Frequently asked questions(FAQs)
PADEL NEW ZEALAND
What is Padel New Zealand’s role in growing padel in NZ?
We are a non-profit organisation registered as a New Zealand Incorporated Society in 2020. The International Padel Federation(FIP) accepted our application to become a member of the International Federation in 2022, which makes us the national governing body for the sport of padel in New Zealand. FIP is in the process of joining the Association of IOC Recognized International Sport (ARISF).Our focus as an organisation is to promote the sport of padel, facilitate, support and educate so padel can grow in Aotearoa.
We are not involved in the commercial operation of developing padel courts, selling equipment or club operation as a federation. Once enough courts are established in New Zealand, we will get involved in national and international tournaments, player registrations and rankings, and providing information around padel rules and standards. BUILDING PADEL COURTS
What are the dimensions of a court?
A padel court is 20 meters x 10 meters.
End/corner walls are 4 meters and side walls 3 meters.
A padel court requires at least 11×21 meters, plus an extra 0.5 meters on each side.
Minimum 7 meters in height, but 8 metres preferred, if building indoors. Ideally higher for competition venues, 9-12 meters.
Two, even 3, padel courts can generally fit on one tennis court. Do I need a building consent to build a padel court in New Zealand?
Yes, this is the main difference between New Zealand and many other countries where padel has had an explosive growth. Any structure over 2.5 meters will need to have a building consent lodged and approved with your local council. This means you will need to engage with a structural engineer and supply drawings to council. You may be able to get help from other clubs who lodged their consents already to hear more about the process, please contact info@padelnewzealand.org.nz when you are ready for this step. Please check directly with your local council on requirements first as requirements might differ in different regions. If you are building an indoor court within an existing structure(like a warehouse), the requirements are different. Wind load requirements for courts in NZ
Another main difference between New Zealand and many other countries is that the wind load requirement is much higher here due to our weather conditions. So make sure if you were to order courts yourself from a European supplier that the specs are correct. Check with your local council on wind load requirements, but as an example, European courts are made for 26 meters/second and in NZ some areas can have a wind speed of 35-49meters/second. The basic wind speed is around 43 m/sec in most regions in NZ, except for Wellington, 49 m/sec.Costs to build a court in NZ
A third main difference for court development in New Zealand to consider is that we are far away from all court suppliers in Europe so means it can be costly to import courts. It could cost around NZ$90-$120K as a ballpark to order and build a court;
• $70-100K for court and shipping
• $20-30K in building expenses(prepare grounds and install) depending on the condition of the grounds
• $3-5K in building consent costs.
Note: These are just ballparks and the cost will vary. If multiple clubs order courts from Europe at the same time, you can share containers which will make shipping costs a little less.
It is very important you make sure the court can withstand New Zealand weather/wind/UV conditions before you order one, as it is a costly investment finding out it can't. I am keen to start a club/build courts, how do I go about this?
1. Find a site(exisiting courts/sports grounds, parking lot, structure or land) in your area by contacting local real estate agents, existing racket sports clubs, councils and land owners. It can be a good idea to engage with a builder at this stage to help you work out viable options. 2. Owner approval – check that site owner/lease agreement does not prohibit sub-leasing or commercial activities and includes provision of adequate user parking.3. Local council – check existing District Plan allows proposed activity without a new resource consent application.4. While you scout for a site contact your local council on wind load requirements as well as noise regulations in your region. Padel is a little noisier sport than tennis, so it is generally recommended that courts sit 100 meters away from residential properties as a minimum.5. Once you found your site, get in touch with a padel court developer who can advise, design, quote, install your courts. 6. One important thing to note is that some courts made overseas do not always adhere to the NZ building standards, very important to double check this before the courts are ordered. The courts needs to be designed for New Zealand standards. 7. Contact a structural engineer and lodge a building consent with your local council. The NZ court supplier can help with this process. Existing clubs may also be happy to supply advice. 8. Once building consent is approved by council (this can take 6-12 weeks as a general guide)the build can start!9. When your courts are built, set your club up as an Affiliated Club Member with us and we will list the details of your club on our website https://www.padelnewzealand.org.nz/find-a-club10. Set up player booking system and start promoting your club! Here is a good podcast about setting up new clubs and running them from our friends Padel Australia, listen to Season 1 Episode 2 , start at 13min22seconds:https://www.thefirstserve.com.au/padel-pow-wow?Player booking system
There is a range of booking systems available for padel globally - the main ones being Playtomic and Matchi. We we list what each club is using on the clubs' listings when we have those details.
Padel New Zealand would like the majority of clubs in New Zealand to use the same booking system, if possible, as it means players can travel and all access the same system. Promotion of new club or courts
Promoting your new club or courts is vital. Plan early on promotion activities. The work on promoting a club can be as big as building it. It is also said that it only takes 3 times to play to get hooked on padel so many clubs overseas has had a free period at the start where people can try it, which can be useful to try at your clubs. Here are some tips on how you can promote your club: https://www.padelnewzealand.org.nz/promoting-your-new-club