The time has finally come, Zeeland is also fully engaged in padel

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Padel, a sport that sits between squash and tennis, originated in Mexico in the late 1960s and quickly gained popularity in South America and Spain. About ten years ago, the sport exploded in the Netherlands, where in recent years padel courts have sprouted like mushrooms.

So far he has remained fairly calm in Zeeland. Only in Breskens and Scharendijke can padel be played for a number of years. But this year six jobs will be added anyway. In Goes, Terneuzen and Middelburg, the members accepted the construction of two padel courts per association. And also in Kapelle, they have high hopes that their plans for two padel courts will materialize.

Padel is the fortification

At LTC Scharendijke, they understand why other tennis clubs in the province are now also embarking on tacking. “It really enriches your club,” says secretary Ellen Rusch. “The group where you can fish to bind members to you has grown and it’s an incredibly fun game.”

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Wesley Raemdonck from Terneuzen fully agrees with this. “It’s dynamic, it’s very fast and chaotic. It also makes it a lot of fun.” But if he wants to play a game now, he has to either travel to Breskens or Zelzate in Belgium. “It’s an hour’s drive each time. Soon the track will pass around the corner and I can enjoy paddling here.”

New members

Job creation in Terneuzen is to the credit of Raemdonck, admits President Michel van Leuven. “He was one of the pilots, yes.” Van Leuven contacted, among others, the municipality and concluded a great deal: two padel courts, paid half by the association and half by the municipality of Terneuzen. “We hope to keep members with the construction of these leads, but we also hope to attract new members.”