Saints stars on hand to officially open Northampton's first Padel tennis court

The town's first padel tennis facility is now open and available to use at Northampton County Lawn Tennis Club, which is situated on Church Way in Weston Favell Village.

Members of the Saints squad, including England stars George Furbank and Alex Mitchell, got their chance to test their padel skills, before head coach Sam Vesty cut the ribbon to declare the court officially open.

Padel tennis is rapidly taking off in the UK, and is one of the world's fastest growing sports, as well as the number one participation sport in Spain.

And it's not just tennis players that are getting into the sport.

Leading football clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester City have installed courts within their training grounds to help players compete and bond whilst winding down.

Former Reds boss Jürgen Klopp and French legend Zinedine Zindane are renowned padel enthusiasts.

Mike Musson, a member of Northampton County Lawn Tennis Club (NCLTC), believes this will be the first of many padel courts to come to the town and explained how the sport is played.

"It's like a hybrid of tennis and squash," he said.

"It's played on a smaller court than a tennis court, but with the ability to play the ball off the glass walls at each end of the court.

"It's really great fun and I think it's much easier to play than tennis.

"Adults and children alike can pick up a padel racket, which is a bit like a beach bat, and play right from the off."

"It's best enjoyed with four people playing in a doubles format, so it's really social and ideal for families.

"It's a great way to get straight into a racket sport and we are hoping it will drive more people into coming down to our club and to perhaps give tennis a go as well."

Musson then outlined the key contributors to getting the padel project completed at the town club.

"It's been a journey getting to this point and it certainly wouldn't have been possible without some grant funding support from the South East Midlands Growth Hub," he said.

"We've also had some great help from our members who volunteered their services free of charge, namely Dan Kearns of FLH Architectural Services Ltd who drew up the plans for the court and Tony Entwistle of Fed3 Projects Ltd who acted as our project manager."

The padel court at NCLTC is now available for hire and can be booked via the club's website.

Padel rackets can be hired and balls purchased on site. Memberships are also available for those who want to play regularly.

If you wish to try your hand at padel tennis, the club is also holding a 'Padel Open Day' on Saturday, 28, between 1-4pm.

Those who wish to try the sport can pre-book via the website to give it a try on that day.

For further details please visit https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/NorthamptonCountyLawnTennisClub/Contact

Alternatively, you can email [email protected]