Indoor padel, with the arrival of cold weather, is becoming more and more popular, so much so that fields are springing up like mushrooms, but is it really the same to play padel inside a facility? What are the differences (if any) and how much does it cost?
Let's try to shed some light on the subject, covering as broadly as possible an important innovation in this sector.
If you have any doubts about indoor padel, you will probably find the answer in this article, so let's get started!
What is indoor padel?
Small but necessary premise, if you don't chew English and are new to the sport, you may never have heard the term (or at least have no idea what it is).
Literally, it means an indoor court, which does not necessarily mean inside a gymnasium, but also applies to non-fixed structures.
For example, winter indoor fields with inflatable balls are also defined as indoor fields, even if the structure can be removed.
Indoor is or becomes indoor as soon as one has to enter a structure enclosed by a roof and walls.
How much does an indoor padel court cost?
If you are looking for information about the possible construction of a padel court, you should know that an indoor padel court is quite expensive.
It can cost up to 50,000 euros or more to build, depending on the type of structure you want to enclose the court.
If you are simply looking for an awning or other system to protect you from the autumn rains, the price is around €25,000.
On the other hand, a standard patio costs around 15/20,000, depending on factors that cannot be examined one by one in this article.
If you want to know in more detail how much it costs to build a padel court or a padel court cover, you can read our articles.
Rules for indoor padel courts
If the padel court is built indoors, it will be subject to certain rules that define its parameters, right?
You certainly can't build it with a roof 2 metres above the ground, if the back walls are 4 metres above the ground, it wouldn't make sense.
An indoor padel court must have a roof at least 7 metres from the playing surface, otherwise it is not considered regular.
If you do not have the space to place the roof at this height, it is better to avoid building an irregular roof.
It will never host tournaments, and players may quickly run into problems or be dissatisfied with the gameplay.
If you want to know more about the size of padel courts or the rules of padel, you can read our articles.
Differences between indoor and outdoor paddle tennis
In fact, if you analyse in detail the difference between indoor and outdoor padel, the variations are really minimal.
The biggest difference in terms of play is that indoors you are not subject to wind disturbances or external factors.
We believe that every player has his or her own preferences and, if we were to do a survey, there would be at least 1,000 different reasons for preferring one condition or the other.
However, in general it is more a matter of personal preference than real objective data, as there is no real difference.
An indoor padel court meets the same specifications as an outdoor court, only the ceiling of at least 7 metres makes a difference.
Of course, in some rare cases, the ball can reach this upper limit, but we expect this to be very rare.
Except for rare recoveries or particularly disproportionate shots, it is not normal for a padel ball to travel 7 metres above the ground.
Similarly, an indoor court has definite advantages in winter, but is impractical in summer (except for air-cooled systems).
Nobody likes to play indoors in summer, and even less outdoors in winter (especially in Northern Italy).
So what is the ideal solution? None, but the one that comes closest is the simple covering of the pitch.
In this way, it can be used in the sun and rain, even when it is quite cold, and measures can be taken to improve its habitability in some cases.
If you want to know more about padel, you can read our articles about how to play padel, the size of the court or the classic problems of the game of padel.
Conclusions
Now that you know everything there is to know about indoor padel courts, we hope we have answered all your questions on the subject.
This type of system has, like everything else, its advantages and disadvantages, so you have to think carefully about what to do.
The best solution is the false solution, which consists of leaving the apparatus outside in summer and inside in winter, but this is not always feasible.