Manchester: A city united by padel
• 2 MINUTE READ
Padel is uniting the red and blue halves of Manchester as the city establishes itself as a hotbed of the world's fastest-growing sport.
There are now 14 padel clubs across the Greater Manchester area, according to the LTA padel map, and that figure could well be out of date by the time you read this, with new venues opening their doors with startling regularity.
Two of the area's keenest and well-known players from either side of the city's footballing divide are revelling in the abundance of facilities.
"I've played at The Padel Club in Wilmslow, Hale Country Club and the Trafford Centre — there's so many to choose from now. We're spoilt for choice!" said former Manchester United defender Phil Jones, who recently took part in the Pro Am Padel Tour event at yet another newly-opened north-west club, Pure Padel Stockport.
Jones added: "There used to be a real scarcity when I first started playing. You couldn't get a court, but it's a lot better now. It's so addictive. You just want to play again and again. I've always been a big golfer, but now I have to find time to squeeze in both."
Joleon Lescott, twice a Premier League winner with Manchester City, is another padel convert.
The ex-England centre back said: "I tend to play with the same people and we go wherever we can get on court. There's so much choice in Manchester, it's brilliant. This is my first time here (Stockport) so I'll be coming back, but I've also got Wilmslow, Cheadle Hulme and many others not far from my doorstep.
"It's easily accessible. You can just play without necessarily having to be coached too much, like with golf. You get better simply by playing and people can feel that as they play more, which is super satisfying."
The plethora of padel venues in Manchester is being closely monitored and optimised by the LTA through a collaboration with Manchester City Council and Manchester Active.
They are working together to align padel infrastructure with local sport, health and facility strategy, using demographic research to identify sites where padel facilities would be accessible and sustainable, and reach as many members of the local community as possible.
This helps padel operators negotiate the difficulties of the planning process as local councils are stitched into the process from the beginning. It also helps encourage new clubs to proactively engage with the community around them.
One example of this is the newly-opened Carbon Padel in West Gorton, close to Manchester city centre. The 11-court club is pioneering a community use agreement with Manchester Active and Manchester City Council so it will be supported in engaging with different demographics in its local community, through links with schools, for example.
"The LTA's collaborative process with Manchester City Council, Manchester Active and padel operators will help us address coverage of facilities across the city and take padel to new audiences," said Sam Foakes, LTA’s Head of Delivery for North and Midlands West.
Conversations are ongoing to replicate this model with other borough councils within wider Greater Manchester, as well as in Birmingham, Newcastle Under Lyme and Stoke.
Steve Yeardley, the LTA’s Padel Manager, said: “This strategic approach allows us to have far greater and more impactful conversations with our local councils and other key stakeholders.
"Alongside this, we will continue to use an analytical tool which can model the demography and demand around specific locations to ensure project viability and long-term success. This will enable us to have informative, proactive conversations with the operators around potential sites and/or locations, in turn allowing us all to have the greatest impact on participation within those communities.”
