A concrete bridge between rehab and the court
In Milan, wheelchair padel takes a new step forward. FITP Lombardia presents the launch of a wheelchair padel school designed as a sports and rehab course for people with spinal cord injuries. The project brings together A.S.D. AUSportiva, active at the Centre Spazio Vita of the ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, the Murat4all sports center and the ASD WheelchairTennis+ School, with the support of Municipio 9 and the Italian Paralympic Committee.
This set-up changes the way we look at the project. It’s not just a question of opening game slots on a padel court, but of creating continuity between hospital, technical supervision and regular practice. In practice, the future school will offer annual courses, individual sessions and group lessons, with support adapted to the level, chair and functional needs of each player.
The open day organized on March 29, 2026 at Murat4all served as a full-scale launch. Patients, families, healthcare professionals, educators and the curious were able to see the project in the court, literally. For Italian padel, it’s a milestone: inclusion is no longer a peripheral discourse, it’s becoming a structured, visible and reproducible format.
Beyond Milan, a model for the development of wheelchair padel
The benefits of wheelchair padel go far beyond the pleasure of the match. The Milan-based project highlights very tangible benefits: working on strength, balance and coordination, boosting confidence, regaining motivation and creating a socialization frame. In other words, padel is not only a tool for physical progress, but also a lever for social interaction.
Our strength lies in our approach. By working with a hospital environment already involved in adapted activities, the discipline gains in credibility. AUSportiva is not coming from nowhere: in its 2025-2026 season, the association is already offering Padel Mixto, an inclusive sport where players with and without disabilities share the same court. The new wheelchair padel school is therefore part of an existing ecosystem, with a higher ambition: to build a replicable model in other rehab centers and clubs in Lombardy.
A strong signal for padel clubs that talk about accessibility
It also sends a clear message to European clubs. Making a site accessible doesn’t just mean widening a door or installing a ramp. You have to think about the whole process: arrival, welcome, changing rooms, access to the track, equipment, teaching methods, slots and human support. Milan shows that a club can become a real doorway to practice, provided it works with the right medical, institutional and sporting partners.
For Actu Padel, this news item echoes our feature on accessibility standards for a truly inclusive padel club. This time, Milan adds a decisive brick: accessibility isn’t just a question of the building itself, but also of the continuity between rehab, technical training, the pleasure of the game and lasting membership of a sporting community.
To remember:
- FITP Lombardia presents Milan as Italy’s first wheelchair padel project linked to a hospital course.
- The structure involves AUSportiva, the Centre Spazio Vita in Niguarda, Murat4all and WheelchairTennis+ School.
- The project aims to combine rehab, technical training, inclusion and regular practice of wheelchair padel.
