Ely’s Padel Courts Open as a First in East Cambridgeshire

On Sunday the first outdoor Padel courts in the East Cambridgeshire area were opened at Ely Outdoor Sports Association, which is situated behind Ely Leisure Village. A
demonstration match by players from Cambridgeshire Padel teams gave spectators something to aspire to and introductory ‘have a go’ sessions with Cambridgeshire’s LTA
Padel ambassador and Ely Padel Club coach Paul Hansgate, were on offer to those who had never played Padel before.
Padel is the world’s fastest growing racket sport. It is an innovative form of tennis that’s fun, easy to learn and extremely sociable. Played on an enclosed court about a third the size of a tennis court, groups of mixed ages and abilities can play together making it a very inclusive and appealing way to keep fit. There are currently 90,000 players in the UK and
the LTA forecasts that this will grow to 600,000 by 2026.
Members of Ely Tennis Club first identified the opportunity to bring Padel to Ely 8 years ago but few people knew about the sport back then and raising the funds needed was a
mountain too high. Padel was put back on the agenda in 2020 and planning permission for 2 courts gained. The £176K needed to build them was finally raised earlier this year with
grants from Thalia WB Community Fund (part of the Landfill Communities Fund), East Cambridgeshire District Council and Sport England; donations from individuals and local
businesses including Peacocks Tea Rooms, Astra Zeneca and G’s Fresh; and a loan from the Lawn Tennis Association. Work started on the courts in late July and finished just two
weeks ago. The courts are now available to hire by both non-members and members of Ely Padel Club. A court costs £28 to hire for non-members and £16.80 for 4 members for
1 hour.
Ely Padel Club has been set up to help bring together local Padel players. Membership of the Club offers players a 40% discount on their individual court hire and tournaments, 20%
discount on group coaching sessions, the ability to book a court 14 days in advance compared to 7 days for non-members and access to the benefits of being a member of Ely
Outdoor Sports Association.
Still very much in its infancy and assessing the demand for the various activities, the Club currently offers ‘Introduction to Padel’ and ‘Beginners’ group coaching sessions on a
Monday evening and a Friday afternoon. Other days and times will be available later in the year, as will coaching sessions for intermediate and more advanced players.
The Club also holds Americano tournaments for beginners and intermediate level players.
The tournaments are a round-robin format where players compete individually but are randomly paired with new partners and opponents for each match, ensuring everyone plays
with and against different participants. Players join the tournament individually and this format is great for those wanting to play with people of a similar level.
Individual players can also join open matches set up by other players and Club social sessions. And once the Club is more established, it plans to enter teams into local Padel
leagues.

There is something for everyone! And you don’t need to have a partner to play with or to have a go. You don’t need to have a racket either – the Club has both rackets and balls
that you can hire. You simply need to wear appropriate clothing and trainers.

To gain access to all that Ely Padel Club has to offer simply download the PadelMates app (available on both Apple and Android devices) and click on Ely Padel Club. You will be
able to book a court, join tournaments, coaching sessions and open matches, as well as become a member of the Club.
For more information on the Club itself head to www.elypadelclub.com or follow them on Facebook and/or Instagram.