Growing Padel in Herefordshire

Aim

Hereford Squash Tennis & Racketball Centre has just opened 2 Padel courts and need additional funding to grow participation.

Introduction

Hereford Squash Tennis & Racketball Centre is a Community Amateur Sports (members) club established in May 1902 as the Hereford Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. In 1968 it became known as the Hereford Whitecross Club and in 2015 it was agreed to rebrand the club to the Hereford Squash Tennis and Racketball Centre.

We have invested heavily in the facility in recent years to ensure that we have first class racket facilities for members and the community.

Over the last 3 years our 4 Tennis courts have been complety refurbished at a combined cost of over £70k,  financed from the club’s sinking fund.

We have an annual maintenance programme for the 5 squash courts which ensures that they are maintained to an excellent standard.

The clubhouse and changing rooms have recently been refurbished and we have extended the car park.

Funding to develop and maintain the club in the past has always been self-funded via membership subscriptions, court booking revenue and  bar receipts.

Investment in the Padel Courts and club in general has reduced the club's cash reserves to a minimum and  funding is required to develop Padel following its launch.

Current Facilities and Future

Our facilities include 5 first class squash courts (1 glass backed), 4 recently resurfaced asphalt tennis courts with new fences & LED lighting, plus 3 tarmac courts (courts 5-7) which were no longer safe for play and have been mothballed. As 4 Tennis courts is sufficient to meet demand the executive committee looked at developing the area occupied by Tennis courts 5-7 and decided that Padel was the best option especially when considering the success other clubs have had. 

Having suffered a hard time during COVID the club has recovered well with over 400 playing and 50 social members. However the club hasn't stood still as we have developed the area occupied by Tennis courts 5-6 into 2 floodlight Padel courts at a cost of over £110k. The Padel courts were 90% funded out of the club's cash reserves whilst the remainder was funded from a Gov Covid bounce back loan repayable until 2026 . This initiative will provide a great opportunity to increase participation, attract new members and offer play and pay facilities for the community. The additional revenue will help the club remain viable into the future.

The demand for Tennis courts will be accommodated by the existing capacity but we do have the option to provide a new surface on one of the redundant courts should demand increase and we have the available funds.

Planning drawing

Planning consent for 3 uncovered floodlight Padel  courts was granted on the 23rd March 2023. We had sufficient funding to build 2 courts which were opened on the 29th July. Tennis court 7 (far left of drawing) is out of service due to the poor tarmac playing surface but could be replaced with Astro turf or clay sometime in the future should demand and cash reserves allow.

Padel Courts Officially Opened 29th July 2023

We had a very successful open day with over 50 attendees. The courts were opened by Paul Mcilwraith (Portico commercial director) and Paul Broadley (HSTRC chairman)

How we’ll spend the money raised

The recent investment in the facilities, cost of energy and inflationary pressures has meant that we have minimal cash reserves. Therefore the primary aim of this fundraising initiative is to raise cash so that we can invest in driving  up participation particularly in Padel. It's a brand new sport to the area so will need an aggressive marketing  campaign and discounted sessions to get rackets in peoples' hands. We will need to develop and fund our coaching team so that they have the necessary skills to run group and individual sessions at affordable rates. We will need to purchase equipment i.e.  rackets, balls, ball feeding machine,  which can be used for junior group sessions and seating for viewing games etc. If we are succesful in increasing participation it will help to keep our court fees as low as possible ensuring access to all.

Our vision if we are successful in driving up membership numbers and revenue is to install a 3rd covered court as per the artist's impression below. This will provide  a facility which is  available all year round. (Artists impression)

Community impact

We believe Padel will help to integrate our Tennis & Squash members & break down barriers to entry and help grow participation by bringing new and different audiences into our sport.  Padel is a fantastic example of how to grow participation. It’s an innovative format of tennis that’s fun, sociable and easy to play. It can be played in groups of mixed ages and abilities due to it not being power dominant, and so is ideal for friends and families. The nearest venues are over 50 miles away and positive feedback has been received from the East Glos. Club (Cheltenham), Sutton Coldfield and Solihull in Arden Tennis & Squash clubs who all eulogise over the success of Padel. 

Tennis, Squash & Padel are all available on a play and pay basis (via LTA rally) and the introduction of a new sport (Padel) has enhanced this offering.

We plan to engage the local schools and University & possibly the Royal National College for the Blind.

HSTRC Padel Courts

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

This project successfully funded on 17th October 2023