Padel is getting bigger and bigger
Padel is a relatively new sport that is fortunately becoming more and more popular. Padel is not yet as well known as tennis, but our sport has experienced incredible growth in the Netherlands and other countries in recent years.
The beginning
Padel originated in Mexico and quickly became popular in South America, especially in Argentina. Padel has also been a very popular sport in Spain for decades. It is therefore not surprising that the largest players in the world currently mainly come from those parts of the world. If you like to learn more about that, you can check out our blog about the World Padel Tour !
Spain not only has the best players, but also the largest padel market; the country has more than 10,000 padel courts and more than 5 million players.
Padel in the Netherlands
However, padel has also spread quickly to other parts of Europe and the rest of the world, including the Netherlands. In recent years, many padel courts have been built at a rapid pace. There are currently more than 500 padel courts in the Netherlands! In addition, there are more and more associations that offer padel as a sport.
An important factor that has contributed to the growth of padel in the Netherlands is the low threshold of the sport. Padel is easy to learn and can be played by all ages and levels. This is one of the reasons that padel is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). If the sport continues to grow at this rate, it's only a matter of time before we can admire padel at the Olympics!
Furthermore, padel has grown so much thanks to the various physical benefits. It is an excellent cardiovascular workout that helps build strength, endurance and speed. In addition, the sport is less stressful for the joints than, for example, tennis, which makes padel ideal for people with injuries or for the elderly who are looking for a fun and healthy way to stay active.
Arise padel
Before we tell you more about the current state of padel in the Netherlands, you might find it interesting to know more about the origin of the sport. "How did padel originate?" is a frequently asked question among padel players. Although many think padel originated in Spain, the sport was actually created by a businessman from Mexico: Enrique Corcuera. In 1969 he lived in Acapulco, where he actually wanted to build a tennis court in his garden. Because he didn't have enough space here, he had a smaller cement field built in his backyard. This field of 10 by 20 meters was too small, so the ball always flew out of the field on all sides. Corcuera therefore had the field surrounded by walls; this is how the padel court got its shape.
Once the padel field was formed, it was necessary to find out which ball and which racket would suit it best. It soon became clear that the squash ball was not suitable, so the game was continued with a tennis ball. When Argentinian friends visited Enrique, they liked the game they played on his padel field so much that they brought rackets from Buenos Aires in 1970. The rackets were made of wood and had holes in them. In terms of shape, they were already very similar to the padel rackets as we know them today.
Padel originated from the idea of bringing friends and family together. In 1969 Corcuera's eldest grandfather was already on the track together with all the young nephews.
More and more wealthy friends and family of the Concueras had a similar padel court built near their house so that they could play padel. Since Corcuera hadn't come up with a name for the game he played in his yard, his friend Manuel came up with the name "rebootis," derived from rebound tennis. However, the Argentinians called the game "paddle" and eager to use one universal name for the sport, they came up with padel.
Originally, padel was mainly a recreational game, played at holiday parks or next to tennis courts. As its popularity grew, it developed into a real sport. Argentine players founded the first padel federation in 1988: the Asociación Padel Argentino. Spain followed three years later with the foundation of the Asociación Espanola de Padel. The Netherlands followed in 2006, 37 years after the invention of padel by Enrique.
Padel is also popular in Belgium, relatively speaking the sport is even bigger than in the Netherlands! Belgium has more than 300 padel courts. There are 1,500 padel courts in Germany. Padel is relatively new in this country, so plenty of room to grow!
Want to know more about padel?
At JustPadel we are happy to tell you more about our sport. For example, did you know that:
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Have padel courts different sizes? Although most padel courts are 20 meters long and 10 meters wide, they can vary in size. However, the minimum dimensions are set by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and are 10 meters wide by 20 meters long.
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Padel rackets have holes in their surface? This is done to reduce the speed of the ball and make the game more tactical.
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Padel is considered one of the fastest growing sports in the world? According to the FIP, there are currently more than 20 million active padel players in more than 80 countries around the world.
- Padel courts are usually made of artificial grass or acrylic? Unlike the clay or hard courts of tennis.
- Padel is so popular in Argentina that there are more padel courts than tennis courts?
All in all, there are many more fascinating facts about padel to discover. Whether you are a fanatic padel player or are just curious about our beautiful sport, it is definitely worth taking a look at our website every now and then.
Furthermore, we are not only happy to teach you more about the origins and growth of our sport, but also about the practice of padel. At JustPadel we offer different training packages or individual lessons. Book a training right away and learn more about padel from our experts! View our training offer here .
