Firstly, tell us what Club De Padel is…
We’re a padel club. We kicked off in 2023 in Manchester with a four-court, outdoor-only club in the New Jackson region of the city, and we’ve grown from there. We’ve focused on the lifestyle elements of the game as much as the sport itself; we’ve gone into partnership with UN:IK and created a merch line that is selling globally, as well as collaborations with the award-winning run club, MADE Running. We will open an indoor club in Sheffield’s Neepsend this year, working with Capital + Centric in their Cannon Brewery development. It will be the city’s first dedicated padel club.
What sparked the idea for the business?
It began with a walk along a beach in Barcelona several years ago. It was the first time we’d seen padel played, and we were entranced by it: the pace of the game, the range of people and ages, and how all the courts were full. Everyone just seemed to be having a great time. When we came back to Manchester, we went looking for somewhere to try the sport in the city, but there was nowhere to play. So, we decided to open a club.
What would you tell people to expect who haven’t played before?
It’s really easy to pick up, so don’t be intimidated. You can have a great time with zero racket sport experience or some experience, but everyone will see improvements pretty quickly. That’s why so many people are becoming obsessed with the sport. It also helps that it’s all over the press and social media right now.
How has it been received so far in Manchester?
Amazingly! We were quietly confident that a padel club located in the city centre would be popular, but it’s smashed our expectations. In our first year, we hosted almost 20,000 matches, which makes us one of the busiest padel clubs in the UK. We’ve also been featured in the Financial Times, TimeOut, and the BBC, and sold merch with our partners UN:IK across the world – as far as New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, and Melbourne -which is incredible!
How are you feeling about bringing the concept to Sheffield?
We are really excited. Not just because this is our first club outside of Manchester, but also because this warehouse space has so much potential to be an amazing venue. We also love Sheffield, having spent loads of time in the city as kids and adults, and we can’t wait to get started, introducing as many people as possible to this amazing sport, which is exploding across the UK.
How can people get in touch?
We’ve just set up a Sheffield club WhatsApp group so people can join that. They can also drop us a message on Instagram, which we check every day, or send us an email at clubdepadel.co.uk.
