What Does the Kiwa ISA Sport Inspection for Padel Courts Entail?

If you want to build a padel court for official use, you will sooner or later come across the name Kiwa ISA Sport. This is the body responsible in the Netherlands for the inspection of padel court materials and sports floors. Without a valid Kiwa ISA Sport certificate, a padel court may not be used for official KNLTB matches. Below we explain exactly what the inspection involves, which components are assessed and how, as a client, you can be sure you get a Kiwa-certified padel court.

What is the Kiwa ISA Sport inspection for padel courts?

The Kiwa ISA Sport inspection is an independent product certification for sports floors and foundation components of padel courts in the Netherlands. Kiwa ISA Sport assesses whether materials meet the technical requirements of NOC*NSF and the KNLTB. Only products that appear on the official sports products list may be used on courts intended for competition use.

The inspection focuses on the sports-technical properties of the court, such as the quality of the artificial turf, the foundation build-up and the ball bounce. It is therefore not a general building inspection, but specifically about whether the court meets the standards for safe and fair play. Kiwa ISA Sport carries out these inspections as a recognised and independent body, separate from producers or builders.

Why is the Kiwa ISA Sport inspection mandatory in the Netherlands?

The Kiwa ISA Sport inspection is mandatory because the KNLTB only permits official matches on courts whose sports floor and foundation are certified and included in the sports products list. This applies to both new courts and renovated courts from 1 February 2024. Without a certificate, a court cannot be registered for competition use.

The obligation exists to safeguard the quality of play and to prevent courts with substandard materials from being used for official matches. A padel court with poor ball bounce, insufficient flatness or an unstable base has a direct impact on playing quality and player safety. By making certification mandatory, the KNLTB ensures that all courts used for competition meet the same minimum standards.

The obligation also protects clients. If a builder supplies materials that have not been inspected, you run the risk, as a club or operator, that your court will not be approved for official use afterwards. That is a costly mistake that you can easily avoid by checking in advance that all materials appear on the sports products list.

Which components of a padel court must be inspected?

The Kiwa ISA Sport inspection focuses primarily on the sports floor and the foundation build-up of a padel court. Specifically, this covers the artificial turf including infill, the foundation on which the artificial turf lies, and the combination of both layers. The steel structure itself falls outside the scope of this specific inspection, but must meet the structural requirements of the Building Decree.

• Artificial turf and infill
  Sand-filled artificial turf is used for a padel court: a short-pile, polymeric artificial turf fibre with an effective length of 11 to 15 mm, filled with stabilising material to at least 75% of the fibre length. This applies to both indoor and outdoor courts. The artificial turf is tested for sports-technical properties such as shock absorption, ball bounce, flatness and friction. Only artificial turf that meets these requirements and is included in the sports products list may be used.
• Foundation
  The foundation is assessed as part of the overall system. Foundation components must have been inspected by Kiwa ISA Sport in the Netherlands before they may be used on a certified padel court. This applies to all commonly used foundation types, such as drainage concrete, Supersub and ZOAB asphalt. Each foundation variant has its own technical properties and is assessed separately for suitability for padel.

How does the inspection process for padel court materials work?

The inspection process for padel court materials runs through a licensing procedure at Kiwa ISA Sport. A manufacturer or supplier submits samples of the artificial turf and the foundation. These are tested in a laboratory according to international standards, including ISO and EN standards. If a product meets all sports-technical requirements, it is included in the sports products list.

Samples of sand-filled artificial turf are conditioned beforehand: after filling with infill, the mat is spread with a rake or brush, so that the test conditions correspond to the real-life situation. The measurement methods are laid down in international standards and NOC*NSF measurement methods. For every measurement result, the average must meet the stated requirements, and each individual measurement result must also fall within the standards.

As a client you do not have to go through this process yourself. Your responsibility is to check that the materials your supplier uses are already certified and appear on the sports products list. Always ask about this explicitly when requesting a quote and do not let yourself be fobbed off with vague assurances.

What are the risks of a padel court without Kiwa ISA Sport certification?

A padel court without Kiwa ISA Sport certification may not be used for official KNLTB matches. This means that a club or operator can operate the court for recreational use, but competition players may not play official matches on it. For tennis clubs and clubs that want their members to take part in competitions, this is a serious problem.

Besides the loss of competition opportunities, there are also financial risks. If it turns out afterwards that the materials used were not certified, it may be necessary to replace the sports floor or foundation in order to still meet the requirements. Those costs come on top of the investment already made. In the worst case, a newly built court has to be partly demolished and rebuilt.

There is also a safety aspect. The Kiwa ISA Sport standards are not only intended for fair play, but also for the protection of players. A sports floor that does not meet the shock absorption or friction standards increases the risk of injuries. Certification is therefore also a quality guarantee for everyone who plays on the court.

How do you recognise a certified padel court supplier?

A certified padel court supplier works exclusively with materials that appear on the Kiwa ISA Sport sports products list and can demonstrate this with concrete product documentation. Always ask for the certificate numbers or product descriptions of the artificial turf and foundation components that will be used. A reliable supplier will answer this directly and transparently.

In addition, there are a number of practical signals by which you can recognise a serious partner:

• They know the Kiwa ISA Sport standards and can explain which products they use and why.
• They supply structural calculations per location, tailored to wind load and soil conditions.
• They work with certified foundation materials such as drainage concrete, Supersub or ZOAB asphalt and can substantiate the choice based on your specific location.
• They offer a warranty on the steel structure and are transparent about what is and is not covered by the warranty.
• They actively guide you through the permit process, including the inspection after completion.

Be alert to suppliers who stay vague about certification or who claim that an inspection will be arranged later. For new builds or renovations from 2024, the Kiwa ISA Sport requirement applies without exception to courts used for competition. A supplier who does not know this or talks around it poses a risk to your project.

At I-Padel we work exclusively with certified materials that meet the Kiwa ISA Sport requirements. We know the sports products list, advise you based on your location and make sure the court is actually suitable for official use after completion. Want to know what this means for your project? Get in touch for an initial exploration and we will be happy to think along with you, without obligation.

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