History

The History of Padel in Canada

The sport of padel in Canada had its beginnings in Calgary, Alberta. The sport was introduced to Canada by Bill Stamile, who first saw the game played while on vacation in Argentina in 1992. He founded the Padel Association of Canada in February 1992, as a federally incorporated Canadian Registered Amateur Athletic Association. The main objective of the PAC is to encourage and develop the widest participation and highest proficiency in padel in Canada.

The first padel court was built in mid-1992 by Bill and his brother, Angelo inside a Calgary warehouse, which operated for nearly one year. The court was used to attract some of Calgary’s top tennis and squash players, many of whom still play the game today. In May 1993,the first padel team representing Canada internationally played the Corcuera Cup in Acapulco, Mexico.

The PAC was invited to join the World Padel Federation at this time and has continued as a member in good standing. The PAC has participated in over a dozen other tournaments including six world championships, most recently in Seville, Spain in October of 2006 for the Junior World Championships.

The PAC has been actively involved in promoting the sport of padel to Canadians through a series of clinics, orientations, tournaments and special events. The current PAC headquarters located at a public school facility in Calgary has provided a base for a substantial increase in outdoor padel participation with demand growing for a year round indoor padel facility.

The History of Padel

Padel originated in Acapulco, Mexico in 1969. Enrique Corcuera, a Mexican industrialist in search of a less strenuous family-oriented racquet game, altered tennis court dimensions, rules and the racquet to create the new sport.

The Mexican elite enjoyed padel for several years before it was picked up by the Spanish royal family and taken to Madrid, where it was first introduced to Europe. In the late 1970’s, the game was introduced into Argentina, again as a game for a wealthier set of people.

However, by the early 1980’s, several public courts were built on a popular Argentine beach resort allowing the general public to access the game. In the mid 1980’s, many more public courts were built in Buenos Aires; and since then, the sport has grown at a tremendous pace. Currently, over 5 million participants play the sport in 20 countries. Padel is growing internationally and is organized under the World Padel Federation.