Pillens_burknerkorv t1_j19ggfq wrote
In Sweden the padel boom came 3-4 years ago. Now there are empty halls everywhere
IIALE34II t1_j19llym wrote
Have they started reducing prices yet? Atleast in Finland its mostly on the boom phase still, and the courts are really expensive. Around 36€/h is the norm here.
alwaysoverneverunder t1_j19mguo wrote
We have one place relatively nearby in Belgium to play indoors and with a yearly membership of 30 euro you get reduced renting fees and you pay 24 euro/1,5h for a court (and if you but credits for enough money you get an additional discount)
FortyishYearOld t1_j19id1e wrote
Still growing strong in the Netherlands.
alwaysoverneverunder t1_j19m4j9 wrote
And Belgium… and we’re wishing we had halls because we’re playing outside in rain and freezing conditions
FortyishYearOld t1_j19xv8z wrote
I've played padel a few times in the rain. It's a completely different experience. Do you play often in the rain?
alwaysoverneverunder t1_j1a9tyh wrote
I’ve played often in the rain in the first couple of years that padel started in Belgium. The last year, with indoor padel becoming available, we only play in very light rain or after rain (wet surface and glass) if we don’t have other options (which sometimes happens during competitions).
In or after rain padel becomes a completely different game and ‘tennis’ on a padel court will actually work as letting balls go via the glass will have them deviate down instead of bouncing correctly… the balls also get heavy which isn’t great with an already heavier racket.
Choem11021 t1_j1azcq7 wrote
Playing in the rain requires a different tactic. Balls dont bounce as much. Playing deep lobs are killer during the rain. Hard to look up with rain falling in your eyes and you cant allow it to bounce as it will fall dead after hitting the glass.
alwaysoverneverunder t1_j1b0hia wrote
Yeah, really deep lobs suck in rain, but most are OK. I hare hard balls against glass more as they slide down, especially with 2 glasses you’re toast. Also deep, hard serves are problematic.
It was also funny to see the WPT players at the tournament in Knokke in Belgium… at the sight of the slightest drop of rain they stop and head inside.
Our padel trainer in Spain was just today complaining about the humidity in the evening and the effect on the glass… so we had to tell him that that in Belgium still counts as quasi perfect conditions.
We’ve also played with -7 degrees which was interesting to say the least. Even a freshly opened can of balls didn’t help… new balls had the bounce of old ones in that temperature.
Choem11021 t1_j1b1q4c wrote
Playing in very cold but dry conditions is better than wet conditions imo. The ball bounces unexpectedly due to the glass being a frozen sheet of ice however it atleast bounces.
A freshly opened can of balls helps however you can just toss them in the training basket after 1 session due to them getting soft and soggy.
CaptainMarten t1_j1avja8 wrote
It's just the latest rage, expect to see the same thing happening as in Sweden
Remarkable_Post_6168 t1_j19kf7o wrote
Empty?
Pillens_burknerkorv t1_j1agr9f wrote
No one is playing padel anymore. It went away as fast as it came
rilinq t1_j1bmlgs wrote
It boomed (at least in Sweden) during the pandemic since it wasn’t restricted. Now that people went back to what they prefer, it died down a little.
Loud_Ad_8881 t1_j1both2 wrote
Stop spreading misinformation, padel is still growing in Sweden, there are more padel hours booked year after year (even in 2022) and theres no expectation that it will decrease any time soon.
The problem is that the growth curve has slowed down and that this has put an incredible strain on the over saturation of padel halls, forcing these to shut down in order to reach a somewhat equilibrium of supply and demand.
Pillens_burknerkorv t1_j1cnh2k wrote
Statistics doesn’t lie but in my experience, which is observing my kids playing padel, the general interest has died down. We enrolled them in a beginners course in padel in 2020. The place was packed. All the courts were fully booked and there were 20 kids in the group. Our kids and their friends would go and play as a way of hanging out with each other. A year later when we enrolled for the follow up course, there were three kids enrolled. And there was maybe two of 8 courts being used.
Maybe it’s just bad timing when we were there if we look at the statistics but it certainly has influenced my opinion of padel. And my kids, or any of their friends, haven’t touched a padel rack for a year. They’re all back on the football pitch.
Aquarius1975 t1_j1csqut wrote
Depending on where you live this could also be explained by more padel halls competing for costumers.
Pillens_burknerkorv t1_j1d5com wrote
Yes. And perhaps the reason the local newspaper reports on halls going bankrupt
rilinq t1_j1bq3c8 wrote
I mean it has died down a little as I said, it’s not misinformation. Several biggest Swedish outlets even reported about the crisis and a lot of halls closing down or going bankrupt, you can google it. Happened around October/November this year. You are just saying what I said in different words basically, at least try to understand what I said before going balls deep.
Aquarius1975 t1_j1cso3r wrote
Isn't this just because of oversaturation of supply?
rilinq t1_j1cx76s wrote
Yes
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