Belgium: Padel supplants tennis in Estinnes

The health crisis has offered a huge spotlight on the practice of padel in Belgium and as to try it is to adopt it, the number of players is growing day by day across Quiévrain. To the point that it is often preferred to tennis to revitalize sports complexes.

Reallocation of sports space

It is not always easy to have a sustained sporting practice in rural communities. In addition to the fact that it is often necessary to use a means of transport, the offer is not always exhaustive and the population pool is limited. With its social aspect which is a huge attractive factor in these times of distancing, padel has expanded its audience over the last 12 months. So much so that the installation of courts is increasingly considered in the restructuring of sports complexes.

This is the case in Belgium, more precisely in Estinnes-au-Val. Thus, the rural municipality is considering a reassignment of its space dedicated to racket sports. And instead of the outdated and obsolete tennis court, a brand new padel court should soon be available.

Questionnaire to be completed

On the city's official information site, a call was made to citizens to validate this proposal: “The Municipal Council has decided to seek your opinion on the possibility of reassigning the Estinnes-au-Val tennis court. To date, it is clear that the court, in its current form, requires renovation and no longer seems to meet the expectations of the residents of Estinnes. Wishing to offer recreational and sporting activities, the Municipal Council is considering converting the site into a padel court.”.

Available now on Google Docs, the questionnaire must be completed by March 31, 2021 to reinforce this decision which demonstrates the enthusiasm for padel, including in rural areas and not only urban and peri-urban areas.