Why padel is a great sport for families

One such family is the Fyfes, with three different generations all enjoying court time together several times a week at Play Padel Sheffield at Abbeydale Sports Club.

Padel is "a great leveller"

One of the most obvious reasons that padel appeals to families is that it offers a great experience even if there is a mixture of standards on court at the same time.

The 'bounce and hit' serve into a large landing target in a small 20x10m court means there are none of the barriers to enjoying good rallies that can deter beginners starting out in other racket sports.

With two players covering a small area, it's easier to keep rallies going and not as much running is required to keep the ball in play, so the usual advantages enjoyed by younger, fitter players are somewhat negated.

Richard Fyfe, who plays with his 75-year-old father David, brother Stephen and nephews Harri and Arvind in Sheffield, said: "I think one of the reasons padel is so good for families is that, more than any other racket sport, it's easier for people of different standards to play.

"Serving in tennis can be quite difficult but it's not like that in padel. It doesn't need to be competitive in terms of the score to make it worthwhile having a knock around. It's so much more accessible."

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All generations can play

If ever there's proof that age is no barrier in padel, it's 75-year-old David Fyfe. At the time of writing, he had clocked up 254 matches on Playtomic since April last year. He plays virtually every day. "My wife Jean would tell you I'm obsessed!" he laughs.

David added: "Neither of my sons or any of my family have ever beaten me, although I reckon my grandson Hari could be the one soon. It'll be a bittersweet day when he does! I'll be happy that he's beaten me, but I'll be disappointed to lose that record."

David's son Stephen added: "I'm scarred from losing to my dad at tennis for many years, now he's beating me on the padel court too!"

Despite the 60-odd years between them, David and grandson Hari are regular partners on court, either taking on people they know at the club or strangers from the club's Whatsapp group or Playtomic.

"It's absolutely wonderful to play with my grandsons," said David. "They only wanted to play football previously, but since we've found padel, it's so great to be all on court together."

A safe and friendly vibe

With a proliferation of modern, vibrant clubs in Britain's towns and cities, padel offers a safe, friendly environment where families can have fun together.

Simran, mum to Hari and Arvind, has just started playing padel, having previously spent most weekends 'taking part' in her children's sporting activites in a transportation and spectating role only!

"This is something I can do with Stephen and the boys," she said. "They're all into football but now this is something I can join in with. It's great spending quality time together."

With child screen time and inactivity a concern for so many parents, the Fyfes have discovered that padel can enrich their family unit, drawing them closer together, offering a shared passion and physical activity.

Arvind said: "When you're playing with family, it makes the experience so much better."

David added: "It's friendship and fitness, that's what makes padel so great. We all enjoy coming here. As well as spending time with each other, we meet an awful lot of new friends."