Champion of Padel

Padel. The fastest growing sport in the world. Really? No joke. Today, it’s estimated that nearly 12 million people play padel across the globe. Here in Canada the sport has become hugely popular thanks to the founder of padel in Canada, Aforza member Bill Stamile. There is likely no greater champion of padel and it wouldn’t exist here in our community if not for Bill’s tireless efforts.

So, what is padel exactly? It’s a combination of tennis and squash. Played on an enclosed and slightly smaller court, with a net and a smaller composite racquet. It was originally created in Mexico in 1969 and became hugely popular across Europe and Latin America, but it took some time to find its way here.

Bill brought padel to Canada in 1992. He saw the sport first in his native country of Argentina and was hooked. He introduced padel to Calgary all those years ago, working with his brother to install the first court in a Calgary warehouse and then slowly attract tennis and squash players at the time to try it out. He’s spent the last 30 years planning, organizing, training and coaching to share his passion for the sport and build a padel community here in Calgary and across Canada. The padel community has thrived thanks to his dedication.

Bill’s impact has been impressive. He sat on the International Padel Federation (FIP) Board of Directors for several years, and coached and managed Canadian National Men’s, Women’s and Junior Padel teams at eleven World Championships. Highlights include a top-eight finish by the men’s team in Madrid, Spain in 1996 and a third-place finish by the junior boys in Seville, Spain in 2009.

We are so proud to share that Bill has recently been recognized for his work and has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for his valuable and significant contribution to the province of Alberta.

Aforza owner Karen Spires shared, “Bill has been a champion for the sport of Padel for the past 30 years. He has tirelessly promoted the sport to people of all ages and was instrumental in bringing the World Championships to Calgary back in 2003. Congratulations Bill, from all of us here at Aforza, we are all very proud of you.”

Our amazing padel community may not even exist here at Aforza if it weren’t for Bill’s passion and efforts. Thank you, Bill!

Take Bill’s lead and dive into something new today. Padel is great for players of all ages and skill levels, it’s easy to pick up but just as intense and competitive as a players skill level improves. Players often describe it as a more social and action-packed sport. Tennis skills are easily transferred to padel and vice versa, so it’s a natural fit here at Aforza. We offer all levels of programming for juniors and adults alike, private padel lessons, camps and even four different padel leagues. You can book any of our three indoor padel courts during our business hours.

Contact us. We are certain you’ll find the sport for you and that you will love it here.

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Follow Bill for all the latest news on his padel efforts.