Park Startbaan 2023 – Padel
Padel
Padel is a combination of tennis and squash. You play the game 2 against 2 on a track of 20 by 10 meters. This course is surrounded by glass walls that are part of the game and the use of the walls gives the game an extra dimension. The game has long rallies and a lot of fun. This also means that tactics are more important than strength, as the ball can keep returning. The smaller court and the use of the walls makes padel an attractive sport where speed and endurance are less crucial and can therefore be played into old age. It is easy to pick up and the rules and scoring are the same as in tennis.
Padel was invented in Mexico in 1969. By coincidence the idea of this new racket sport was taken to Marbella where one court was built. In Spain it is now the most popular sport after soccer with 5 million players. Padel is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with approximately 10 million players worldwide
Park Startbaan and padel
For Park Startbaan also ‘to govern is to look ahead’. In addition to bringing our accommodation into top condition, we also need to innovate and respond to new developments with the aim of expanding the sports offer and from that angle increase involvement at Park Startbaan, recruit members and develop new activities. The introduction of padel creates those possibilities.
In recent years, 19 “free” courts have been created in Amsterdam and also 9 at parks and within associations, a total of about 28 courts. Amstelveen only has 1 court at De Kegel.
Outside the Randstad, padel is mainly seen as a means of reducing the decline in the membership of the association and thus attracting other target groups, such as football players and hockey players on a summer break and young people in general. Renting a padel court: click here!
