GAME, SET AND MATCH – TENNIS CLUB IN RYDE LOOKING TO BUILD ISLAND’S FIRST PADEL COURTS

Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (RLTCC) is looking to build a pair of Padel courts – the first of their kind on the Island. Padel is a mix between tennis and squash. It’s usually played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by walls of glass and metallic mash. The court is 1/3 of the size of a tennis court. The ball can bounce of any wall but can only hit the turf once before being returned. Points can be scored when the ball bounces twice in the competitor’s field. If successful in their application RLTCC would house the first Padel tennis court on the Isle of Wight and would see the Island finally lose the unwanted title as the only county in England that doesn’t have a single court suitable for playing Padel. Many will be left wondering if a pickleball Court installation could follow. In terms of the court itself, a free-draining made-to-measure sub-base will be laid finished on top with a layer of porous asphalt with both courts enclosed by a perimeter of toughened glass acting as a rebound wall. Both courts will have floodlighting. The cost of the project will be £150,000 (inclusive of a 10% contingency) and the club will look to secure a £47,000 contribution from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in the form of a 0% interest loan and a grant from Sport England to help. RLTCC will contribute £88,000 made up of fundraising, a restricted offering of life memberships and transfers from the club reserves. The increased revenue generated will allow RLTCC to move to pursue Phase 2 of its development plan, the construction of the Isle of Wight’s first and only indoor purpose-built tennis facility, a project Sport England and the LTA had previously supported, before COVID-19 forced the club to put plans on hold. Anyone wishing to view the planning application can do so on the council’s website quoting reference 24/00468/FUL. Comments on the application have to be submitted by 26th April 2024.