At its meeting on 19 November, Napton Parish Council formally agreed to support

our planning application to build two padel courts at the Sports Field. We expect a decision from Stratford District Council on, or shortly after, 19 December.

 

We had hoped that, following Warwickshire Lawn Tennis Association’s generous offer to lend us £20,000 at 0% interest, the National LTA would also agree to provide a loan. Unfortunately, they have decided not to proceed. Their reasons are twofold:

first, Napton Padel Charity is a newly formed organisation, and they require two years of trading history; second is because we do not hold a formal exclusive lease for Napton Sports Field. Although Napton Parish Council has agreed to grant us a five-year rolling licence to build and operate two padel courts, this did not meet the LTA’s criteria.

The good news is that we now have sufficient funding to build one court and complete the groundworks for a second. We are continuing to apply for additional grants and loans, and with the expected income from the first court once it is operational, we anticipate being able to complete the second court towards the end of 2026.

As mentioned in our previous briefing, one potential option is a bond issue. Supporters could purchase an interest-bearing bond repayable after three years. If you are interested in learning more about this possibility, please let us know at https://naptonpadel.co.uk/#contact

 

We issued tenders to approved padel court contractors at the beginning of November and have received strong interest, with several contractors visiting the site to gather further information. Tender submissions are due by 14th December. We aim to select our preferred contractor before Christmas and anticipate that work could begin in January.

 

We are currently evaluating club management systems that provide online membership applications, court bookings, pay-to-play options, integrated payment processing, court access control, player calendars, league tables, and digital messaging/noticeboards about personal availability for games. We expect to confirm our preferred system within the next month.

If you would like further information, ask a question or leave a comment go to https://naptonpadel.co.uk/#contact

 

The question we asked was: “Do you have ideas about finding Padel partners?”

The results are in the pie chart below.

As a result, we are in the process of setting up Napton Padel Club WhatsApp groups for different abilities to help players connect with each other and arrange games. More details to follow soon.

As noted above, the club management software we are evaluating will also allow members to tell each other about availabilities and give call-outs to other members.

 

For those trying padel for the first time, we understand that you may not want to purchase a racquet immediately. We are looking at ways to make racquets and balls available for new players.

This week’s question is: “How do I access equipment if I am new to the sport?”

 

Please share your thoughts by filling out the form at https://forms.office.com/r/iyE80TaNgQ