First UK 'wallball' court opens up in London
Author: Sarah Akomanyi | Thursday 8th April 2021
The first UK 'wallball' court opens in London. The court, in Southwark, London is a passion project of NHS doctor Daniel Grant.
It has been opened in hopes of providing sports to the masses, both for exercise and also to be able to play with friends and family for fun.
Wallball is aiming for a different crowd with the motto: “Any wall, any ball, any time.”
The rules are very simple. You hit the ball so it strikes the wall and lands in the court, and you keep going until someone loses the point.
“We need to encourage the demographic that is not good at getting active to get active,” said Grant, who normally works as an A&E doctor but has been on Covid wards this year.
64 studies over the last year found that there was a decrease in physical activity and increases in sedentary behaviours during lockdowns – among children as well as adults.
By getting people hitting balls against walls for free in towns and cities, he wants to attract the demographic that “won’t get on the bus to the leisure center”.
Grant's aims are for schools to find more space for the walls, as well as encouraging the council to do the same.
