This story is sponsored by Surge Padel.
The UK’s largest premium indoor padel tennis centre has ‘surged’ in popularity, with players travelling from across the country for games.
Based at Harrogate’s Hornbeam Park, Surge Padel has grown to 1,400 members, with its six courts often fully booked.
Owner and CEO Stuart Perrin said members often play up to four times a week and he puts the sport’s popularity down to its simplicity.
He said:
“You serve underhand and the ball stays in play a lot longer than tennis. It’s a lot less technical, so people of all ages and abilities can play. It’s also super social as you play in pairs. Once you’ve played a few times you just keep coming back.”
A mashup of tennis and squash that originated in Mexico, padel has been described as one of the world’s fastest growing sports.
It is played between four players on reduced-size tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.
Since November 2020, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has been the national governing body for the sport when it was officially recognised as a discipline of tennis. This has opened the door for greater recognition, support and funding.
Mr Perrin said:
“Because it is so fresh in the UK, we get people travelling to play. We get people from Middlesbrough and the far side of Leeds regularly.
“There aren’t facilities like this anywhere else, especially fully indoors.
“We have people coming from far and wide. I would say around 900 of our members are from the Harrogate district and the rest are from further afield.”
Surge Padel, which is located above Coach gym, is now a centre of excellence for the UK is fully affiliated with the LTA. It has hosted European Championships and events are held at the club most weekends.
Mr Perrin said:
“We are the largest padel tennis club in the UK and are member based. We’ve only been open since January 2022 and it is now getting really difficult to book a court on an evening, as it’s so popular. If we could have built a bigger site, we would have done!
“We have got a further four centres opening in 2023. One of those will hopefully be in Leeds.
“We offer state-of-the-art facilities at an affordable price.”
