A five-court indoor club opening next month will signal the beginning of Destination Padel’s empire in Cheshire – and its signature court surface is sure to attract attention.
The new club in Winnington Business Park in Northwich will open in early December. The court surfaces will be bright pink with black panoramic steel, with those colours reversed for a central show court with spectator seating.
The Northwich site’s launch will quickly be followed by a second indoor club at Stanley Green Retail Park, Handforth, Cheadle, with three courts and a more “premium feel”, opening in January 2025. A potential third site in nearby Knutsford is under consideration and they have a target of opening five sites by the end of 2026.
Cheshire and Greater Manchester is rapidly turning into a padel hotbed, with The Padel Club in Wilmslow setting the template for how to create a vibrant community around the sport with strong branding, coaching and programmes.
Destination Padel co-founder Liam O’Dwyer acknowledges The Padel Club as trailblazers in the area, and now wants to “stamp our mark” on Cheshire by providing high-spec indoor facilities with a distinctive twist.
Liam told The Padel Paper: “Our pink turf and black steel is going to look awesome and be a real talking point. It sets us apart. Padel is a disruptor, so let’s give people even more of a reason to talk about it.”
Destination Padel is a side project for Liam, who works full-time as a consultant for Manchester-based sportswear giant Castore, but his wife is leaving her corporate job to take an operating role in the business.
He is unconcerned by the growing padel club density in the north west, arguing that demand is so high that it is nowhere near being met at this early stage of the sport’s growth.
“I’m not scared of someone trying to compete against us,” he says. “You’ve got to believe in your brand. You’ve got to be confident in what you’re delivering – the right staff, procedures, brand DNA, services and innovation.
“If we can take a stronghold of a geographical area, that’s us for the next five, six or seven years. No-one else is coming in and taking it from us. Our aim is to solidify an area and make it untouchable.
“With so many clubs opening in this area, you need to create loyalty, which I think means you’ve got to be quite different. That’s about the amenities, the spec and the little features. We’ve got a work hub area with WiFi, retail and cafe space and a terrace viewing container with stairs going up to overlook the showcourt. That is going to keep people coming back.”
