In January 2021, TSA accepted the South African Padel Association (SAPA) as an associate member of the Federation. Luke Potter from SAPA now provides us with an update on what has been happening in the sport, over the last six months.
Padel is on the rise, not only internationally, but in South Africa as well. Courts have steadily grown and there are currently 4 sites in SA, that are accessible for play. These being, Val de Vie Estate, Paarl Cape Town, Padel Tennis SA at Ijump Roodepoort, Action Padel at Canal Walk, Cape Town and the new kids on the block, Africa Padel that are open at Camps Bay, Cape Town.
Not only is the footprint growing nationally, with various courts planned for Gauteng, KZN, the Garden Route and more sprouting up in Cape Town, but we are also fortunate to have only the second indoor court in Africa housed here in our beautiful country. This would be the Africa Padel panoramic court, inside the Rotunda, at the very prestigious Bay Hotel.
The trend of the sport is clearly visible, with various players flocking to play the game. The mere fact that the Padel is sociable, is a lot easier than most racket sports and is still new, has converted many “newbies” to pick up a racquet and try the sport. It is not unusual to catch anyone from presenters to rugby players (see Jean de Villiers below) showing off their skills, on the Padel Court.
Competition is riff amongst players, with Padel getting the greenlight to be accepted in Krakow, at the European Games in 2023. This is very exciting not only for Padel, but for SA as well. The South African Padel Association (SAPA) are hard at work in the background selecting teams, getting players coached and even getting an international coach for a “ coach the coaches program”.
A SA Invitational Team will be selected end of this month and will be traveling to Egypt to compete in the All African Games at the end of September. We look forward to sharing some great results from that tournament. Naturally this is still very new to South Africa, but we are driving the process hard to get players upskilled and as competitive as possible.
Padel is evolving daily and we look forward to sharing more details, as we go along. Be on the look out for a court near you. Try the game out. All ages. All fitness levels and all skill sets are welcome.
For more details about Padel in South Africa, please visit: https://sapadel.co.za/