The keys are in the ignition of The Padel Hub’s second venue – and its new Club Director has record-breaking acumen on the starting grid.
Allan Curtis is the man tasked with making The Padel Hub RH17 near Crawley a success. He is not just a highly successful businessman and operator in the sports industry, he competes in the Caterham Seven 310R motorsport championship – and holds lap records in his division at Silverstone and Thruxton.
The 58-year-old grandfather finished eighth last season in what is the second highest grade of Caterham championship. He is one of the highest-scoring privateer drivers on the circuit (i.e. operating on his own without the support of a team).
Allan was previously a successful kart racer and ran teams in both the Club100 and DMax championships. His business for the last 13 years, Design & Display Structures, is also related to motor racing as it builds simulators for elite motorsport teams as well crane and ship simulators for the oil industry and large-scale advertising features for huge brands.
Allan was a budding decathlete as a youngster and could run 1500m in 4:15 aged 16, but his ambitions were stymied by a freak long jump accident. He later ran a football team for 10 years and remains a very keen squash player.
He gained experience in sports club management after taking over as Chairman of Nutley Squash Club, situated in a sleepy Sussex village. He helped revitalise the place, doubling its membership, growing club nights, women’s and junior programmes and establishing four teams in the county leagues. “It was a hard journey and I am very proud of what we achieved,” he says.
That role will now take a back seat as Allan begins a new venture, managing The Padel Hub‘s second venue, just off the A23 between Crawley and Haywards Heath. He joins the team led by Charles Winterton which has made its first club in Slough such an instant hit.
As with the Slough club, the intention is to make The Padel Hub RH17 a thriving venue with a vibrant community. As Allan tells The Padel Paper: “It’s not just about the padel element – for me, a key measure of our success will be how long people stay at the venue outside of their court booking.
“If people stay an hour or two longer because they love the environment and the community, that’s where the real success lies. Obviously there’s a commercial element to that as they will be spending behind the bar, but it’s more about meeting and networking with other players and enjoying the experience.”
The indoor, five-court venue has an impressive 10m ceiling height, gym, bar, ample parking and is easily accessible by car. It is expected to relieve pressure on several nearby one- and two-court venues. “It was a lucky find in a great location,” says Allan.
The club is set to open before the end of January. Annual memberships went on sale before Christmas, with monthly memberships coming out shortly. Members will be able to access additional offers such as group mix-in sessions, internal tournaments and team competition. There will also be pay-and-play options.
The club, which is aiming for a core of 200-250 members in its first year, has the ambition of becoming a centre of excellence, with high-quality coaching clinics catering for all levels including juniors. Plans are already afoot to link with a local school, bringing in pupils for coaching sessions with free rackets provided.
Allan states: “My focus is to simply get people playing padel in the first place, then developing their skills because the more skills they acquire the more they enjoy it. It’s a natural progression.”
The Padel Hub is set to host the first Femme Open event of 2024 in February – the first of many big events and competitions on the calendar.
“The idea is to learn the lessons from The Padel Hub in Slough and make this club into a template for future new clubs within the business. My aim is to be Charles’ right-hand commercial man as the portfolio grows.”
With Allan at the steering wheel, it seems likely the journey will be rapid and successful.
