Battersea Power Station will become home to four indoor padel courts this summer.
The brand Rocket Padel will be running the courts after they hosted a successful pop-up at the venue last summer, with the Thames just a stone’s throw away.
Club manager at Rocket Padel Ilford Oscar Wynne explained the instant appeal of the sport.
He said: “As a beginner it’s super easy to pick up, it’s fun, it’s social, it’s active at pretty much any ability.”
Ilford is Rocket Padel’s second location in the UK and opened on April 8.
Its first site is in Bristol and Battersea Power Station will be the third.
The Ilford location has the only singles padel courts in London.
David Segura Pravia, founder of Padel London said: “This sport has got a lot of potential for people to enjoy from the very early stages.
“It is a community builder and opens racquet sports to a wider community.”
Gemma Beresford, a keen padel player based in London said the racquet sport’s low barrier to entry made it more of an attraction than with similar games.
Padel originated in Mexico in 1969 and has famous fans in tennis star Andy Murray and England football legend David Beckham.
It has been growing in popularity in the capital over the last couple of years and Rocket Padel’s expansion into London suggests more of the same.
Wynne said: “It was pretty apparent early on that there was a demand for padel in the UK mainly because of players from outside of the UK living in London and spreading the word.
“I’d say that since Covid there have been more and more courts popping up all over the country.”
Wynne estimated there are around 350 open courts in the country, which he said is a number nowhere near yet meeting demand.
Stratford Padel Club said they have seen a 400% increase in registered players in the past year alone.
According to the website Padel Athletes, in the UK the number of padel players has increased by more than 30 times since 2018.
Different explanations have been given to explain this trend.
Segura Pravia said: “The fact that it’s a brand new sport, it makes it very attractive to people.”
Anka Mandleson, lead investor and company director of Stratford Padel Club, said that more than 150 corporate companies have organised team building events at the club.
“Many of them repeat events, it’s kind of the same factor as golf but in a much more fun, social, high energy environment,” she said.
Mandleson sees the increase in interest being stunted by the lack of padel courts in the city.
She said: “I don’t think it’s a question of demand, I think it’s a question of supply.
“The problem with the growth is it’s related to supply and the scarcity of land and space in London.”
However, Mandleson was keen to stress the rush of popularity shows the sport is solving a need.
“We just opened four more courts and they are filling up incredibly, which is testament to the popularity of the sport,” she said.
“The demand will absolutely overtake other sports.
“If the supply elements are solved the sport would be extraordinary in terms of solving social inclusion problems, loneliness problems, mental health issues, and physical fitness in later age.”
For more information on the progress of the courts at Battersea Power Station you can follow
@rocketpadel_bps on Instagram.
Featured Image Credit – Charlie Round-Turner
