Fulda in padel fever: opening of three new courts on August 17th!

Fulda in padel fever: opening of three new courts on August 17th!

The enthusiasm for padel is growing rapidly, and the Grün-Weiß Fulda tennis club is picking up on the trend. On August 17, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. the club will officially open three new padel courts. The first chairman Karsten Aßmann sees padel as an up-and-coming sport that is already very popular, especially in the Spanish-Portuguese region. The people of Fulda are obviously very interested: there are already many inquiries about the padel game.

But what is padel actually? This dynamic sport combines elements of tennis and squash and is played on a rectangular court with glass walls. Padel is designed in doubles mode – two against two. The walls can be used in certain game situations, which gives the game additional variety. The rackets are smaller and lighter than tennis rackets, and the balls are slightly softer and bounce less. Padel is not only suitable for experienced players, but also for beginners and offers lots of fun and team spirit.

Strategic realignment of tennis clubs

The decision to build new padel courts is also a reaction to demographic change and the challenges of club life in Germany. The number of members of tennis clubs is often declining and many are struggling with outdated structures. One example is the SG Niederwalgern-Wenkbach, which built padel courts two years ago to increase membership numbers. The strategy seems to be working: the club now has over 80 padel members, many of them former tennis players who have given the new sport a chance.

According to Moritz Blömer, a board member of SG Niederwalgern-Wenkbach, the creative realignment is necessary to keep the clubs attractive. Because clubs are more than just sports facilities; they promote community and integration. The padel club at a nearby comprehensive school is also already using the new places, which shows how important it is to promote young talent at an early stage.

The future of padel in Germany

A look at the numbers shows the enormous growth of padel: While there were only 10,000 padel courts worldwide in 2016, there are currently almost 50,000. There are currently around 600 padel courts in Germany, an increase of 300 since 2022. This upward trend is no coincidence. Players like Marco Otto emphasize that padel is a fast and dynamic sport that is less about competition and more about fun and a sense of community.

The new padel facilities at the Grün-Weiß Fulda tennis club are not only a welcome expansion of the sports offering, but also a step in the right direction to revitalize the club's activities and attract more people. Bookings for the padel courts are possible from the opening day via the club's homepage. It remains exciting to see how the padel wave will continue to roll in Fulda.

For more information about the tennis club and the padel game, it is worth visiting GWL Tennis and the reading of DW.com, which provide extensive insight into the development and popularity of the sport.