THE COURT

DIMENSIONES

The area of play is a rectangle 10 metres wide by 20 metres long (interior measurements)  with a 0.5% tolerance.

This rectangle is divided in half by a net. On either side of and parallel to the net at a distance of 6.95 m are the service lines. The area between the net and the service lines is divided in half by a perpendicular line called the central service line, which divides this area in into two equal zones. All lines have a width of 5cm.

In enclosed courts the ceiling must have a minimum height of 6 metres throughout the area of the court. With no elements (i.e.; spot lights) which invade this area

NET

The net should be 10 metres long and 0.88 metres high at the centre, rising to 0.92 metres at the ends. With a maximum deviation of 0.005 metres. The tension of the cable in the net must be designed in such a way that it cannot come loose unexpectedly thus constituting a risk to the players

The net is suspended by a metal cable with a maximum diameter of 0,01 metres the ends of which are tied to the two lateral posts which have a maximum height of 1.05 metres.

Or it’s own structure for suspension, hold and tension.  (See19 of “Rules of the game”).

The outer side of the net posts should be at tangents with the lateral limits of the court, (opening, entrance or metallic fence). They may be circular or square but must have rounded edges.

The net is topped with a white strip which should measure between 5.0 & 6.3 cm once in place, inside which is the cable, which gives it its tension.

The net must remain totally extended so that it completely occupies the space between the posts and the surface of the court, there should not be any space between the extremes of the net and the posts, however it should not be tense.

The mesh of the net must be made of synthetic fibers and the width sufficiently narrow to avoid the ball being able to pass through it.

ENCLOSURES

The court is completely enclosed. The ends are 10 metres (inside length) and the sides 20 metres (inside length)

All areas with joins must be constructed using materials that allow a uniform bounce of the ball. And in the zones with metal meshing where the bounce is not uniform, in the following manner

Ends

With 4 meters total height of which the first three meters is wall and a last meter is metallic mesh.

Sides

The regulation allows two variations on the lateral/side enclosures:

Variante 1

Made up of stepped wall areas. At both extremes, 3 metres high by 2 metres long the first part  and 2 metres high by 2 metres long in the second part. And in areas with meshing which completes the enclosure up to 3 metres high in the central 16 metres and up to 4 metres high at  the ends.

Variant 2 

Made up of stepped wall areas. At both extremes, 3 metres high by 2 metres long the first part  and 2 metres high by 2 metres long in the second part. And in areas with meshing which completes the enclosure up to 4 metres high along the total length of the enclosure

The dimensions given are from the inside of the court

The metal meshing is always placed in line with the inner side of the wall.

The walls may be made of any transparent or opaque material (glass brick, etc.) but always with the correct consistency and which ensure a uniform bounce of the ball. If glass, it must conform to the standard UNE-EN 12.150-1 for plate glass. Any other material must have a superficial, uniform, hard and smooth finish, without any rough patches allowing contact, scraping , scooping of the ball,  hands body.

The wire mesh should be made up of squares (mounted in a rhomboidal o square shape) simply twisted or soldered but always with holes (measurement of the diagonal) no smaller than 5 centimetres and no larger than 7,08 centimetres. The recommended thickness of the wire should be  between 1,6 mm. y 3 mm, authorized of up to a maximum of 4 mm with a tension which allows the ball to bounce on it.

If a soldered mesh is used all points of solder must be protected on both sides so as to ensure that there is no possibility of cuts or scratches. If the soldered mesh is in squares but not interlaced the metal threads parallel to the ground should be on the inside and the vertical threads on the outside.

If the mesh is simply twisted the tensile must be put on the outside of the court and conveniently protected. The joins or seams between the rolls of mesh should not present any sharp or pointed edges.

Both the soldered mesh as the simple twisted mesh must form a flat and vertical surface and must ensure that these characteristics are always maintained.

FLOOR

The surface of the floor of the court should be porous and can be made of concrete, cement, synthetic material or artificial grass as long as it allows the regular bounce of the ball and avoids accumulation of water.

Permitted colours are green, blue or terracotta.

The paving should have a level surface with the differences on the inside levels of less than 3 mm using measures of 3 m. (1/1.000).

In paving without drainage the maximum transverse evacuation slope must be1% and always toward the outside of the court.

