QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
-WHO PLAYS PADEL?
Padel can be played by everyone. People of all ages, sex, and/or physical condition play Padel. Padel is played in about 30 countries and was played in the 1995 Pan-American Games as an exhibition sport. Some notable players of Padel are soccer hero Maradona, tennis star Gabriela Sabatini, tennis idol Guillermo Villas who has numerous Padel courts in his tennis academy, as well as Cesc Fabregas, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal!
-HOW POPULAR IS PADEL?
According to the recent figures, Argentina has as many as 25,000 courts and up to 4.5 million players who play the game out of a population of 33 million. Spain is currently leading the world in Padel growth economically. Men and women from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and ages have flocked to the sport. Padel has now spread to about 30 countries worldwide.
-IS THERE A GOVERNING BODY NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY FOR PADEL?
Yes, nationally the Padel Tennis Federation, a non-profit organisation, has been formed to help promote the sport of Padel to all interested individuals and parties. The rules of Padel, established by the Padel Federation of Ireland has followed the strict guidelines established by the International Padel Federation (F.I.P.). The F.I.P. oversees the international competitions between the member countries.
-ARE THERE ANY FAMOUS SPORTS FIGURES WHO PLAY PADEL?
Tennis idol Guillermo Villas has built numerous Padel courts at his tennis academy in Argentina Soccer hero Maradona and tennis champion Gabriela Sabatini have also tried their hand at the game. Rafael Nadal is also a fan of padel and plays regularly as well as many others. Finally, Padel is becoming more widely recognised and played throughout the world. In September of 1992 the first World Championships of Padel was held in Brazil. Every two years 16 plus countries come together in different host countries to compete for World Rankings. In Argentina Padel has become second only to soccer in popularity. We believe that Padel is here to stay and that it has the potential and the right ingredients to vie for a place in the Irish sports industry.