The racket sport padel just isn’t new, but it surely does have new momentum, seeming to surpass pickleball as the recent new factor. A latest announcement reveals that San Antonio is considered one of 5 Texas cities beginning newbie groups throughout the Nationwide Padel League (NPL). Registration is open now and closes October 6.
Particularly, these fall below the USA Nationwide Staff League, and so they’ll be “the nation’s first structured newbie padel workforce league with nationwide attain,” in accordance with a press launch. The league is endorsed by the U.S. Padel Affiliation (USPA).
The league will begin this fall and is split into six areas containing 40 cities. Texas and Florida are every large enough to represent their very own areas individually from the Southwest and Southeast cities, respectively. Texas groups are popping up in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and El Paso.
Padel is lots like pickleball, squash, and tennis. The game was born in 1969 in Acapulco, Mexico. Among the many most notable distinctions are that the court docket is enclosed in glass partitions, the sport makes use of paddles and low-pressure balls, and gamers expend extra vitality transferring across the court docket. It’s seen as a extremely tactical recreation.
“It is a landmark second for newbie padel in america,” mentioned Nationwide Padel League director Luis Fernando Ramirez Aristeguieta. “For the primary time, gamers can come collectively in a structured format to compete domestically, regionally, and nationally, all whereas constructing lasting connections on and off the court docket.”
The usual workforce may have 6-15 gamers on its roster, separated into males’s and girls’s divisions on 4 talent ranges. The gamers should be a minimum of 16 years outdated and energetic members of USPA, and typically, free brokers can be positioned on native groups.
Matches will current three doubles video games, and groups need to win two of the three to advance. In October, the groups will play on the town stage, adopted by Regional Championships in November, and the Nationwide Finals in February 2026 in Miami. Groups taking part in within the finals will obtain journey assist and media protection, and the champions will win trophies, customized attire, and Delta journey vouchers.
“The NPL’s USA Nationwide Staff League, endorsed by the USPA, is one other huge step ahead for the newbie padel recreation,” mentioned USPA president Invoice Ullman, President of the USPA. “It provides gamers an thrilling pathway from their native golf equipment and courts to nationwide, team-oriented competitors.”
San Antonians can at the moment follow their recreation at two padel complexes, U-Padel Membership at 14630 Judson Rd and King of Padel at 314 Nolan St. A 3rd heart, Slice Padel, will arrive on the finish of 2025, incorporating meals vans and a full-service bar.
