Almost 200 athletes in one of the world’s fastest-growing sports are set to converge on a County Down town this weekend (June 1 and 2) to compete in a significant event at a major new facility.
The competitors from across Ireland and beyond will compete in the Irish Padel Tour championship on six courts at Padel 54 in Moira on Saturday and Sunday.
Played by sports stars like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, and celebrities such as Stormzy and Eva Longoria, padel is like a cross between squash and tennis and is seen as the world’s fastest growing sport. Experts are also predicting it will receive the green light as an Olympic sport in 2032.
Padel was invented in Mexico in the late 1960s and has been hugely popular in Spain for decades, but its boom elsewhere has really come over the past couple of years. The new Moira-based facility which opened earlier this year in a six-figure investment is seeking to capitalise on that.
Co-Owner Bradley Bate says that hosting the Irish Padel Tour Championship is a great opportunity to widen participation in the sport in Northern Ireland.
He says: “Padel is a really accessible sport that is brilliant for fitness and wellbeing. That’s one of the main reasons behind its growth. Padel 54 has been busy since we opened earlier this year. But Northern Ireland is still playing catch-up with other parts of the UK, Ireland and Europe in terms of awareness and popularity of the sport. So, in addition to being good for the local economy by bringing people to Moira, the event this weekend will hopefully encourage more local people to give padel a try.”
Padel is played with honeycombed solid racquets in doubles on enclosed courts made of surrounding glass that are about three-quarters of the size of a tennis court.
Co-Owner Bradley Bate explains more: “It’s a cross between tennis and squash, easy to pick up, and the ball is in play much longer than in tennis. Padel is all inclusive, wheelchair users play at the club and what is great to see, is that no matter a player’s levels, everyone comes off smiling having had fun.”
Padel 54 has six dedicated courts where almost 200 athletes will compete this weekend. The facility was the brainchild of a group of Padel players who met socially and were keen to promote the sport in Northern Ireland.
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