Shropshire’s first padel club quickly proving to be a big hit with county players

Shropshire's first padel club has quickly proved a big hit with locals since opening at the start of March.

ACE Padel Club has three courts at the Lion Quays Resort & Spa, near Oswestry, with people of all ages flocking to the venue to play one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK.

Often referred to as a mix between tennis and squash, padel is predominantly played as doubles on what looks like a smaller tennis court, with a net dividing both sides and walls surrounding it, which you can play the ball off.

“It's gone really well since we opened on March 3,” said Alex Ramsay, one of the club's co-owners.

“It's been brilliant. Our vision was to create a real community based club which attracted players from all over Shropshire, which has been evident over the last couple of months.

“It's such an unbelievable sport, a mix between tennis and squash, so accessible to everybody, and anyone can play it. We've had seven-year-olds playing, 77-year-olds playing, which has been fantastic to see. I can only encourage people to give padel a go as I'm really confident they won't be disappointed.

“I've been speaking to Mark Wilson from Tennis Shropshire and also to the LTA about how we can raise more awareness as I think Shropshire was probably one of the only counties in the country that didn't have a padel centre.

“We feel ACE Padel Club gives everyone a chance to play padel in a fun and friendly environment, but also having the chance to play competitively.

“It's new to a lot of people, so we have done a lot of work around trying to introduce people to the basic fundamentals of padel. We have put on introduction to padel classes, club socials and are introducing one-to-one sessions and small group sessions.

“Although the club is getting busier and busier every day, we feel strongly about engaging with the local community. We've had a number of positive conversations with local schools, businesses and charities to try and support them through the game of padel.”

Ahead of the launch of ACE Padel Club, Alex previously had to travel outside the county to Wilmslow in Cheshire to play.

That's what made him and his co-owners - his brother Eric, along with Joe and Robbie Clarke, also brothers, and their dad Ian - so excited to share the experience of their own sporting backgrounds to open Shropshire's first dedicated padel club.

“From the first conversation that we had with the Lion Quays, we had a really positive feeling about how the partnership could work,” added Alex. “The two businesses work really closely to ensure our players can enjoy a game in top class facilities. We are one of the most unique clubs in the country in the fact that we have the Lion Quays' facilities for our players to access.

“The management have been extremely supportive of our project and share the same beliefs when the local community are involved.

Players don't have to be a member at the Lion Quays to play but they have the offering to use their facilities and food and beverage options.

“We have three top quality padel courts which came from Spain. We spent a number of days out in Alicante prior to the courts coming over to spend time with Padel Alba and their team. We've also used local companies to help install the courts. Matty Owen and Steve Eki were fantastic throughout the construction process.

“We are now coming into a perfect time for padel in terms of the summer months. We've been blessed with a lot of good weather in March and April, so we're hoping that can continue.”

Alex is excited by the continued growth of padel here in Shropshire and is looking forward to more clubs opening in the county. He said: “We're under no illusions that there's going to be two or three more opening in the next year, couple of years, whenever it may be, and I genuinely think that the more people that are playing padel the better.

“There will be opportunities to compete against other clubs, so we only see it as a positive that other clubs are going to open.

“We have three courts and that's not enough in Shropshire. Hopefully, with more courts coming in, the game will grow in our county.”

Tennis Shropshire chair Mark Wilson, who has welcomed the launch of ACE Padel Club, added: "Padel is the fastest growing sport in the UK, and so the opening of the first padel venue in Shropshire is a very exciting time.

“The owners have developed an excellent facility at Lion Quays, and now that it is open, it marks the first step in the county's padel development journey.

"As more players take up padel, and additional venues open in the next 12 months, we will start county wide padel leagues and hold county championships.”

Pictured: ACE Padel Club has three courts at the Lion Quays Resort & Spa, near Oswestry. Pictures: Mathew Morgan.