West of Scotland Padel Club is seeking Community PB funding to purchase new padel rackets which will be made available for people taking part in community, introductory and development sessions at our charitable club.

Padel is an accessible and enjoyable sport, but taking part requires specialist equipment. For someone trying padel for the first time, particularly a young person or family, purchasing a racket before knowing whether they will continue playing creates an unnecessary financial barrier.

Our project will create a pool of good-quality community rackets which people will be able to use when being introduced to the sport. This means someone will be able to come to the club, pick up a racket and participate without having to purchase their own equipment first.

The rackets will support our work to introduce more people to padel, including children and young people, families and people who have never previously played the sport. They will also support introductory and community sessions designed to encourage people to become more physically active.

As a charitable club, we want padel to be accessible to the wider community rather than participation being determined by someone’s ability to purchase specialist equipment.

The investment will have a continuing benefit. Unlike funding a single session or event, the rackets will remain available for repeated use, allowing many different participants to benefit over their lifespan.

The project supports the Community Action theme by helping local people become active, reducing barriers to participation and creating opportunities for people to come together through sport.

Project costs:

New padel rackets: £85 x 12

Total project cost: £1020 https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/padel-racket-adipower-dct/384062/m9017124

Community PB funding requested: £850

This project is about something simple but important. If someone wants to try padel, not owning a racket should not stop them.

Community PB funding will give us the equipment to open the sport to more people and ensure the same rackets continue creating opportunities for people across North Ayrshire for years to come.