The Picklepad, the UK’s first indoor padel and pickleball centre, has officially opened its doors in Mudeford, Dorset.
The members-only club features four pickleball courts and two padel courts, plus a gym, pilates, and a premier lounge where players can relax, socialise and and enjoy a drink.
Top British padel players Alfonso Patacho, Ethan Bardo and Lisa Phillips and one of GB’s best juniors, Rosie Quirk, all took part in exhibition matches against pickleball players at The Picklepad’s launch event on Sunday 19 January.
The club is the brainchild of Tania Smeda and Karen Smith (pictured above). Tania described the early membership take-up as “overwhelming”, with a significant number of sign-ups being players new to the sports, attracted by the facilities and offers of introductory sessions.
“It’s really nice to have our own space as we can run sessions according to ability throughout the day,” Tania added. “We already ran a couple of intros and it was lovely to see the smiles on faces of people new to the sport. Our junior academy will be up and running next weekend which is very exciting. It’s going to be amazing and very satisfying for us as both owners and coaches.”
Pickleball player Rob Williams told our sister site Pickleball 52: “It was fantastic to play on the first permanent indoor pickleball courts in the UK.
“All of the players in the exhibition and those attending could tell it was the start of something important for the game. After the launch and expansion of Telford Pickleball Centre, PicklePad is the next stage in pickleball facility growth. It proves it can be done and should inspire more entrepreneurs to take the step to create a facility.”
