T.C. Merelbeke, tennis en padel

TC Merelbeke combines tennis and padel, and for the latter has its own youth academy: the Padel Academy Youth, founded in September 2020, guides players aged 5 to 16 through a 24-week programme (September to April), on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, under the supervision of qualified coaches. For the youngest competitive players, the club organises competition training camps during school holidays with experienced trainers, including a female player who reached WTA ranking 245 and a male player who was ranked number 33 on the Belgian ranking. During the Easter holidays and summer holidays there are also tennis, padel and multisport camps, where each participant receives a hot meal and a t-shirt. Members can play free mutual singles matches via the club ladder, each lasting one hour against changing opponents. Court reservations for tennis and padel are made through BigCaptain. Due to the popularity of padel, a membership cap applies during peak times, with a waiting list based on order of registration.