There will be padel clinics for beginners over the opening weekend
Game4Padel is opening two new covered padel courts at Cottingham Lawn Tennis Club this month(Image: Game4Padel)
Two covered padel courts will be officially opened at Cottingham Lawn Tennis Club (CLTC), on Hull Road, this month. Anyone wanting to try out this new sport can join a free session on Saturday and Sunday January 17 and 18, when Game4Padel coaches will host padel clinics for those that have never played before, and those that want to try out the new facilities.
Demand for more padel courts in the area has been growing as this new sport takes off all across the country. Yorkshire was an early adopter of padel with a number of sites around the county, but there are limited facilities in the wider Hull area.
Game4Padel, which boasts Andy Murray, Virgil van Dijk and Annabel Croft as investors, operates 27 venues across the UK and will be using its expertise to build a thriving padel community in Cottingham. CLTC also has five artificial grass tennis courts and four hard courts, and a membership base of over 350 people.
The University of Hull tennis society plays matches at the club and it has a vibrant community of local players, juniors and students who are expected to quickly take to this new racket sport. People that want to play on the new padel courts do not need to be a member of CLTC but can simply book court time via the Game4Padel website.
Doug Jennings, Chairman of CLTC commented: “We are excited to open our padel courts here at Cottingham – there has been a lot of excited anticipation from our members! We expect a lot of our tennis members to try padel out, but we know that the sport also appeals to those who have never played racket sports before, so we look forward to welcoming lots of new people to our Club.
“The partnership with Game4Padel is a great opportunity for the club to develop further the club’s already fantastic facilities and offer club members and visitors the opportunity to play an exciting new game.”
Padel is the world’s fastest growing sport played in over 130 countries around the world – forecasters predict it will become an Olympic sport by 2032. David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andy Murray, Eva Longoria, Elle MacPherson and Stormzy are some of the famous names that have taken up the sport in recent years.
Padel is a cross between tennis and squash, played on a court approximately one third the size of a tennis court, with glass and mesh walls. Played in doubles pairs, it is very easy to learn, extremely sociable, accessible and lots of fun.
Padel originally started in Mexico and quickly spread through South America and then into Europe. Commenting on the new venue, Game4Padel CEO, Michael Gradon said: “The demand for padel continues in the UK but finding the right site can be a challenge.
“This is, however, a fantastic location, with an existing community of racket sports fans and the University on its doorstep. The fact that the courts are covered will mean people can play padel all year round. We are continuing to see high occupancy levels at most of our other venues around the UK and are confident this will be a popular site for people in and around Hull.”
To book a place at the opening weekend event, please visit: https://www.matchi.se/facilities/g4pcottinghamltc