A WARRINGTON tennis club hopes to introduce its members – and the public – to the fastest growing sport in the world-padel.
Grappenhall Village Tennis Club is seeking planning consent for two padel courts at its existing centre off Stockton Lane, Grappenhall.
The centre already offers a mix of sports, including lawn tennis and football. It has a clubhouse and parking facilities.
Padel is based on tennis, with a bit of squash thrown in. It is governed by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and has been recognised by Sport England. It has been described as the fastest growing sport in the world. It is different to the game known as “paddle tennis” in the United States and Canada.
Easy to learn and popular with women and men and played by people of all ages and abilities, padel contributes to a healthy lifestyle and is very sociable being played as doubles. The courts are about 25 per cent smaller than tennis courts
The padel courts will be available to members and non-members. Local schools will be offered regular opportunities for children to come and try a new sport.
Padel has the advantage that its courts can be covered by a canopy so that rain does not interfere with play.
The canopy has open sides that allow for good ventilation into the courts which makes it a safe covid friendly covered outdoor space that can be used for other community groups like kids clubs, dance and yoga or wet weather provision for junior tennis coaching.
Court access is via an automated wi-fi controlled gate system. This can be accessed by anyone via online booking and so play on the courts is not restricted to club members. The community access element is a key part of the ethos of the development.
The SmartAccess gate also provides automatic control of the low energy LED floodlights which go on and off in line with bookings to ensure a low-energy managed system.
The main access gate into the padel courts is wheelchair accessible and the access paths from car park to the courts are also navigable by a wheelchair user.
Picture: A padel court shown without the canopy
