New Zealand, Federal President Wictoria Markula: “The first padel court has been inaugurated and this is just the beginning!”

A new frontier for padel and an exciting sporting chapter for New Zealand. Padel New Zealand, the New Zealand federation dedicated to our sport, has announced the opening of the first court ever built in the country: the event took place on Saturday 28 October at Riverside Sports Club in Auckland, with more than a hundred people celebrating the event. The actress Lucy Lawless, unforgettable star of the series “Xena – Warrior Princess”, played the very first match on the brand new court during the official inauguration, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. An appointment that crowned three years of work and marked the first step of an ambitious project for New Zealand players and from all over the world.

Padel New Zealand’s plan includes the construction of other playing courts in the country. Among the most immediate goals is the opening of the second facility at the Remuera Racket Club, also in Auckland, planned by November , and the inauguration of the third court at the Albany Tennis Centre, in early 2024, while new courts, at least five, will be built within existing sports facilities within a year. The hope is to follow in the footsteps of Australia, taken as a model in this journey. Here padel arrived in 2016 and is now in strong expansion: the currently operating courts are 40, but the aussie Federation expects to have 100 by the end of 2025 and 200 in 2026.

Once the base is ready, Padel New Zealand will organize national competitions and will support the International Padel Federation in the organization of international tournaments.

“We are excited to have the first padel court here in New Zealand, followed by many others in the coming months”, said Wictoria Markula, president of Padel New Zealand. “This is a real achievement, a milestone but we will continue to commit ourselves to the growth and promotion of this sport throughout the country and we want all New Zealanders to be able to enjoy and practice this extraordinary sport”.

“I met padel 4 years ago in Spain and I started practicing it at Riverside”, added Neville Pegg, Director of Tennis and Club Development at Riverside Sports. “Now we are the first club in New Zealand to promote it and we are excited to embark on this new journey”.