Recognition of Padel as an Official Discipline of Tennis in the UK
Dani Roqué
In the last heartbeat of 2020, finally, some positive news came up when the official governing body of tennis in the UK, Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), announced Padel been recognized as an official discipline of Tennis (named Padel Tennis) opening the doors to a very exciting new era for this sport throughout the UK.
The recognition has been granted by the three home countries’ sport governing bodies Sport England, Sport Scotland and Sport Wales.
The LTA has also become now with this announcement the National Governing Body for Padel in the UK. The process of migration from its previous governing body, the British Padel Association over to the LTA begun in May 2019 and, although it has taken some time until the end of the current year 2020, the process is been completed successfully and now clubs and private owners have a better and nationwide legal and financial support.
Thanks to this recognition, clubs, coaches, players, private investors, sponsors, basically anybody involved already or planning to be, with the sport can now have access to a broader network already pre-established thanks to tennis.
What does official recognition mean?
Whilst recognition in itself does not guarantee funding, clubs and local organisations looking to develop the sport and provide new facilities will now be able to apply for funding programmes that are put in place by Sport England, Sport Scotland and Sport Wales, subject to them meeting the conditions and criteria of their specific funding programmes.
So now, the first step of the LTA’s Padel Development Plan put in place in 2019 has been successfully completed bringing along this recognition, however, this is just the first step in the development plan, there´s still a lot of work to do and although so much has been accomplished since the landing of the sport in UK (London, Canary Wharf) back in 2012, so much more and greater is still to come.