For synthetic and artificial grass surfaces the following requisites must be complied with conforming to the UNE 41.958 IN o similar for sports paving.

REQUISITS:

Impact Absorption (Force reduction)	RF³20%	Artificial Grass
Friction	0,4£m£0,8	Artificial Grass
Vertical bounce of the ball	³80%	Artificial Grass Synthetics
Sand refill	SiO2³96% CaO£3% Rounded slopes Granulation : 80% weight Æ16mm - 1,25mm Visible fibre length 2mm-3mm	Artificial Grass

Access

Access to the court is at the sides and symmetric to the centre There may be 1 or 2 entrances on each side, with or without a door  (see Rule a 15 of “The game”).

The dimensions of the entrances must be as follows

With one access per side the free space of the opening must be a minimum of 1,05 x 2,00 metres. (See diagram).

1. UIT two access points on each side the free space of the opening must be a minimum of 0.72 x 2.00 metre and a maximum of 0,82 x 2,00 metres. (See diagram).

NB: Public installations must comply with the access standards, suppression bars and arquitectural bars for disabled people.

The minimum distance between the end wall and the side nearest the access must be  9 metres.

In the case of the existence of entrance gates the handles should be placed on the outside of the court without causing  any obstruction on the inside.

In the case where gates do not exist there must be an area of empty space of 2 metres (for the width of the court) by 8 metres (for the length of the court) and whose surface should be in regulation as per the courts to safeguard the players in case they need to leave the court with the intention returning a ball in play before it’s second bounce.

LIGHTING

The spotlights are placed outside the court. A court in which the spotlights invade the free space as mentioned in Rule 15 in the rules of the game will not comply with regulations which permit the hitting of the ball outside the area limits. Minimum height from the ground to the under side of the light unit must be 6 metres.

The illumination at half light and at a height of one metre from the ground must be minimum 400 – 500 lux under normal conditions and 1.000 lux for retransmission via colour television and recording of films, although this value may increase with the distance of the camera from it’s object.

Artificial light must be uniform and in a way that does not cause difficulties of vision for the players, the team of umpires or the audience. They must comply with standards UNE - EN 12.193 or similar for illumination of sports installations and with the following minimum levels of light.

LIGHT LEVELS (Interior)	Horizontal Light E med (lux	Uniformity E min / E med
International and National Competitions	500	0,7
Local competitions, training and Recreational or school use	200	0,5

MINIMUM LIGHT LEVELS (Exterior)	Horizontal Light E med (lux	Uniformity E min / E med
International and National Competitions	750	0,7
Local competitions, training and Recreational or school use	300	0,5

ORIENTATION

The recommended orientation of the court is the longitudinal wing  in installations in open air is North-South allowing an understood variation of N-NE y N-NO.

THE BALL

The only official balls are those approved by the I.P.F. for the game of Padel.

The ball should be a rubber sphere with a uniform exterior surface in either white or yellow. Its diameter should measure between 6,35 y 6,77 cm and it’s weight between 56,0 y 59,4 grms. It should have a bounce understood to be between 135 y 145 cm when let fall onto a hard surface from a height of 2,54 m.

The ball should have an internal pressure of between 4,6 Kg. y 5,2 Kg. Per square inch.

When play is at an altitude of more than 500 m above sea level another type of ball may be used. They are identical to those mentioned earlier except on the rebound which should be more than 121,92 cm and less than135 cm.

THE RACKET

The game is played with a regulation racket homologated by the International Padel Federation (I.P.F).  The maximum measurement of which is 45,5 centimetres long, 26 centimetres wide and 38 millimetres thick.

The centre of the racket is entirely perforated by an unlimited number of holes each one measuring between 9 and 13 mm.  Around the edge of the racket in an area of no more than 4 centimetres (measured from the edge of the racket) the holes may have a larger diameter or a different shape with a variable length and width but always this does not affect the essence of the game.

The surface used to hit the ball can be flat, smooth or rough not exceeding the 30 centimetres length and 26 centimetres width.

The frame, including the handle must be free of stickers, objects or other materials which are not part of the material specifically used to limit or prevent deterioration, vibration and weight distribution.

Any sticker or object should be a reasonable size and placed on the racket for the above-mentioned purpose.

It must have a cord or rope, which attached to the players wrist as protection against accidents. Its use is obligatory. This cord must have a maximum length of 35 centimetres.