The recreational sports revolution in Pakistan

For those of us who grew up in Pakistan in the 1980s and 90s, finding access to public areas to play sports was a challenge, as the only places where we could play sports was at school, barring the sprawling and often crowded spaces on the roads and at the parks where the national obsession i.e. cricket, was and still continues to be popular.

Those of us who were privileged enough to be members at private clubs had it easier, as we had access to swimming pools, squash courts, tennis courts and even golf courses.

Now such problems are a thing of the past with the advent and rage of recreational sports that has taken over the urban big cities in the country.

Padel rules the roost, followed by futsal, pickleball, volleyball and handball. Now, us adults and children have access to recreational sporting clubs, which offer multiple options in one area at an affordable cost and even cater to our gastronomical needs with food and drink outlets aplenty.

The game of Padel has taken the country by storm. What is all the fuss about with the game? Without offending any of the purists, it could be termed as a mix of squash and tennis – being played inside glass walls with the help of balls, racquets and in a doubles format. The game of Padel finds its origins way back in 1969 in Mexico thanks to tennis enthusiast, Enrique Corcuera, a businessman by profession, who tried this game on one of his trips abroad. He then returned back to Mexico and acquired a piece of land and installed a padel court, wherein experiments with different kinds of balls, racquets, etc. took place. Thereafter, it gained popularity in Spain, and the game attracted the likes of Manolo Santana, a professional tennis player, who began to play and organize tournaments.

In this day and age of smartphones, countless streaming entertainment platforms and endless hours of screen watching, adults and children struggle to find the time to be active. We join gyms and encourage our children to learn sports at different clubs and facilities but with the opening of multi-sports recreational clubs in the big cities in Pakistan, a shift is apparently being made to spend time, resources and energy, playing fun, group based, recreational sports.

Being an avid sportsman myself, I moved to Karachi from Lahore a couple of years ago and was lucky to find people to play volleyball with and being a part of a group of like-minded and (mostly, like-aged and bodied!) who enjoy some fun sporting activity, is very much a part of the weekly routine.

The Legends Arena in Khadda Market in Karachi is almost a second home for most recreational sports enthusiasts as it boasts multiple padel courts, multipurpose courts, badminton courts, turf grounds for futsal and cricket, a track for athletics and has now opened a gym, yoga and wellness facility as well. It is most definitely the marker in terms of variety, affordability and convenience for a lot of people.

The game of Padel is on another trajectory now in Pakistan. Amongst so many Padel Clubs, Karachi has Legends, Vamos, SmashX, The Padel Factory, Padel Edge, Greenwich Padel, and an indoor facility about to open its doors called “Padelverse”. Lahore has Padel Park, Padel Play, Padel Arena, Padel Café and Islamabad has “The Pad”.

Even Private Clubs in Karachi are now installing Padel courts and those who are that addicted and privileged enough to do, are even having Padel courts installed in their residences. There is now a “Padel in Pakistan” WhatsApp group, where there is general information on bookings, buying and selling of equipment, chats on people being available to play and updates on tournaments.

Most recently, the Pakistan Padel Open was held at Legends and a Pakistan Padel Tour is taking place, with the events being live streamed on the ‘Myco’ App and on YouTube.

A Pakistan Padel Federation has been formed, which is a part of Padel Asia. Men, Women, Children, Teens – everyone is playing the game and it appears that the game of Padel is becoming a healthy obsession for most, as opposed to spending time and resources on eating out, which still remains, a favorite pastime for most.

Other games such as pickleball, handball and volleyball are played as well – with their respective leagues and tournaments. There are running clubs all over the country, where those who like to run or jog, are often seen on the streets at the crack of dawn, men and women alike. It is positive to see that we no longer have to rely on being members of private clubs to be active, healthy and fit. What is even better is that because of the ever-expanding popularity of recreational sports and its apparent profitability for those willing to invest their resources into the same, all of us now have multiple options and less excuses to be mindful of that old adage that we neglect so often – Health is Wealth!