© IF and Archive
Drongen has an added attraction: an indoor padel court, close to the station. With two or four shots back and forth, you do it on what used to be an indoor tennis court, but manager Nico Verpoot no longer sees the point.
Sander Luyten
Padel originated in 1969 in the Mexican city of Acapulco when a wealthy businessman did not have enough space for a tennis court. Enrique Corcuera then marked a smaller area with high walls and the sport was born. More than 50 years later, the padel has taken the world by storm. Even Drongen, 9,458 kilometers from Acapulco as the crow flies, now has one padel field. Closed, yes.
The operator was Nico Verpoot, manager of the Ni&co padel and tennis school: “I exploited the closed tennis courts in room Apollo 10 on Drongenstationstraat. Since the field needs updating I was wondering if it was a wise investment. I get more requests for padel than tennis. In the end I built a padel court over the old tennis court. There’s only one area, but the fact that it’s covered is an asset compared to other lots in Ghent, which are outdoors. You won’t be bothered by the fickle Belgian weather here.” (read more under the photo)
©IF
Everyone is welcome, from recreational players to competitive players looking to train indoors. “We are a small player, not comparable to, for example, Garrincha at the Flanders Expo. With my tennis and padel schools I will also soon be offering lessons in Drongen.” Verpoot has taught lessons at De Witte Kaproenen in Deinze, Tennisclub Sterrenbos in Nazareth, Tennisclub Zomergem and MVP Padel in Evergem.
That said padel often also says noise nuisance to neighbours. Verpoot immediately calmed his mind: “The soundproof cloth is still coming. Incidentally, the measurements show that it’s not the noisiest punch. Most of the decibels are caused by players’ screams. That’s a lot harder than hitting that window with a ball.”
Kim Clijsters
The new padel court will soon have a scoreboard and better lighting, and from April 15 there will be a bar to talk about or contemplate. It doesn’t stop at padel, by the way, on Drongenstationstraat. Verpoot is also offering pitches for pickleball starting in May. This sport is very popular in America and Great Britain. Two to four players use a rocket to hit a hollow plastic ball over the net. “Kim Clijsters invested in sports a while back,” said Verpoot. “I’m sure it will also line up here in Drongen.”
Orders can be made via www.tennisvlaanderen.be
Info about Nico Verpoot’s tennis and padel school via www.tennis-enpadelschool-nico.be
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