The club have asked a sub-committee to investigate the options, costs, funding sources, operating considerations and planning permission considerations for padel tennis at GMLTC.  A group first looked at this 4 years ago, visiting David LLoyd in Bushey to play a game.  There has been increasing member interets expressed in padel since then although the Committee have prioritised investment in new court surfaces and floodlights in the business plan tup to this year.  Now we have completed that business plan we asked the sub-committee, led by Doug Robertson, to look at padel.  They are due to report to the Committee in the autumn and it may be that a project invetsment resolution is put to members at the next AGM in early 2022 for voting.  

This page has been put together to start informing members on what padel is and why it might be a good addition to the club in the next year or so, subject to funding and planning cnsiderations of course.  There are at least 2 local tennis clubs that are quite far down the path to starting projects to implement two padel courts each. It is our view that padel tennis will become commonplace at tennis clubs over the next 5 or so years. 

Update:  Holmer Green Sports Association are implementing 2 padel courts by August this year.  Read more at: https://www.ukpadel.org/

What is padel?

Padel is a form of tennis that is easy to play, fun and extremely sociable. It is played mainly in a doubles format on an enclosed court about a third of the size of a tennis court and can be played in groups of mixed ages and abilities, as it is not power dominant. The rules are broadly the same as tennis, although you serve underhand and the walls are used as part of the game with the ball allowed to bounce off them.

One of the fastest growing sports across continental Europe, padel has gained increasing popularity over recent years, with over six million people currently playing in Spain. 

There are some good youtube videos here, definitley worth a look: 

 Overview and rules of "Pad-del" (padel to us!)

Padel - amazing pro rallies

The LTA have produced some useful documents too. Here are a couple for you to peruse: 

LTA webinar document on padel May 2021  ( a comprehensive overview of the sport and implementation project considerations)

LTA padel guidance for tennis clubs May 2021  

We will update members when we have more information about the options, possibilities, probabilities and risks and challenges of padel at GMLTC. This will be when th esub-committtee have finished their work and the committee have met with them to consider their report and recommendations. 

In the meantime do let Doug know your opinion on the possibilites of padel at the club! (djrobertson@talktalk.net)