Who would have believed a few years ago that the paddle would invite itself into the schoolyards ?
Long seen as a club sport or adult leisure, padel is attracting more and more peopleeducational institutions in France.
Solid projects are emerging, driven by passionate sports teachers, supported by local clubs and even supported by national institutions.

Yes, now students can hit their first balls of paddle during their PE lessons, participate in UNSS competitions...
We take stock of this decisive movement for the development of padel in France and real bath of youth for school sports… because what could be more “fun” than padel?!

Initiatives that show the way

À Amiens visit us at the Rosa Parks College, the first school padel sports section in France was created under the impetus of Florent Devillers, PE teacher and head of padel at Tennis Padel Amiens Metropole Club.
“I started teaching padel at Rosa Parks Middle School in Amiens in 2021, replacing badminton with padel in the school curriculum. The students immediately took to this new discipline,” specifies the one who acts as precursor in the universe of school padel.

Florent Devillers: PE teacher at Rosa Parks College in Amiens and head of padel

Concretely, to Amiens, students practice in shooting in a adapted gymnasium and also benefit from sessions at the neighboring club, on real grounds.
This dual approach (school + club) allows children and adolescents to progress rapidly and discover all the subtleties of padel.

À Roye, In the We Are, Louise Michel College did not wait to ride the wave: the establishment has been offering for years initiation days and participates in UNSS competitions, where his teams never stop Shine.
During the championships, their students even climbed onto the first step of the podium en mixed junior category.

Elsewhere in France, in Ursuya College about Pyrénées-Atlantiques or the family Challemel-Lacour College, a Normandy, similar programs emerge.
Yes, school padel takes root across the country.

Why padel is a hit with students (and teachers)

If you padel seduces as much, it's because he ticks many boxes as part of the practice of sport in a school environment.

First of all, his practice is accessible to all.
No need to have one overpowered smash to "have fun": in a few exchanges, even beginners get some fun.
The rules are simple, the land is small…and all this makes the game dynamic without being too physically demanding.
And then, it's so fun these balls bouncing off the windows ! A real boon for theEPS.

Then, this sport promotes team spirit.
Le paddle is indeed the only racket sport intrinsically collective since it is played only in double : the abstract, the common strategy,mutual aid...
This is exactly what the PE teachers to develop social abilities among their students.

a girl and a boy discovering padel

Finally, the padel is virtuous for motor skills and fitness.
Agility, hand-eye coordination, reflexes : padel makes you work on all of this, while having fun.
Handle the shovel, it is often more motivating for students than more traditional sports, sometimes seen as “old-fashioned” or “imposed”.

Le soutien of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and National Union of School Sports (UNSS) shows that it is not just a trend.
These institutions encourage the development of school padel through Partnerships and the organization of official competitions.

What's more, Wilson, nox, Bullpadel, Decathlon, Babolat et Head in particular, by offering specific ranges for young people, make the practice even more accessible and thus promote the development of the discipline in a school environment.

Le padel at school, it is therefore more than just an option to change from handball or basketball, for example:
It's about a real educational dynamics carried by motivated teachers and students won over.

Le paddle has (already) found its place in the recreation…and this is just the beginning. What a best swing for a sport in full development?!

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