Padel Social Club has secured planning permission to build a state-of-the-art padel facility at The 02 in London.
The iconic live entertainment, leisure and retail destination in Greenwich will host a 13,000 sq ft padel club featuring three indoor courts plus an array of amenities.
Once open in spring 2024, guests will enjoy vibrant social areas, a stylish bar, a cafe boasting curated food menus from rotating partnerships with different restaurants and chefs, changing rooms and a mezzanine with riverside views.
The Padel Social Club will be a permanent fixture at The 02 and it’s hoped the facility will host professional international padel events in future years. The club will complement The 02’s existing leisure operators such as iFLY Indoor Skydiving, TOCA Social and Boom Battle Bar.
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 O2 family.”
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 at the real estate conference, Mipim.
Before The 02 project, Padel Social Club heads to Empress Space in Earls Court in a few weeks’ time with a show court until late October.
Rob Heasman, CEO of The Earls Court Development Company, said: “The Earls Court site has long been a stage for world-class culture and entertainment. It hosted the Olympics games twice and we are delighted to build on this sporting legacy and bring padel to Earls Court. We have a vision to bring the wonder back to Earls Court, bringing padel is part of delivering on this vision from the earliest stages.”
Padel Social Club is backed by consumer investment fund Active Partners. Partner Tom Profumo commented: “With padel being the fastest growing sport in Europe, and a limited number of padel courts currently available in the UK, there is a huge opportunity for a premium and community-focused brand like Padel Social Club to take a leading position in the UK market.
“As consumer investors who have partnered with a host of community-led brands like Soho House, Rapha and Secret Cinema, we are excited to work with Kristian and the team to bring their distinct padel experience to enthusiasts in London and across the UK.”
“It’s incredibly exciting to see these projects come to life, ” says Kristian Hunter, CEO of Padel Social Club.
“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.”
