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Four friends went on a year abroad to Madrid and picked up Pádel as a activity to meet some new people and try something different. We instantly loved it and found it easy to organise to play very often. We realised when we returned back to the UK it was one of the things we missed most about our time away and we’re keen to continue to play. 

We set up our pádel society at the beginning of the academic year and have seen it grow from strength to strength in the subsequent weeks. Our committee formed the society out of a passion for the sport and the belief that other students would enjoy and engage with it the same way we did. Our Faceboook page, which is currently where all our information and organising happens, has attracted 55 members to date.

We are currently playing at Rawdon Golf & Lawn Tennis Club, a 25-minute drive from university Campus, as that is where the only pádel facilities are in Leeds. We have been working closely with them and managed to establish a strong relationship. The court bookings in peak time stand at £32 an hour and £24 off peak. By working with Simon Bickerton, who runs all the administrations of pádel at the club, we have been able to reduce this price to £12 an hour.

Additionally, our committee have purchased memberships which are £30 annually for students to accommodate our reduced price. The club has kindly implemented a fixed booking for us on Wednesday 2-4pm for “Leeds uni pádel” and have been instrumental in our formation and running of the sport. Simon is also a trained coach, offering his skills in November for free, and then for £20 each session.

At present, we are covering our costs by dividing the cost of the courts by the number of players that participate each session. We are aiming to introduce a membership fee that will cover all costs including transport (petrol money for cars etc), coaching fees and any other unforeseen costs we might incur once the society is established with the Union. At the moment, this money is coming from the committees’ personal funds and so is not sustainable.

We also aim to hold a Give It a Go session in January, as our first formation event was a huge success. We would like to work with Spanish societies and local businesses/clubs to help promote their culture and spread the word. This may also invite an opportunity for sponsorship for the society. It is of importance to us to be an inclusive and diverse society. We have plans to host a fundraiser event in the university, focussed around salsa dancing and tapas which we think could be enjoyable for all.

We understand that the future of this sport is what will drive it to be a successful society. We have already engaged in multiple conversations with external companies who are keen to build pádel as a sport. There is a huge opportunity for the university to be one of the first to accommodate facilities and be part of the fastest growing sport in the UK. Companies such as Instant Padel, Padel United and LTA all have equipment, stock, expertise, and funding to offer if courts were to be considered at the university. The people I have been in contact with have all embraced the idea of working with a University and are willing to open discussions about potential partnerships.

Our committee are all in their fourth and final year at university, so have already considered the vital roles be taken over next year. Our society has members in each year group and so

are confident there is potential for the committee to grow and continue in the years to come.

We genuinely believe this society to be exciting and successful, not least because we will be the first university pádel society to exist in the UK, and hope you see the potential too.