York farmer installs padel courts in potato shed

A farmer has transformed one of his potato storage warehouses into a padel court as part of a diversification project.

Callum Stark farms 3,000 acres near Sutton-on-the-Forest in North Yorkshire and said the decision was prompted by the lower prices he was getting for his crop.

“We weren’t getting paid enough really for the potatoes,” he said.

Although he continues to farm his land, the courts have proved popular and are already fully booked.

Padel is a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and squash, is played on a smaller enclosed court, and is designed to be more accessible and sociable than traditional tennis.

Mr Stark said Padel Farm York, which also offers coaching, was part of a growing trend.

“Because it’s new there are only 800 courts in the UK; they’ve got 33,000 in Spain and they are up to 60% capacity.

“It was just ‘what can I do with the space’ and padel was the fastest growing sport and we’re very lucky as we’re the first indoor courts in the York area.”

Mr Stark said he had gone to the firms he supplies with potatoes and warned them he could make more money from padel, but then “called their bluff” and installed the two indoor courts.

Explaining the decision, he said there was a “risk to reward factor” in growing potatoes.

“There wasn’t enough reward for the risk,” he added.

Mr Stark said the cost of installing the two courts had been about the same as buying a destoner, a machine which separates stones and other debris from harvested crops.

He said the courts would pay for themselves within a year, unlike machinery which loses value the minute it arrives on the farm.

He opens up the courts for a steady stream of players at 07:00 and shuts them at 23:00.

He said the players had been “treating it well” and leaving the facility in good condition, though he said he might find it harder to manage during harvest time.

Mr Stark urged other farmers to consider options for developing additional income to help support their main businesses.

“You get to realise what you actually possess on the farm, you’ve got sheds you can rent them out for something or do what I’ve done.

“People love the countryside and farmers don’t realise the potential they have on their farms.”

Mr Stark said the additional income was important as “you need to another string to your bow in farming these days”.