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Padel A
Sport for the 21st Century The Padel Federation
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Padel
Courts A padel court is 20m long by 10m wide, with 3m high walls
of concrete blocks or toughened glass at the ends.
The walls extend from the back corners to 4m down the length, 3m high
for the first 2m and 2m high for the next 2m.
The remainder of the court is made of strong metal fencing to a height
of 4m.
All lines are 50mm wide. The service line is 3m from the back
walls. The net is 10m wide and is
0.88m high at the centre and 0.92m high at the two net posts which need to be
round or square with rounded corners for safety. The
mesh of the metal fence must be 50mm to 70.8mm across the
square diagonals, with wire from 1.6mm to 4mm diameter. This must be in line with the wall playing
surfaces and the metal threads to the inside of the court, need to be
parallel to the playing surface. The
fence must not have any sharp edges that could injure the players and it must
be tight enough to ensure a true bounce for the ball.
The courts can be indoor or
outdoor. The minimum internal roof height for indoor
courts is 6m. Lights for indoor and outdoor courts also have to be a minimum
of 6m from the court surface. The playing surface for indoor
and outdoor padel courts can be tarmac, concrete or artificial grass and
permitted colours are: green, blue or terracotta. If artificial grass is used it has partial
sand infill for indoor courts and full sand infill for outdoor courts. The full sand infill provides good ball
bounce characteristics and it is easier on players
joints, muscles and tendons. Various
Types of Padel Courts Currently most courts in the World have
'chain-link' tennis court type of wire fencing this is not in line with the
inside edges of the walls. This can
result in an uneven bounce off the metal fence and the edges of the walls. This is why a standard of metal fence has
been introduced which in the The latest metal fence is simulated in Perspex on
the first two pictures below but as this is more expensive and difficult to
apply, some companies are expected to continue with the chain-link
alternative.
Court constructed
of concrete blocks at the ends. Play can
continue in light rain on this type of court.
Courts
constructed of toughened glass at the ends. These are better for
spectator viewing but it is not advisable to play on them when it is raining because
of increased slippiness of the wall
Prototype court constructed of
toughened glass all around. At this stage this is only
a suggestion but it would be interesting to see how such a court would affect
the play. This would be the ultimate
for spectator viewing and for significantly reducing the cold & wind
effect on outside courts. The
toughened glass is currently more expensive than other materials but
construction is likely to be easier than assembling the metal fence to comply
with current International standards. Completely enclosed courts in concrete,
brick or compact grade laminated sheets are possible alternatives but this
would eliminate spectator viewing and possibly be a little claustrophobic.
When courts are completely glass enclosed, except for the entry doors. It is suggested that a space of 10mm is
left at the bottom to assist circulation in hot weather and on outdoor courts
to aid drainage. This type of court should make the sport easier to televise,
which most sports need to attract money into the sport. Brian Thompson © 10 May 2006 |
