EP 54: PADEL IS THE HOTTEST SPORT YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get in shape, we have a reason for you to hit the court instead of the gym! Lee Sponaugle, President, and Scott Grote, Facilities Director, of All Racquet Sports USA, are “On The Record With Sarina Fazan” to tell us about padel, the ultimate racquet sport, and why they think it will soon be serving up some fun and fitness to the nation!

Immensely popular overseas, padel combines elements of squash, pickleball, tennis, platform tennis, and badminton into one unique game, played in doubles on a glass-surrounded court. Think of it as the “Swiss Army knife” of racquet sports!

While there are more than 16,000 padel courts in Spain alone (where it’s the second most popular sport), there are just 80 in the United States and not many people in this country have heard of the sport. Lee and Scott are working to change that, trying to cultivate a love for the game and joining together experts to help padel grow nationwide.

There’s actually a world-class facility located just 30 minutes outside of Tampa, Florida, that features four padel courts, designed and built by All Racquet Sports USA. The brand-new Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills is introducing padel to the Tampa Bay region with programs for players of all ages and skill levels.

Lee believes that the growth of the industry will come from the inclusion of all racquet sports at the same facility, like the SVB Center, which will lead to increases in participation, membership, and sales. The international lifestyle brand Adidas agrees, and that’s why they are backing the sport!

Watch these YouTube videos to see padel in action: https://youtu.be/1iVUUvdQmSQ

Learn more about All Racquet Sports USA at allracquetsports.com.

For more discussions like this one, make sure to subscribe to the podcast “On The Record With Sarina Fazan."

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