West of Scotland Padel

David Urie

What is padel?
The sport of padel, sometimes referred to as padel tennis, is growing rapidly across the world and already has a huge following in European countries such as Spain where it is the second biggest participation sport after football. For those not familiar with the sport it is a cross between tennis and squash, played on an enclosed court that is a third of the size of a tennis court. The sport is full of fun and action and as it does not rely on brute strength, is ideal for all ages and abilities.

It is described as easy to learn, but difficult to master.

It’s always played as doubles so combined with the smaller court, there is much less ground to cover.
The service is under-arm so it is very easy to start playing without mastering all the technicalities of the tennis serve.

Because the court is enclosed, even if the ball goes past you, you can still play it once it has bounced off the walls.

Club History
Stevenston in North Ayrshire is an unlikely spot to find the top facilities in Scotland for any sport, and even more unlikely for one of the fastest growing sports in the world, but that is exactly what can be found at West of Scotland Padel.

Padel was brought to Ayrshire over eight years ago when local businessman, David McCulloch, fell in love with the sport while on holiday in Spain. He came home, rented an industrial unit and erected three padel courts. Back then, when he started the business called Ayrshire Padel, only David and a few people in Ayrshire even knew what padel was, but his belief that the sport would take off has been justified as the club has steadily grown over the years. In 2019, with David’s help, what is now West of Scotland Padel became a not-for-profit registered charity and now has a membership of over 130. As a not-for-profit charity, one of the club’s main aims is to make padel accessible to as many people as possible in the area, to encourage people of all ages to get active and socialise by playing this fun sport.

One indication of how groundbreaking this was back in 2016 is that the club is still the only location in Scotland that has three indoor courts. This means that padel can be played all year round regardless of what the West of Scotland weather can throw at it. One advantage of this is that it enables the club to run top level tournaments under the auspices of the UK Lawn Tennis Association.

Club Facilities
The club has three very well-maintained indoor courts. There are male and female showers, changing rooms and toilet facilities as well as the members’ lounge with comfortable seating, free tea and coffee making facilities and snacks and other cold drinks available to buy. The club has racquets and balls for sale at preferential rates for club members, but for anyone just starting their padel journey, loan racquets and balls are available to let new players have a go without having to commit to purchase.

How the club operates
With the game always played as doubles, it might seem daunting for someone on their own to come along and find people to play with. It might appear counter-intuitive, but that’s one of the club’s strengths as the social element of padel comes into play. The club uses WhatsApp groups to manage both social and more competitive play. This takes the form of:

• Three social sessions arranged during the day on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. In addition to this there is currently a ladies only padel, coffee & cake session every Tuesday.
• More competitive sessions are run on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
• A general ‘Who’s Playing’ WhatsApp group that allows members to join up with others who are also looking for a game.
  

These groups allow members to come along and meet up with others of a similar standard and immediately feel at home without the challenge of having to search for other players.

Coaching
The club is very fortunate to have two very experienced and qualified padel coaches available to help any member who wants to try and improve their technique. Individual coaching can be arranged, but the club also runs two very successful junior coaching sessions on Fridays after school, one for 5–11-years-olds and the other for 11–18-year-olds.

Competitions
The club runs tournaments under the UK governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). These tournaments range in standard from the top UK players at Grade 1 down through to those just starting their competitive journey at Grade 5. In April this year the club hosted the Grade 1 that attracted top players from around the UK including seven out of the top ten UK ranked players. We have also hosted two seniors tournaments as well as a Grade 2 and a hugely popular Grade 3/4. To finish off 2024, there will be another Grade 2 in November and a Grade 4/5 in December.

The club has its own YouTube Channel @WOSP-TV and is the only club in the UK to live stream every match from the tournaments it runs. This means that the friends and family of competitors can watch the matches from home and those playing are able to look back on their own matches after the event.

In September, the club managed a Scottish Cup double, with both the mens’ and womens’ teams beating off stiff competition from teams across Scotland in the Tennis Scotland Padel Scottish Cup in Edinburgh.
Club members are also making their mark on the ranking tables with one of the original club members, John Byrne, currently ranked fourth in the UK over 50s classification. The club has also been very successful in providing players for both the Scottish and UK senior teams, who have played in international tournaments this year.

Membership Packages
A variety of playing options are available. The club offers both full and off-peak membership packages, but if a group of non-members wish to book a court they can do so through the online booking platform and pay by the hour. For any Ayrshire residents curious about padel and the Club, free taster sessions can be arranged, allowing everyone to find out if this fun and sociable sport is right for them.