By: Nur Nabilah
IPOH – Padel, the fast-growing racket sport that’s taken Europe and Latin America by storm, has officially landed in Perak. Thanks to Padel Perak and its collaboration with Hugh’s Racquet Club.
Located at Hugh’s Racquet Club, it now boasts three beautiful and fully-covered padel courts, offering locals a new sporting experience that’s fun and accessible.
At a recent soft launch for family and friends, Ipoh Roadrunners Club President Chong Him Shoong and his family were among the first to try their hand at the sport.
“It’s a sport combining tennis and squash,” Him Shoong said.
“My wife Lingli plays tennis while I used to play squash, perhaps we would make good partners,” he said in jest.
“We are thrilled that Ipoh now has its first padel courts, and at affordable rates too.
“This gives Ipoh folks another sport to take up and enjoy, rain or shine,” said Lingli. The three padel courts are fully covered.
Behind this exciting development is Foo Yit Loong, the visionary owner and founder of Hugh’s Racquet Club. He sees this as just the beginning of something much bigger.
“Besides three premium padel courts, we also have four pickleball courts, two indoors and two outdoors to cater to the trending popularity of the game in Ipoh. We will soon have cafes and bars on site too,” said Yit Loong.
The spark for Padel in Perak began with Tim Day, founder of Padel Perak, and his wife Bing. The couple first discovered padel while living in Spain.
“My wife Bing and I first played it in Spain, fell in love with the sport, and we decided to bring it with us to Ipoh,” said Tim, who lives with his Malaysian wife in Ipoh.
Determined to build courts that matched international standards, Tim flew in a specialist team from Spain to construct them from the ground up.
“We had to fly in a team of padel court specialists from Spain to build these courts as we wanted to ensure top notch quality. The good news for Ipoh is our rates at RM100 an hour are extremely affordable and among the cheapest, if not the cheapest, in the country.
“We want to make them accessible to everyone, as our goal is to share this wonderful sport that I love, to Ipoh, which has become my hometown,” Tim said.
Padel Perak is more than just courts. It’s about building a community. The team regularly organizes events such as family sessions, coaching clinics, and social mixers to introduce new players to the sport in a fun, welcoming environment.
For more information on upcoming events, visit:
