A new four-court padel club is to be built at the home of Mansfield Town FC by World Padel Academy (WPA).
The facility at the League Two club’s One Call Stadium will be WPA’s first fully owned venue in the UK. It will be the second EFL club to boast on-site padel courts after nearby Notts County opened a four-court centre at Meadow Lane in summer 2022.
WPA have submitted a planning application to Mansfield District Council for the £1million project that will include four covered courts and a small clubhouse to help create a fun experience to engage the local community.
Mansfield Town Football Club Chairman, John Radford, said: “I’ve been playing padel regularly for a few years now in Portugal and it’s one of the most enjoyable sports you can play.
“Padel encourages teamwork, discipline and healthy competition. It’s very easy and a great way to keep active. Playing it regularly helps develop healthy fitness habits and I know the people of Mansfield will really enjoy the game. I’m very much looking to playing padel at the club.”
Mansfield’s CEO, Carolyn Radford, added: “We are so pleased to be working with World Padel Academy as padel will be a really exciting addition to the football club.
“This project fits with our vision to provide more for Mansfield and it will doubtless help enhance the mental and physical wellbeing of our community.”
WPA Mansfield will provide group activities, coaching programmes for beginners through to Academy level players and will deliver a calendar of tournaments year-round for all levels, which will help grow the next generation of GB players and professionals.
James Bowring, Chief Operating Officer, WPA UK, said: “WPA’s expansion strategy into the UK market is extensive as we are working hard to secure a network of venues across the country, but I have to say, I’m very excited to be launching our first fully managed UK venue in my hometown and introduce this amazing game to Mansfield.”
For the last six months WPA have helped grow the padel community at Nottingham Padel Centre. Like in Nottingham, WPA Mansfield will boast four courts in 2024 with a purpose-built canopy structure to protect players from adverse weather.
Padel’s connections to football are extensive. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Mo Salah, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Zlatan Ibrahimović all play the game. Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is even joining some of the world’s best players next year in the Hexagon Cup in January, a brand new Pro-Am event in Madrid.
