Making a racket about padel

Padel players on the East Rand are blooming, with five nationally ranked youngsters in what has become a very competitive sport

- Eyaaz Matwadia

Padel is the world's fastest-growing sport and South Africa is certainly following the craze.

The sport, which has some similarities to tennis and squash, is still relatively new and small here compared with countries like Spain known as the home of padel with more than 16 000 courts as well as Italy and Sweden.

The country has come a long way since the first padel court was built in 2019 at Val de Vie Estate in Paarl. By December 2024, there were 286 venues and 864 courts in South Africa.

360 Padel South Africa is working to take the sport beyond being a social activity, hosting leagues and tournaments to bring together talent from across the country. The organisation even boasts a league, called the Diamond League, consisting of the finest players, some of whom are internationally ranked.

The new 360 Padel Youth League brings together various clubs. This has allowed the International Padel Federation (FIP) to bring an inaugural youth tournament to South Africa, which included many of the youngsters in the 360 Padel Youth League.

One of the teams, the Backhand Bandits, now has five players ranked in the top 10 in South Africa in their respective age groups. The team plays out of Padel Active in Boksburg, the only club in Johannesburg's East Rand to have registered a team in the 360 Youth League.

The club has a strong belief in developing the youth and giving back to the community that supports them, said head coach Marco de Oliveira.

"Prior to the league creation we were toying with a few ideas on a youth development programme. When I heard about this league, we thought it would be the perfect platform and opportunity to do this and to identify the kids we want to put into the programme," he said.

"I felt like the kids on the East Rand are a bit behind from the other areas and it would be good exposure and a massive growth opportunity to be involved."