The Padel Yard opens its doors this week on Armoury Way, bringing the world’s hottest new sport to the heart of Wandsworth. We caught up with Game4Padel to find out more.
Firstly, what is padel?
Padel is a relatively new sport that is taking the world by storm – it’s thought to be the world’s fastest growing sport, and has lots of celebrity fans like Andy Murray, Virgil van Dijk, David Beckham, Nicole Scherzinger and Elle MacPherson.
The best way to describe it is a bit like a cross between tennis and squash. You play on a court one third the size of a tennis court, with partially glass walls, with a padel bat and tennis ball. The main things to know about padel are: it is really good fun, easy to learn, sociable because you play in doubles pairs, and it’s great for your mental and physical wellbeing.
How did The Padel Yard come about?
The Padel Yard is a collaboration between Game4Padel, the UK’s leading padel operator, and property developer Sha Jenab.
Padel courts are in huge demand across London, and so when the site at Armoury Way (formerly Backyard Cinema) became available it seemed like a great opportunity to open a new padel venue.
When do you launch in Wandsworth Town?
The courts will be officially opened on Thursday 14 September.
What can we expect?
The Padel Yard will have three courts, open all day long for people to come and play. There will also be a bar, plenty of outdoor seating, Wifi and on-site parking.
We are aiming to replicate a Spanish style model of padel clubs where people come down to play padel and then stick around the venue enjoying the social side of the game, hanging out with friends and making new connections.
How do we sign up?
Visit the Game4Padel website where you will be able to book courts at The Padel Yard from 14 September, and see our other UK venues.
What would you say to anyone thinking of taking up padel?
Welcome to your new obsession!
People find that they quickly become hooked on padel, so we expect this new venue in Wandsworth to be really popular! But the real message is that we encourage anyone and everyone to come down and give it a go. You don’t have to have any racket experience to play, or even be particularly sporty. The beauty of padel is it’s very easy to learn so it really is for everybody.
Finally, what do you love about Wandsworth Town?
The people. The diversity and sense of strong local community in Wandsworth Town should help to make our padel venue a thriving centre, where people can mix together whilst getting the mental and physical benefits of playing sport.
Follow The Padel Yard on Instagram for all the latest info.
