April 22 2024 16:23
Balwin Padel, a division of JSE-listed Balwin Properties will, together with JSE real estate investment trust (Reit) Attacq Limited, open six new rooftop padel courts at Mall of Africa in Waterfall City. This is as demand for the lifestyle sport gains momentum.
Four of the courts will be covered, allowing for matches to be played irrespective of weather conditions.
The venue will also host the first Balwin Padel Club, with amenities such as locker and shower facilities for
players.
The six padel courts at majority shareholder Attacq’s Mall of Africa super-regional flagship, will be open
for play on September 1 2024 as part of a tournament with prize money of R200 000. A soft opening is
planned for mid-July to the end of August.
At 131,000m2 Mall of Africa is SA’s largest shopping centre built in one phase.
Balwin Padel, which currently has five courts in Johannesburg and the Western Cape will add 21 new
courts, including the six from Mall of Africa by early 2025.
Balwin is trying to promote healthy lifestyles through Balwin Padel. Steve Brookes, CEO of Balwin said Padel had been a highly successful facet in Balwin’s overall group
“Padel is a low-impact sport that enables people to socialise and maintain healthy lifestyles. This is the first time that we’ve expanded the Balwin Padel brand outside of our lifestyle centres and
we’re excited to capture some of Mall of Africa’s millions of loyal shoppers each month, while adding to
the huge shopping and entertainment diversity the mall already offers,” he said.
Balwin wants to develop standalone padel courts in its lifestyle centres adjacent to its new residential
developments “to enable residents and communities to connect and socialise”.
Funding for the development of the six padel courts at Attacq’s Mall of Africa, is provided by
a consortium of private investors.
Johann Fourie, Mall of Africa general manager said: “Balwin Padel is a great addition to our
leisure and entertainment offering at Mall of Africa. Waterfall City currently boasts 35km of hiking and
biking trails, and, together with the Waterfall City Athletics Club and the Discovery Soccer Park, as well
as the recently launched Bounce indoor trampoline park aimed at the younger demographic, Balwin
Padel demonstrates Attacq’s commitment to healthy living and at the same time enables us to grow
our non-gross lettable area (GLA) income.”
The mall contains more than 300 stores, with a diverse range of retail brands, including apparel brands Zara, H&M and Cotton On.
Padel is a mixture of tennis, squash, and badminton which was invented in Mexico. It is one of the quickest growing sports globally, with more than 25-million players in more than 90 countries, according to Padelathletes.com. Balwin Padel was launched in 2023.
Introduced to South Africa in late 2020, Padel boasts more than 100 000 players nationwide through the
Playtomic platform.
South Africa currently has 400 courts, with the potential to grow to about 2 500 courts, said Sebastian
Brokmann, Chief of Padel at Balwin.
Mall of Africa Balwin Padel concept
Balwin’s Thaba Eco Lifestyle Estate in Johannesburg South, which has two padel courts will have
four new courts at the end of April. The residential development has lifestyle
facilities that are also available to the public on a membership basis. New padel courts will also open at Balwin’s Munyaka in Waterfall City, Izinga Smart City in Durban, and Mooikloof in Pretoria.
To help grow the sport in South Africa, Balwin Padel partnered with Padel player and winner
of two world championship titles, Willy Lahoz. Lahoz, who is in the country for three years, will host
several coaching clinics for corporates, individuals, and groups countrywide.
Balwin Padel has hosted padel events including the Women’s Padel Event which
coincided with International Women’s Month.
“Padel is growing rapidly, and we are experiencing demand from individuals and groups wanting to
play at our courts – we are excited about the addition of new courts to accommodate the growing
number of players, as well as the formation of the Balwin Padel Club, that will further help us support
our members. We work closely with some of the sport’s top names in South Africa, who are Balwin Padel
ambassadors, including Jason Blakey-Milner and Karyn Hambridge to promote accessibility and interest
in the sport,” said Brokmann.
I247@propertyflash.co.za
