A pop-up padel club, PADELphia, recently opened in Manayunk. There are two courts, a viewing area and a pro-shop.
Padel, which combines elements of tennis, squash and racquetball, is a popular sport in Spain but not yet well-known in the United States.
All Racquet Sports hopes to spark local interest with the new public facility, located outside the Venice Island Recreation Center.
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"Social, fun, competitive and additive are words used to describe the sport that is easy to learn and hard to master," said Lee Sponaugle, President of All Racquet Sports.
"Padel is truly the Swiss Army knife of racquet sports and it has been said that if tennis is checkers, padel is chess," he added.
On the court, which is surrounded by glass walls, players stand on opposite sides of the net and use a paddle – not a stringed racquet – to hit the ball.
At PADELphia, instructors offer private lessons, group lessons, workouts, skill clinics and teaching certifications. Players can also reserve court time.
An intro to padel is offered Saturday mornings for $25. Open play on the courts is $10 and takes place Wednesday and Thursday evenings. All Racquet Sports provides demo racquets and balls for all activities.
The pop-up club will be open through October.
PADELphia
Open Mondays through Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Open Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
7 Lock St., Philadelphia, PA 19127
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