SA Under-19 tennis star Erin Peters is loving padel, and aims to compete at the highest levels across the world. Photo: Cape Town Sports Photography
Former Africa Padel national sports director Jackie Booth has reiterated the importance of spreading padel sport to all communities across the country following a BrandMapp survey.
The study by the dataset company found that Padel is the fastest-growing sport in SA.
However, the survey – which included over 33 000 South Africans living in households with a monthly income of R10 000 or more – showed that approximately only 1% of the participants actually play.
According to BrandMapp director of storytelling, Brandon de Kock, more courts are being developed in “upmarket neighbourhoods”, and “there’s little doubt that padel is ‘a thing’ for affluent South Africans”.
“There is a concern,” says Booth. “If we are going to develop this sport properly like any other sport in South Africa, we need to reach broader communities.
“The sport is way too commercial at the moment, and not enough is being done to build a holistic community to include all.”
Padel clubs are popping up everywhere in Cape Town, and facilities are located along the Atlantic Seaboard, Rondebosch, Retreat, Tokai, Durbanville, Stellenbosch, Hout Bay and Paarden Eiland.
The bat-and-ball sport, which is a hybrid of tennis and squash, is typically played by four people and ranges between R400 and R600 per game, which is split between two or four players.
Added to this, the padel racquet can cost anything between R1 000 and R10 000.
Some facilities, however, allow you to hire their equipment for roughly R50 per game.
“We’re seeing the rapid development of leagues and tournaments. Celebrities and brands are eager to associate themselves with padel,” said De Kock.
“The question is whether the sport will become another elite pastime in South Africa.
“That’s going to be determined by the vision and intentions for the sport in the country, which at the moment is in the hands of corporate developers and other businesses in the game.”
De Kock added that roughly 50% of SA padel players are “top-enders”, and individuals living in households earning more than R40 000 per month.
“When we look at the income breakdown of South African padel players, the majority are sitting in the upper middle class and higher,” he added.
And this is where Booth aims to make a change through the Jackie Booth Padel Academy.
“One of my goals is to get sponsors to help reach a broader community – not just the upper-class, high-wealth individuals,” she said.
“There still is growth, and new clubs popping up, but not too many grassroots padel events are being done or taken to outer-lying areas.
“Companies and businesses need to make that happen – otherwise it’s just an elitist sport.
“The academy I have started aims to do talent identification with the help of sponsors so that we can give players who can’t necessarily afford it, the assistance to have full-time coaching,” said Booth, a well-known figure in South African tennis who has now also transitioned over to padel, having learned from the best in Spain and completed a Padel MBA certification course.
“I also aim to empower coaches through the Padel MBA certification course. The academy’s name is currently the Jackie Booth Padel Academy, but if I get sponsorship, they will get naming rights, depending on the agreement we come to.”
Booth aims to take the show on the road and run padel clinics across the Western Cape.
“I have been doing these clinics for a while now at places like Aura Padel Club in Montague Gardens, Virgin Active’s The Point (in Green Point), and I hope to add more venues and places.
“My dream is to build up a full-blown academy, with a big focus on talent identification to place youngsters through a high-performance programme that will allow them to be fully focused on training.”
Booth has already found one such talent in SA Under-19 tennis player Erin Peters, who has transitioned to padel.
Earlier this year, Peters made her debut at one of the most popular padel brands in the Western Cape, Padel4Good.
In two events, Peters reached the knockouts before winning her second competition, showcasing incredible poise, shot selection, patience, athleticism and padel IQ.
“We are working very hard on getting Erin into a high-performance programme,” said Booth, who confirmed that major Spanish brand Drop Shot has already come on board as a clothing and racquet sponsor for the upcoming star.
Padel4Good returns to the Virgin Active Padel Club in Paarden Eiland tomorrow with a women’s tournament (level 2-3).
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