Frédéric Jouvet
Published on
The actual or imminent opening of four dedicated padel complexes in Le Mans (Sarthe) and its surroundings reflects the growth of the sport. Between March and June 2026, the department will have an additional 29 covered courts.
The departmental tennis committee hopes that this new offering will help train young people and establish schools for them to evolve in this sport. Interview with Yannick Foucrit, president of the padel commission within the departmental tennis committee.
Padel is a sport and leisure activity that is gaining popularity. How does this translate in terms of licensed players in Sarthe?
It’s difficult to see the evolution of licensed players because some tennis players also play padel. Next year, it will be even more complicated to quantify as the federation is introducing a multi-racket license. What is certain is that the number of participants is increasing significantly and continuously. In total, there are 6182 licensed players in Sarthe (padel/tennis/pickleball) and 460 classified players.
Is the supply of padel courts sufficient in the department?
A month and a half ago, I would have said we didn’t have enough because there were only 11 covered courts in Sarthe. Since then, Le Mans Padel has opened with 10 additional courts, PadelShot with 7 courts opening on May 6, 6 more with Palarea in June, and six more with Smash Zone.
There will be 29 more in three months, which is huge: there will be room for everyone. The FFT (Editor’s note, French Tennis Federation) recommends one padel court per 10,000 inhabitants; here we have 40 for 200,000 inhabitants, so we will have twice the standard amount.
Is this good news for the development of padel sports practice in Sarthe?
The offering will be huge. We already feel that there will be a lot more ease in playing. No city in the region will have as many padel courts as Le Mans, not even Nantes! As a player and committee member, it is satisfying because we hope that with the increase in courts, we will be able to develop padel among young people.
A championship for regional qualifications at the end of May
The departmental tennis committee of Sarthe is organizing its departmental padel championship, in pairs. It will take place at ASCA Tennis Padel in La Chapelle-Saint-Aubin on May 22, 23, and 24 for men and on May 31 for women. The best players will qualify for the regional championships at the end of June.
To what extent are young people embracing this sport in Sarthe?
We have very few young people playing padel. Those who play padel also play tennis. There are few who only play padel. This is our battle at the committee: we need to make it known and develop padel among young people and help them progress in terms of level. If we want to do this, we should consider setting up schools and having only 100% padel players. We will be able to approach private facilities and negotiate some slots to train them.
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