Until a year ago, the old hockey ground at Khadda Market in densely-packed Karachi’s upscale Defence locality was mostly a deserted venue, sporadically rented out for tape-ball cricket matches and, of all things, weddings.

Now, it’s unarguably the city’s most popular multisport arena, the Legends Arena, with its pay-as-you-go model attracting an average of 750 visitors on weekdays, with the facility’s management saying that the number crosses the one thousand mark on weekends.

While the arena offers various sports, including football and cricket — albeit in a smaller space — as well as tennis, volleyball and throwball, its biggest crowd puller is a sport that was unheard of in Pakistan until a year ago: padel.

WHAT IS PADEL?

In simple terms, padel is a combination of tennis and squash. The court is about three-quarters of the size of a tennis court, with the game most commonly played in doubles. The court has a net in the middle, but it is enclosed with walls on the sides and at the back, which are part glass and part metal mesh.

Padel is arguably the fastest growing racquet sport in the world. And it seems to be growing in popularity by leaps and bounds here in Pakistan as well …

The serve is underarm, with the server required to let the ball bounce once and then hit it before or at waist height. As in most racquet sports, the serves are delivered diagonally and the ball must land in the opposition’s service box.

The ball has to bounce before hitting any of the side walls, though players can return the shot on the volley, except on serve, and even after it ricochets off the side or back walls. The scoring is the same as in tennis, with matches played as best of three sets.

The game is played with a bat, or paddle, which is perforated and smaller than a tennis racquet, although it weighs slightly more. The ball has a lower pressure and slower bounce compared to the ones used in tennis.

This makes the game slower in pace and intensity compared to other racquet sports, which is widely believed to be one of the reasons for its popularity, especially among recreational players.

RISING POPULARITY

Fareha, 31, first played padel during a visit to Dubai last year. “It is easy to grasp, helps one stay in shape, and allows players to interact and socialise,” she tells Eos.

Soon after her return, Legends Arena opened its doors and Fareha has been a regular here ever since. “I come here almost every day, except on weekends.”

While courts are available in the morning as well, Fareha prefers to play in the evening, in order to wind down after a long day, and “maintain her physical and mental health.”

But it is not always easy to book a padel court.

Raza Zaidi, a news presenter, tells Eos he had to wait two months for an evening game as “they couldn’t get a booking in the evening.” Since then, the number of courts at the Legends Arena have increased to five, while two others are under construction.

Yousuf Ghaznavi, who is the chief marketing officer at the facility and an avid padel player, says another reason for the game’s popularity is the close proximity between players, making it interactive and social.

“Not everyone who wants to play has a partner, and we have helped people pair up for matches here,” says Ghaznavi. “And we have seen people who started playing together randomly become really good friends.”

Fareha is one of the people who found friends while playing padel. For this, she credits the management at the facility for creating an environment where it was possible. “In our city, mostly members-only clubs have adequate sporting facilities, and where one could play without worrying about the surroundings,” she continues. “But here, the environment is not just safe, but also extremely inclusive.”

A look around the arena, particularly in the evening, illustrates Fareha’s point. On one padel court, a mixed doubles match goes on; at another, a woman in a burqa trades shots with another in a tank top. On the adjacent futsal pitch, a bunch of young boys are busy with their match, while

next to them, a girl’s football team is holding a practice session. On the cricket pitch, it seems like a boisterous family affair;

while joggers, and the odd sprinter, go around the track.

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

The first padel court is believed to have been constructed at the resort residence of one Enrique Corcuera, a wealthy businessman in Mexico, in 1969.

Depending on the account, he either did not have enough space for a tennis court or he wanted to experiment: either on the various racquet sports he had encountered on his travels in the United States of America or on froton, a game that is played by striking a ball on to a wall with bare hands.

In the seventies, either Corcuera or one of his friends brought the game to their native Spain, where it has now enjoyed decades of popularity. It also found favour in other Spanish-speaking countries, especially Argentina and Uruguay. In 1991, representatives from the padel associations of the three countries came together to form the International Padel Federation (FIP).

While the sport was gaining in popularity, its popularity in Europe skyrocketed during the pandemic, amidst a ban on contact sports. The end of the pandemic provided another surge, with the game becoming the rage in Gulf countries.

Last year, Qatar Sports Investment (QSI), the owner of French football club Paris Saint-Germain, acquired the World Padel Tour, the official international circuit, to merge it with the QSI-backed Premier Padel circuit. The influx of money and sponsorships has seen a growth in the number of tournaments, prize money and players.

There are reportedly 25 million players globally, spread over 110 countries. The FIP is targeting recognition from the International Olympic Committee to have the sport become part of the Games by 2032.

WILL IT CATCH ON?

Currently, the demand for padel courts in Karachi far outstrips the supply. This is despite the sport being on the steep side.

A one-hour session at the Legends Arena costs Rs5,000 in the morning, and Rs8,000 in the evening. Split four ways, it comes down to Rs1,500 per head. This cost includes racquet and ball rental, although players prefer to buy their own racquet.

The racquets start from Rs25,000 and then the prices increase along with quality. Similarly, a box of three decent quality padel balls costs Rs2,500, with balls starting to lose bounce after two to four matches.

Developing and managing the court is equally expensive. The net, turf as well as the glass for the sidewalls is imported. According to Ghaznavi, it takes up to Rs10 million to build a padel court that meets international standards. “Even if materials are sourced locally, it would still cost close to 10 million rupees,” he tells Eos.

Despite the cost, Legends Arena continue to scale up their facility in Defence. It also manages two padel courts at the Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, and has set up padel courts at two members-only clubs, the Sindh Club and the Karachi Gymkhana.

Meanwhile, at least one padel facility has already opened in Lahore, while another is expected to open soon in Islamabad. Even the Legends Arena has plans to expand to multiple cities.

But demand has to keep pace with the investment and those supporting this sport have to ensure that it doesn’t reach a saturation point.

Sweden is a cautionary tale in that regard, where the padel craze saw the number of courts go from 300 to 3,500 between 2018 and 2021. Now, padel centres in the Nordic country are being turned into warehouses. Last year, at least 90 padel-related companies in Sweden filed for bankruptcy, according to data from credit reference agency Creditsafe.

This is something that facilities like Legends Arena, being the pioneers of padel in the country, need to be wary of.

The writer is a member of staff.
X: @hussainydada

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 4th, 2024