to come and try for the first time.
“In this industry we’re in a bit of a bubble because we talk about padel every day and we think the rest of the country is talking about it too, but they’re not yet! Instantpadel has a real part to play in raising awareness, because it will take the sport to locations where sport might not be taking place, or where you can’t yet justify the investment in a permanent court, or where planning permission might be a challenge.”
Although the courts play slightly differently to ‘traditional’ padel courts, beginners will not notice or care. After all, they have nothing to compare it to! “They have no expectations in terms of the glass or the carpet, so it’s a great introduction,” said Gordon. “Over time, they may migrate to a permanent facility, or simply stick with the Instantpadel facility because the location can be so much more convenient.”
An Instantpadel court can now be installed in four hours, which is impossible for a traditional court. Gordon explained: “We can confidently say to a customer, ‘We can arrive in the morning and your court will be ready in the afternoon.’ The flexibility of the product is a key point.
“It gives us the chance to move quickly. It’s a great way of trialling a location, gauging demand and interest in padel and then either swapping out the Instantpadel court for a permanent installation or continuing with Instantpadel.
“For activations, business partners and short-term ‘meanwhile’ uses it’s a really good solution. For locations where there are construction or permission difficulties, it’s also a good solution to activate what is otherwise dead space for a landlord.”
Hexa Padel have also used Instantpadel’s courts to activate padel at various locations this summer, including Battersea Park, where they installed four courts, and Crouch End where they placed three on the site of some derelict tennis courts.
Director of Hexa Padel, Toby Bawden, commented: “The beauty of Instantpadel is you can place courts in spaces where sports provision or aesthetics are pretty terrible – and it can completely change the vibe!”
Hexa Padel’s four Instantpadel courts in Battersea Park had 6,000 unique users in five months between April and September. An occupancy rate of around 70% was expected, but it reached almost 100%, even during off-peak hours. Bawden said it was “phenomenally busy.”
He concluded: “It’s such a great way to showcase the sport and has enabled us to bring padel to so many new people.”
With such a clear, positive and multi-faceted social impact, it’s time for more local authorities to harness the value that Instantpadel can bring to players, families and communities.
Find out more at instantcourts.com
