” I decided that I would try it. I found a club close to my home and arranged a lesson with top French coach Kristina Clement. That was November 2015 and I was immediately hooked and am still being coached by Kristina”
Article available also in Polish language:
O padlu w Irlandii rozmawiamy z Barrym Coffey’em – prezesem Irish Padel Association
What was Your beginning with padel? What is Your sport background?
I first heard of padel in the early 1990s when a member of our tennis club came backfrom a holiday in Argentina and was talking enthusiastically of this great sport. Many years later, 2015 to be exact, I saw something in the newspaper about padel and I decided that I would try it. I found a club close to my home and arranged a lesson with top French coach Kristina Clement. That was November 2015 and I was immediately hooked and am still being coached by Kristina. My sporting background was in badminton which I began playing at the age of 13. I progressed through the junior ranks, and later, in my early 20s played for the national team and became national champion. I retired from competitive sport at the age of 26 when making a living became more important there being no money in the sport at that time. I started to play club level tennis in Dublin and continued until I moved to France in 2000.
What is Your memory of Your first game/first racket/first tournament?
When I started padel I was determined that it would be “just for fun” and that I would not compete in tournaments as I had done before on the badminton “circuit”. Because of my experience/background in racquet sports I was able to play matches almost immediately although I had to “unlearn” so many things and I am still doing that. Every day is a new challenge with padel.
My first racquet was a Vibora which I used for more than a year. Everything changed when an English friend from the club asked me to travel to Birmingham in the UK to play a tournament. At first I said no but eventually agreed. I found that I was immediately drawn to the competitive side of padel even at the age of 55 and we actually won a couple of matches which was a big surprise for me. In 2017 British Padel (now called LTA Padel) started a Veterans Tour (+45yrs) and I committed to playing on it even though it involved a lot of travelling. I became the number 1 ranked player on the tour in March 2018 and remained there for 16 months. I even managed to finish the year inside the top 10 of the open age category……. at 58 years old.
In 2018 I signed with Adidas Padel and have been one of their ambassadors ever since, now using the AdiPower 2.0 racquet In 2019 I was invited by FIP to represent Ireland at the European Championships in Rome. Carrying the Irish flag at the opening ceremony was one of the proudest moments of my life.
What was the beginning of padel in Ireland?
The first padel court in Ireland was built in 2012 in a private boarding school run by the conservative catholic religious organisation Opus Dei. This school organises summer courses in English for Spanish students so the demand was already there. A second court was built soon after on the same site and a club was started which was open to all. Although the courts are still there they are no longer open to the public and the club does not appear to function any longer.
How the situation of padel in Ireland looks like nowadays? How many places to play? How many players and tournaments?
Although the number of players is growing slowly the overall situation is not very good. There are currently two organisations operating, Irish Padel Association and Padel Federation of Ireland but neither are recognised by Sport Ireland, the governing body for sport in Ireland. Several attempts to merge the two organisations have failed as one of them is not interested in any meaningful discussion. Until the situation changes and the sport is recognised by Sport Ireland, development will remain slow as there is no access to government funding. There are currently 8 outdoor courts available to the public (plus the two in the private school mentioned previously). Two indoor courts are currently under construction at the famous hotel and golf resort, Adare Manor. It is expected that they will open during the summer of this year but this project has been delayed by the Covid 19 pandemic.
There are an additional two indoor courts in Northern Ireland but this is part of the United Kingdom and falls under administration of LTA Padel. As most of the facilities are “pay and play” it is difficult to accurately calculate the number of regular players but it is thought to be around 700. There have been some tournaments but most of the top players tend to compete abroad. The Irish Padel Association have organised a veterans nations team event over the past two years at Casa Padel in Paris. This year’s event which was to have taken place in Helsingborg, Sweden in April has been postponed until September.The teams (6 players) from England, Finland, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland will take part.
Are there any courses for padel coaches in Ireland?
Because there is no official National Governing Body for padel in Ireland and therefore no certified coaching qualification available, players who wish to have a recognised coaching qualification tend to travel to the UK for the LTA Padel coaches course.
What are the plans for the future of padel in Ireland?
The most important plan for padel in Ireland is to obtain government recognition for the sport which in turn will lead to rapid growth. Many players are members of tennis clubs and have expressed an interest in adding padel to their clubs but for the moment are hesitant until the sport is officially recognised. We are in discussions with Tennis Ireland to see if an arrangement can be made there. It is felt that if Tennis Ireland show an interest in developing padel then we might see the growth that has happened in countries such as Italy, France and more recently UK.
