From Monday 22 November, Brighton and Hove residents will have the opportunity to play a sport which already boasts six million players in Spain and is rapidly gaining popularity across the UK, continental Europe and the rest of the world. Celebrity fans and players of padel include Andy Murray, Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal, David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Maria Sharapova, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
Game4Padel, the company behind a UK-wide network of playing facilities for padel, will install and operate the pop-up exhibition court at the Withdean complex in Tongdean Lane for at least six months. This will give the public a chance to play padel in the city before plans for permanent courts at Withdean are progressed. Game4Padel will operate a user-friendly online booking and payment system, ensuring easy access to the courts for players.
Anyone wanting to trial the game can play for free on the Withdean court for two weeks from 22nd November. Booking details can be found here.
Padel is a form of tennis that is fun, easy to play and sociable. It is played with four players in a glass-enclosed court about one-third of the size of a tennis court. The rules are broadly similar to tennis, although players serve underarm – making it much easier for beginners – and the walls are used as part of the game, making for longer rallies. It can be played in groups of mixed ages and abilities, as tactics and subtlety are as important as power.
Darryl Keech, Area Manager of Freedom Leisure, said: “There is a huge and growing demand for padel in the Brighton area and we are really proud and excited to partner with Game4Padel, the UK’s leading padel operator, to open Brighton & Hove’s first ever padel venue. We are confident we can grow Withdean into one of the biggest and best padel venues in the country. We also look forward to exploring with Game4Padel the potential to add padel to other suitable Freedom Leisure sites across the country.”[Text Wrapping Break]
Councillor Martin Osborne, co-chair of the council’s tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee, said: “As a sporting city, we are proud to be bringing padel to Brighton & Hove, and offering residents the opportunity to try this exciting and fast-growing sport.”
There are currently 110 padel courts around Britain with more opening all the time and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the governing body for the game in the UK, has forecast 400% growth in the number of courts by 2023.
Game4Padel already operates more padel venues than any other UK provider and plans to be the dominant player in the fastest growing sport in the country. The agreement with Withdean Sports Complex is Game4Padel’s first in Brighton & Hove and its first partnership with Freedom Leisure, which operates more than 75 sports and leisure centres across England and Wales.
Michael Gradon, Co-founder and Chief Executive of Game4Padel, said: “Padel is great fun and incredibly addictive once you’ve had your first taste of playing, so we’re very pleased to be able to give people in Brighton and Hove the opportunity to do so at a great venue like Withdean.
“It’s an easy game for beginners to pick up quickly, so you don’t need to have played tennis or squash or other racket sports before in order to enjoy playing padel. Because you don’t have to cover a large court area, it is manageable for both young and old players, hence the huge participation levels you see in countries like Spain and Sweden. We look forward to seeing people of all ages play and hearing about their experiences of what is still a relatively new but fast-growing game in the UK, but one that will now have a significant presence in Brighton thanks to Freedom Leisure and Brighton & Hove City Council.”
Game4Padel is in advanced discussions with more than 30 other sites, which it anticipates will add more than 50 additional courts to its 18 existing/secured venues. The company boasts a diverse group of experienced UK investors, including former world no.1 tennis player Andy Murray, the former British no.1 players Annabel Croft and Andrew Castle, and Welsh rugby legend Jonathan Davies. The company’s chief executive is Michael Gradon, a former longstanding commercial and finance chair of the Wimbledon Championships.
Game4Padel offers to partner with a wide range of venues, including sports clubs, leisure centres, parks, schools, universities and, increasingly, commercial venues. Its capital and technical expertise enables it to finance, install, maintain and operate padel courts in any setting. The company also creates bespoke coaching and playing programmes, events, tournaments, and engagement activities for children and schools.
More information on the Withdean Sports Complex court can be found at https://www.game4padel.com/withdean-sports-complex
