Latest news with #racketsports
Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Outdoor courts and influencers — a whole new ballgame for squash
In the Eighties and Nineties it was often the squash court where business was done. Such was the racket sport's prominence among the elite that Gordon Gekko, in the 1987 filmWall Street, used his prowess on the court to slap down a young stockbroker hoping to rise up the ranks. But the number of people playing squash has since dropped. Participation is down 10 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, with the growth of so-called 'trendy' racket sports such as padel and pickleball partly to blame. But squashis planning a resurgence, with sports organisations seeking promotion from social media influencers and a plan to build outdoor courts. 'Outdoor courts really could be the future,' said Mark Williams, chief executive of England Squash, the sport's governing body. 'There's no reason you can't play outdoors in England, we just don't have those facilities.' The UK has only a handful of outdoor facilities. These are perspex or fenced mini-courts aimed at schoolchildren. Instead, a new outdoor court prototype, recently unveiled in Chicago, is the big hope. Developed by a Dutch engineer, the modular court has glass walls, a steel frame and a rubber floor that drains rainwater easily. It is also soundproof, unlike padel, which has residents living near courts comparing the sound of the ball hitting the racket to gunshots. Williams said plush outdoor courts could also help address squash's 'image problem'. Some of the UK's estimated 3,500 courts are set in the basements of 'tired' leisure facilities built in the 1970s and 1980s. By comparison many of the UK's 900 padel courts are set in more salubrious locations from the Hurlingham Club in Fulham to Queen's Club in West Kensington. Mike Dale, a journalist specialising in padel and squash, said: 'Padel is very on trend. Lots of celebrities are playing, the padel club is a place to see and be seen. 'Look at Padium in Canary Wharf. You've got a nine-court padel club in the middle of skyscrapers in plum bankers territory. Fifty years ago that would have been a squash club. 'I think squash has a massive opportunity to rise on wings of padel and pickleball. Their growth doesn't have to be at the detriment of squash.' The actress Emma Watson, the Princess of Wales and the rapper Stormzy have all been seen playing padel, and squash is hoping to capitalise from celebrity enthusiasts in a similar way. Williams said: 'If we are able to have a few celebrities and social media influencers playing squash and talking about squash in a positive light that will be really good for us. 'If David Beckham wants to play squash we can make that happen next time he is in the UK for sure.' He added: 'Martin Freeman used to be a good squash player but the celebrities tend to play it on the quiet.' • Pickleball or padel? How to pick your new favourite sport Authorities also hope the decision to include squash in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2028 will boost participation, especially if a Briton brings home gold from Los Angeles. England Squash's youth engagement programmes such as 'Squash from the Mosque' are also seeking to attract a new audience to the sport. However, others are more sceptical about the longevity of padel's popularity. 'Padel will go through the same curve as squash is going through at the moment,' said Markus Gaebel, an expert in squash facilities. 'The trend will be combining facilities with padel, squash and pickleball because they all help each other.' For Gaebel there is no doubt which sport is the most challenging: 'Those who want to be more athletic are squash players. Squash is a physical type of chess.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where to play pickleball in Delaware, indoors and outdoors
Ron Pinsky has been coaching racket sports for nearly four decades. He said what has made pickleball sticky in recent years is simple: it's easy to pick up. "It's way easier to learn than any other racket sport," said Pinsky, the director of pickleball at Dill Dinkers, a new indoor pickleball facility in Newport. "With pickleball, you just see smiles and people laughing and high-fiving. It's more fun, it's a lot quicker and it's very social. It's also a great workout." A number of private pickleball facilities have popped up across Delaware, seeking to meet the growing demand for year-round pickleball, including Dill Dinkers in Newport, Bounce Pickleball on the Wilmington Riverfront and facilities slated to open later this year in the former College Square shopping center in Newark and the Brandywine Town Center in Brandywine Hundred. But finding a place to dink and dunk the hard-plastic ball can be as easy as taking a short trip to the tennis courts of a local park. In fact, many parks are adding pickleball-specific courts that are smaller and have different lines. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or an eager newcomer here is a list of places to play pickleball indoors and outdoors in Delaware. Some locations require advance sign-up and a membership or daily-use fee. More information on each location is available at the links provided. New Castle County indoors: Bounce Pickleball, 510 Justison St., Wilmington D-Fit, 4905 Mermaid Blvd., Pike Creek Delcastle Tennis Center, 710 McKennans Church Rd., Milltown Dill Dinkers, 500 Water St., Newport Hockessin Recreation Center, 7259 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin Siegel JCC Delaware, 101 Garden of Eden Rd., Talleyville New Castle County outdoors: Bechtel Park, 1031 Naamans Road, Brandywine Hundred Deacons Walk Park, 9 Ware Road, Pike Creek Delcastle Tennis Center, 710 McKennans Church Road, Milltown The Edge 18, 1 E. Whittington Way, Middletown Glasgow Park, 2275 Pulaski Highway, Glasgow Greenbank Park, 250 Greenbank Road, Prices Corner Siegel JCC Delaware, 101 Garden of Eden Road, Talleyville Southern Park, 1275 Shallcross Lake Road, Middletown Townsend Municipal Park, 0 Edgar Road, Townsend Southern Delaware indoors: Dave Marshall Tennis & Pickleball, 18464 Plantations Blvd., Lewes Dover Indoor Tennis, 633 Persimmon Tree Lane, Dover Factory Sports Complex Frankford, 34545 Dupont Blvd., Unit 6, Building F, Frankford Factory Sports Complex Lewes, 17543 Nassau Commons Blvd., Lewes Kent County Recreation Center, 1683 New Burton Road, Dover Sports at the Beach, 22518 Lewes Georgetown Highway, Georgetown Southern Delaware outdoors: Courtside Pickleball & Tennis Club, 2117 Kenton Road, Dover Dave Marshall Tennis & Pickleball, 18464 Plantations Blvd., Lewes Evans Park, 32517 Dukes Drive, Millville John M. Clayton Elementary School, 252 Clayton Ave., Frankford Lewes Canalfront Park, 211 Front St., Lewes Memorial Park, 1 S. Washington St., Milford Rehoboth Elementary School, 500 Stockley St., Rehoboth Beach Sandhill Fields, 20330 Sandhill Road, Georgetown Age-restricted: Fraim Center for Active Adults, 669 S. Union St., Wilmington Mid-County Center, 1st Regiment Road, Milltown Locations opening soon: Ace Pickleball Club, 3300 Brandywine Parkway, Brandywine Hundred The Picklr, 301 College Square, Newark Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Places to play pickleball in Delaware, indoors and outdoors
