The Racquets Club at Spain’s famous La Manga Club resort has undergone a major refurbishment in the last year – with a vibrant new padel community playing a massive part in its rejuvenation.
La Manga Club, in the south-eastern region of Murcia, opened in 1972 and soon grew into a hugely popular sun-kissed sports holiday venue with a 28-court tennis centre, three golf courses, seven football pitches, over 2,500 dwellings, plus restaurants and luxury facilities.
In the last decade, however, the facilities at the Tennis Centre had started to show their age and fresh investment was desperately needed; exacerbated by total closure during the pandemic. The 40-year-old clubhouse desperately needed modernising and the tennis courts were in need of a major overall.
Enter British couple Nick and Sally Munns. They have a long history with La Manga Club; Sally’s parents moved there full time in 1982 and she was based there whilst playing on the European Ladies Golf Tour. Upon hearing that the resort’s new owners, Hesperia Hotels, had plans to find an independent operator, Nick and Sally entered discussions and a plan began to evolve.
On 7 September 2021, they took ownership of the club on a long-term lease agreement and The Racquets Club started business. A year on, it is virtually unrecognisable, with a rebuilt 11,000 sq ft clubhouse, restaurant, state-of-the-art gym, new reception and shop, 30 staff – and seven new padel courts, which are at the heart of the club’s transformation as a sporting and social venue for tourists and locals alike.
“We had an ambitious timetable to complete all the works but were delighted to get everything ready for the 2022 summer season,” Nick told the Padel Paper. “The club had declined over the last decade, but now I think it’s safe to say it’s back – and padel is at the centre of that.
“The club has a new life now. Although tennis is our core business, padel is what has caught everyone’s attention. We could see the growth about to explode, so putting in padel courts was a complete no-brainer.
“The padel centre has become a social hub where people come to enjoy a beer, music and soak up the atmosphere. Initial curiosity often results in people having a try for themselves and participation has grown rapidly.”
The padel facilities opened in March. The courts, installed by a local firm, include three full panoramic and four regular glass courts, all featuring World Padel Tour grass.
Throughout the first summer season the courts have been close to full capacity and plans are underway to add an additional four courts. With 11 courts it would be one of the largest non-member padel clubs in Southern Europe. This dynamic allows groups of all sizes to plan trips in advance, knowing there is capacity to accommodate them.
The club has a resident padel coach, David Pey, who coaches players from the World Padel Tour. Several of the club’s seven full-time tennis coaches are also qualified padel coaches. In high season the number of coaches at The Racquets Club grows to 15.
There are various coaching options, week-long padel academies (two hours per day from Monday-Friday) for adults and children, twice-weekly, 90-minute ‘Intro to Padel’ sessions and social padel sessions, run in an American doubles format, which are hugely popular with holidaymakers and locals.
“The social padel events are good value two-hour sessions where you get to play with and against a variety of players and enjoy a drink together after,” says Nick. Players turn up in pairs or as individuals and everyone gets a game. Often new teams and groups are formed during these events.
In high season The Racquets Club has a popular tradition of a Friday evening tennis exhibition and now padel has been added to the exhibition calendar. “The Thursday evening padel exhibition has been a great success,” Nick says. “Padel is so new to many and for them to see it played at a high level is a real spectacle.”
Nick admits The Racquets Club project was a huge undertaking and has been extremely hard work. “The whole team has worked tirelessly over the last year to make the transformation,” he says. “We love this place, and we’re delighted that it is back to its best.”
