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If you are thinking of building a padel court, understanding the fundamentals of the sport is crucial before getting started. In this article we will touch on what constitutes a padel court, and its unique features compared to other racket sports.
Padel Court Dimensions and Structure
Padel courts have specific dimensions that differentiate them from tennis and squash courts. Here we will cover the standard size, layout, and materials used in constructing a padel court.
The standard size of a padel court is 20 meters long and 10 meters wide, with a net dividing the court into two halves. The net is 0.88m high at the centre point, with a maximum height of 0.92m on the ends.
Glass walls are the main distinctive feature of padel courts, allowing for unique play dynamics and great spectator visibility. Padel court glass walls allow for exciting and strategic gameplay where the ball can be played after bouncing off the wall, or hit against the wall before making it over to the opposite side of the court.
There are a few different padel court surfaces generally used including artificial turf, acrylic, and concrete. All of these surface types have their own pros and cons, impact ball bounce, and influence play style.
Artificial turf for padel is the most popular surface type used nowadays around the world because of its durability, low maintenance, and consistent ball bounce. Although the pros outweigh the cons, turf courts do tend to have a slightly higher upfront cost compared to other surfaces.
Acrylic courts are ideal for indoor padel facilities as they are not usable in adverse weather. In saying this, they are durable and suitable for heavy use, easily customisable in terms of design and colour, low maintenance, and ensure a consistent ball bounce because of the smoothness. Cons to the acrylic surface include slipperiness, hardness, and heat retention in hotter weather.
Concrete padel courts are becoming less widely used as improved surfaces that are more suitable for the game have become available in recent years. Concrete courts were once used because they are long-lasting, cheap to make, and naturally drainable, but have been replaced by the surfaces more suitable for modern day padel.
Padel Court Maintenance
Keeping your padel court in good condition is important in maintaining optimal playing conditions, and ensuring longevity of the court. Depending on the surface of your padel court, regular surface checks, and jobs such as brushing sand, adding sand, removing weeds and leaves, glass cleaning, and checking screws are all necessary padel court upkeep tasks.
The Growth of Padel and Its Impact on Court Demand
As the world’s fastest growing sport, padel in New Zealand is starting to experience large demand, and is at the very beginning of its journey. With only 2 operational courts at the time of this article, padel court availability is limited and demand is huge. Booking a timeslot to play with friends has become increasingly difficult as more people learn about this booming sport.
Several padel court and padel club projects are underway throughout the country which will soon be ready to cater for the high demand, and see even more people become familiar with padel. If you are interested in building your own padel court(s) for private or commercial use get in touch with us here at Pacific Padel! We are the Official Distributors of Padel Galis courts in New Zealand.
FAQs
Which country has the most padel courts?
Spain has the most padel courts by a huge margin at 16,000! Next is Italy with 9050, followed by Argentina with 7000.
What is the difference between padel and tennis courts?
The differences between padel and tennis courts are the playing area dimensions, net height, and walls versus no walls.
Padel court: 20m long x 10m wide, net height of 0.88m in the middle, and glass walls mark the court boundary.
Tennis court: 23.77m long x 10.97m wide, net height of 0.914m in the middle, and lines to mark the court boundary.
Are there padel courts in New Zealand?
Yes! There are currently a couple of padel courts in Auckland, New Zealand available for public use. Many other padel court and club projects are underway throughout the country including Pacific Padel clubs in Albany, Merton Road, and Wilding Park. See more here.