NXPadel has partnered with Dutch firm PadelFactory to install three of its unique Fibreglass padel courts on the site of a former indoor swimming pool at a multi-sport venue in Westervoort.
Sports Planet, near Arnhem, features indoor football, basketball, fitness, cycling and squash, but its swimming pool became unsustainable after heating and electricity bills soared from €68,000 in 2021 to €282,000 last year.
Joint owner Hans Frieling decided to replace the pool with three padel ourts – and he chose Fiberglass padel courts from NXPadel.
The unique noise-cancelling qualities of Fibreglass are particularly important in the Netherlands. The Dutch Tennis Association, KNLTB (who govern padel in the Netherlands), introduced guidelines earlier this year which stated that noise from padel courts should not exceed 91 decibels.
Tests on NXPadel Courts showed an average of 64 decibels. Its Fibreglass meshes greatly reduce the familiar crashing noise of the ball hitting traditional steel court perimeters.
NXPadel’s Fibreglass mesh is also scratch-proof, extremely flexible and resilient when hit by a ball or a player’s body. It returns immediately to a flat surface after it’s struck and remains flat forever, whereas iron meshes curve over time, affecting the bounce and playability of the court. In addition, Fibreglass meshes allow great absorption of the impact of players’ bodies and in this way do not cause injuries. Iron meshes also rust, changing their appearance and requiring re-painting.
All these benefits attracted Marc Troostwijk, owner of PadelFactory, to become the official distributor of NXPadel courts in the Netherlands.
PadelFactory has built over 100 courts in the Netherlands and Germany, and Marc seized on the opportunity to “distinguish himself in the market” by using NXPadel products.
“I was looking for something innovative in the market,” he said. “There are many providers of padel courts – lots of steel and aluminium – but you want to distinguish yourself in the market from the many other providers.
“NXPadel came my way… and I thought, ‘Wow! That looks cool!’ I flew to Italy to meet Nicola [Ceresoli, NXPadel’s CEO] and I was completely blown away by their innovative product. It is really something new on the market that I can offer for my customers in the Netherlands and Germany.
“We have seen the reactions of players in Westervoort. They are already satisfied and think it is a nice product. I want to roll this out further and I see a really good market for that – especially because in the Netherlands the theme of sound is really an issue.”
Hans, co-owner of Sports Planet in Westervoot, was delighted with the transformation of his expensive swimming pool into a three-court padel paradise.
“I made the decision for PadelFactory to install the Fibreglass padel courts,” he said. “I didn’t have experience in either steel or Fibreglass, but I think it’s a very good product and it looks very nice.
“I visited some other clubs and looked at the structure of the courts. I must say, this is a fantastic court. The constructors were happy and the courts went in easily. It’s a very nice, good looking and quality padel court. My club is happy with all the people playing padel and enjoying it very much.”
First impressions from Hans and those who have tried his new NXPadel-branded Fibreglass courts promise great things. Riding the wave of an ever-expanding sport like padel is definitely a winning strategy for sports centres, but even more when it is done with state-of-the-art, innovative, safe and reliable courts like NXPadel’s.
