Padel Social Club courts O2 opening
Padel Social Club is set to open a new venue at The O2, after receiving planning permission approval.
The 13,000 sq ft venue will house three indoor courts, as well as a number of amenities including social areas, a bar, a café, changing rooms, and a mezzanine with riverside views.
Padel Social Club will join other leisure operators at the Greenwich venue including iFLY Indoor Skydiving, TOCA Social, and Boom Battle Bar.
As well as being a permanent venue for the quickly growing sport, the club will also look to host professional international padel events in the coming years.
The announcement follows Padel Social Club’s previous ventures, including courts at Soho House’s Babington House which launched last year, and a pop-up in Cannes for real estate conference Mipim. The club is also opening a show court at Empress Place in Earls Court in a few week’s time until late October.
According to Playtomic’s Global Padel Report, padel clubs held €1,2bn (c.£1bn) in global market value in 2022 and the sport has been growing by over a quarter every year. In 2022, the amount of courts in the UK doubled, however it still holds some of the lowest numbers compared to its European neighbours.
Janine Constantin-Russell, managing director of The Entertainment District at The O2, said: “Leisure is a core part to the fabric of The O2, and we are always evaluating the ways that we can take it to the next level, and we believe Padel Social Club does exactly this. Not only will the concept complement our existing offer, but the sport has become an international phenomenon which will perfectly cater to our varied visitor demographic. What’s more, the offering reinforces our reputation of delivering an unmatched all-encompassing experience, and we look forward to having Padel Social Club as part of our family at The O2.”
Kristian Hunter, CEO of Padel Social Club, added: “Since we started the business we’ve been incredibly focused on trying to bring our clubs to iconic locations and there is hardly anything more iconic than The O2. This, alongside our imminent showcourt in Earls Court, in such a central London location, will be a great platform to showcase the Padel Social Club experience.
“Looking at the success of the best Padel clubs in Europe we’ve always felt there was a market in the UK to build Padel Clubs with a big part of the experience focused on the social nature of the game, and our passion for delivering the best possible experience both on and off the court will hopefully satisfy an untapped consumer demand”.
