From 1st July, Battersea Power Station sees padel fever descend on its historic site. The Padel School are ecstatic to be a part of the incredible new initiative, open for three months until 3rd September 2023. Organised and managed by the incredible guys at Rocket Padel, the court is open daily from 9AM to 10PM and makes for an epic, fun-filled family day out.
We were down at the launch event recently, which saw a huge number of enthusiasts, professional players, and padel unknowns come and enjoy the occasion. We’ll be down until the popup padel court comes to a close, offering personalised and tailored coaching sessions for all experiences and ages, available to book through the Padel Mates app.
For now, we’ll look at exactly what Battersea are offering for padel enthusiasts and complete novices to padel, and what the UK can learn from padel in Battersea.
Why Is There A Popup Padel Court At Battersea Power Station?
Padel in Battersea is all part of The Battersea Games, which features an exciting array of free and ticketed sports and games activities for all summer. Set within the historic Grade II listed Battersea Power Station, experience diverse sports and games suitable for all ages and interests. These include indoor climbing, 3×3 basketball, a running track, various fitness classes like yoga and boxing, dog agility, virtual reality gaming, and classic games such as ping-pong and giant board games.
Additionally, Battersea Power Station will host The Wimbledon Experience in collaboration with Ocean Outdoor and The All England Lawn Tennis Club. The outdoor experience will feature live screenings on a large screen in Power Station Park. You can catch themed films and other summer sporting fixtures throughout the Games, which promises to be an incredible few weeks.
The single padel court was provided and set up by Portico Padel, giving passers-by the chance to jump on and start experiencing the sport. Due to the huge amount of footfall at Battersea Power Station, the initiative is expected to draw in thousands of spectators and participants. Naturally, initiatives like this especially in huge cities like London will spread awareness of padel and the amazing benefits it can bring to people.
What Can The UK Learn From Events Like Padel In Battersea?
The popup padel courts at Battersea Power Station represent an important and positive step for padel in the UK. Whilst the sport is still relatively infantile within the UK, initiatives like this are a beneficial way to gain people’s interest and then get them hooked on the sport.
Sandy Farquharson, Founder of The Padel School, states, “It is fantastic to work alongside Rocket Padel, who are really working to develop the sport in the UK. The reason this sport is growing so quickly worldwide is a combination of it being easy to play and very sociable. If players come down to Battersea Power Station to give it a go, I have no doubt they will get hooked on the game.”
At The Padel School, when we travel to other nations to do clinics across the world, most of these sessions are geared towards intermediate to advanced players. These players have full working knowledge and awareness of the sport and are interested in improving their game and experience. With the game so young on British borders, a lot of our work at home involves introductory sessions and awareness-building workshops. It’s great to get to put on sessions for newbies to the sport, especially in such an iconic and monumental national landmark as Battersea Power Station.
We did something similar in Canary Wharf a few years ago, and it achieved the same worthwhile result. With lots of people walking past the court and expressing an interest, they can immediately see a game in action. Their journey usually consists of stopping and watching for a short while, asking their friends and researching padel, before eventually immersing themselves in the sport, booking a court and seeing what it’s all about.
How Can Padel Businesses Use Popup Events To Grow The Sport?
For padel companies and brands, events like this also signify a great way to network and talk to professional players, as well as established padel brands. Some of the Team GB players who were there last week included Nikhil Mohindra, Francis Langan, Tia Norton and Amy Cairns. Setting up popup courts in well-known and popular locations around the UK is a proven way to drive traffic back to your brand or club from both consumers, sponsors, and even professional players.
For smaller businesses and manufacturers, it also presents the opportunity to pitch up stalls and stands to capitalise on the footfall and interest. All of this contributes to a circular eco-system which inevitably grows the sport, so events like padel in Battersea need to come about more regularly and be spread across the UK. With Wimbledon showing on the big screen nearby, it’s likely to push people to want to get onto a court and pick up a racket. We’re looking forward to being there across the summer, so come say hi and stop by for a chat!
What do you think? Have you been to Battersea or planning to go? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so if you have any questions get in touch with us now!
