00:00We're here this morning at Schlesinger Paddle Club in Leeds and this is the JM Paddle Academy.
00:07The game of paddle has blown up, it's massive. Fastest growing sport in the world, I love
00:11it. Not a natural sportsman it has to be said, but I love this game and I play an awful
00:16lot.
00:17But the negative side of it is that it can be pretty expensive and I just thought about
00:21myself when I was this age and how I would be able to play it and I wouldn't have been.
00:25So I thought, well, let's set up a charity to get kids playing this game and from underprivileged
00:31backgrounds from all different areas of the country so they can enjoy the game that I love
00:37so much. I think the great thing about paddle is it's a lot easier than tennis.
00:42You know, I love tennis, but it's really hard and really hard when you come to the kids, right?
00:48Let's play tennis. The serve's the hardest shot and that's how you start.
00:51Whereas here, these kids have been playing for 20 minutes and they're already playing
00:57matches, they're already hitting the ball over the net, they're getting rallies going.
01:01So it's just an easier sport to pick up and yet no less taxing, no less thoughtful.
01:09There's lots of tactics, there's lots of obviously fitness.
01:12The guys at the JM Paddle Academy giving opportunities to people that have never maybe really played
01:17it before is absolutely amazing. And I know it's not just in Leeds, it's all over the country.
01:22And some of these boys have played before, but there's other labs here today that have never
01:27ever played in the Europe. It's a great opportunity for them.
01:29It's only getting bigger, you know, it's only getting bigger. And I think there'll be a point,
01:34I think maybe it'll hit the Olympics, you know, 2032, 2036, and that's when it will be gone.
01:40And what I want to do with the academy is to make sure that when it does hit the masses,
01:45more so than it is now, that all these kids have had a chance to play.
01:49It's been good. We did a tournament last year as well with the same people and that was really good.
01:55And we've all played Paddle before. We've played quite a bit, so I would say we're a bit experienced,
02:02but it's good to get some more practising as well.
02:04This for me is a sport that hopefully gets these kids out, gets them physical, gets them moving.
02:09I do genuinely feel like, you know, what I would love is, you know, somebody at some point will represent
02:15Team GB in Paddle
02:16and I would love them to have come from a working class background
02:20and I'd love to have come through the academy and, you know, I don't think I'm going to get a
02:27medal at the Olympics,
02:28but it would be nice to get a mention.
02:29I feel like Yorkshire are certainly one of the paddle epicentre of the country.
02:34You know, you've Harrogate, Lees, all these brilliant clubs.
02:37This one here at Schlesinger is one of the best paddle venues in the world, you know, and I've played
02:43everywhere.
02:44So you're really lucky to have this level of, you know, facilities here.
02:51And the standard is high in Yorkshire as well.
02:53So, but we're getting there in Lancashire, don't you worry.
02:56There'll be a paddle war of the roses yet, don't you worry.
