Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Padel and pickleball boom leaves squash standing still

Written by 
Published in Squash
Monday, 23 May 2022 06:25

Having downgraded squash, LifeTime aims to build 600-700 pickleball courts across USA
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

As Covid regulations are being relaxed in many parts of the world, it’s time to assess the future of squash and the impact of lockdown.

While padel and pickleball continue to expand at a phenomenal rate in various parts of the world, squash appears to be continuing to decline with signs of growth reported in very few territories.

The UK padel market is like the wild west, with numerous companies in a desperate race to build courts.

I am currently talking to padel companies from Spain and Sweden about building a new style of rackets club that will include squash.

I appear to be one of very few individuals holding such conversations and fighting squash’s corner.

I firmly believe that squash can thrive in a well-managed, commercial setting, and I will continue to fight to keep our sport alive despite depressing news of falling playing numbers across the world.

We have already seen the David Lloyd chain repurpose more than 100 squash courts into Blaze fitness studios across the UK.

In America, the LifeTime Fitness chain has just announced a massive investment project to add hundreds of new pickleball courts to their venues across the country.

Two years ago, LifeTime founder and CEO Bahram Akradi began the process of removing squash from numerous facilities across the States.

Around the same time, he fell in love with pickleball. A recent report by the CNBC website reports that since October the company has added 84 permanent pickleball courts at 30 clubs. Last month alone the chain reported that 7,000 new players picked up the sport at LifeTime venues.

Akradi says he plays pickleball every day and has lost 10 to 15 pounds in the process. His passion for the sport, coupled with the promise of long-term financial benefits, has led to pickleball spearheading a major refreshment of the company brand he launched nearly 30 years ago.

He revealed: “I love the sport because it’s the first sport I see bringing all of America together. It is accessible to everybody and easy to learn.

“By the end of next year, our plan is to deliver 600 to 700 dedicated pickleball courts across the country. So a LifeTime member can participate in events even if they’re traveling.”

He confirmed that LifeTime will invest $50 million to $75 million to add those courts before the end of this year.

It’s impossible not to contrast that level of investment for a nationwide pickleball expansion with the $40m raised by US Squash to build just one venue, albeit a spectacular one, the Arlen Specter National Center in Philadelphia.

The Arlen Specter US National Squash Center in Philadelphia

Research conducted by Eduardo Alvarez, Toronto club owner and Squash Mad correspondent, reveals that more than 400 fitness facilities across North America have dropped squash during the past decade.

This makes it virtually impossible to find affordable squash facilities anywhere in the USA. In Canada, too, the figures are similarly alarming as squash fades away and new pickleball clubs open every month.

Several squash coaches in the mid-West are reportedly turning their back on the game due to falling numbers and switching instead to pickleball and padel.

Akradi told CNBC: “In my 40-plus years doing sports fitness, I’ve seen all kinds of stuff come and go — get the momentum and then lose it. This sport (pickleball), I don’t see that (happening). It’s just easier to play and it brings people together.”

As pickleball playing figures approach five million in the USA (compared to an estimated 200,000 playing squash), the Selkirk pickleball brand claims to be on track to sell more than a million paddles by the end of 2023.

In squash, many equipment companies are still struggling to renew stock levels after several Chinese racket manufacturers ceased trading during lockdown.

The growth of pickleball in America has seen an extraordinary commercial uptake, with chains like Chicken N Pickle and Smash Park creating franchises with restaurants, bars and family play areas. Many other businesses are following their lead and copying the format.

We are not seeing any such projects in squash, although the Open Squash club in New York is planning two new community facilities in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights, close to the successful Heights Casino club.

Finding reliable data concerning the effects of Covid on participation numbers in squash is a tough challenge.

Finding investment partners to develop squash is even harder.

Many investors looking at the fitness market regard the squash brand as “toxic” following decades of decline. Some have been stung by their involvement in the game and have vowed not to repeat the experience.

Against this background, squash has some serious lessons to learn if the sport is to recover.

However, most voices I hear in squash sneer at the emergence of these so-called “inferior” sports and fail to understand why they have left our game standing still.

To paraphrase LifeTime founder Akradi, squash needs to be affordable, visible and accessible.

Tomorrow, we talk to a court designer who aims to bring squash into the sunlight.

Read 284 times

Soccer

Alves reports for weekly Barcelona court visit

Alves reports for weekly Barcelona court visit

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFormer Brazil footballer Dani Alves on Thursday checked in at a Bar...

Fulham stadium plans include rooftop pool

Fulham stadium plans include rooftop pool

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFulham have unveiled lavish plans for their redeveloped Riverside S...

Liverpool, Utd campaign to combat tragedy abuse

Liverpool, Utd campaign to combat tragedy abuse

EmailPrintLiverpool and Manchester United have jointly launched an education programme through their...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

Basketball

MPJ defends brother amid betting investigation

MPJ defends brother amid betting investigation

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDenver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said Wednesday night that...

Rockets, with play-in in sight, win 10th straight

Rockets, with play-in in sight, win 10th straight

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOKLAHOMA CITY -- Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, front offic...

Baseball

'He looks happy': Has Juan Soto finally found a home with the Yankees?

'He looks happy': Has Juan Soto finally found a home with the Yankees?

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWHEN JUAN SOTO began to initiate himself with the New York Yankees,...

Athletics' Andújar has surgery, could miss month

Athletics' Andújar has surgery, could miss month

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOAKLAND, Calif. -- Athletics outfielder Miguel Andujar had surgery...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated