From ex-pro footballers David Beckham and Robbie Keane to current star Cristiano Ronaldo – many sports people and celebrities are playing padel, the fastest-growing racket sport in the world.

And with it in vogue, Ireland has also been hopping on the trend by opening new courts across the country, with the largest padel tennis centre opening in Cork in November 2023.

There are currently 49 padel courts available in Ireland, with many more expected to be built in the coming years, with nearly 4,000 regular Irish players.

Peter Cranny, who is an honorary secretary of the Irish Padel Association and a Level One padel instructor at Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Centre and Sutton Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, has played padel for 12 years.

He said the main factors contributing to the surge in popularity of padel were the ease of play and the fact it’s a doubles game.
Mr Cranny, based in Sutton, started playing padel after many years of playing squash. He also founded the first padel court in north Dublin.

More and more football players and celebrities had been sharing their newest hobby on social media, which had been a “really big influence on the growth of it”, Mr Cranny said.

“I myself played a good few times with Robbie Keane before he moved to Israel, he was one of our regulars. And he had played with David Beckham. Jürgen Klopp from Liverpool is a fanatic – he plays almost every day,” he said.
Munster and Ireland rugby legend Ronan O'Gara is also an avid player.

Padel originated in Mexico in 1968. Its popularity quickly spread to South American countries such as Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Soon after, it reached Europe, starting in Spain in the 1970s.
“Somebody in Marbella built some padel courts and that was the start of the Spanish explosion. It's a hugely popular game in Spain, second only to football,” Mr Cranny said.

Meanwhile, the sport’s popularity has started moving to the north of Europe only in the last 10 years. The first padel court in Ireland was built in Rockbrook Park Secondary School in Rathfarnham in 2012.

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