Padel in Ireland: A Guide to the Fastest-Growing Racket Sport

Compared with Spain, padel is a newcomer in Ireland. But it is arriving quickly: courts are being added at clubs and leisure venues, and the game is picking up a following among players who have tried it abroad or heard about it from friends.

What padel actually is

Padel is a racket sport played on an enclosed court roughly a third the size of a tennis court, with walls of glass and metal mesh. You serve underarm, the ball can be played off the walls, and the scoring is the same as tennis. It is almost always played as doubles. Rackets are solid and stringless, and the ball is similar to a tennis ball.

Why it suits Ireland

A few things make padel a natural fit for Irish clubs, hotels and community facilities:

• +It is social and beginner-friendly, which widens the pool of people who'll actually book a court.
• +A court has a small footprint, so it can slot into space an existing venue already has.
• +With a cover or an indoor setup, play carries on through the wetter months, which matters a lot in the Irish climate.

Getting started

If you just want to play, the usual route is to find a local club or venue with a court, book a slot, and try a beginner session, most places are set up for people who've never held a padel racket. If you're a club or operator thinking about adding courts, the questions are different: space, base, surface, lighting and how the courts will be run.