The imminent addition of four padel courts at Rochdale Sports Club may not appear all that significant — but it’s a sign that the industry is moving into a new period of consolidation.
As reported in The Padel Paper
That’s according to Mark Hewlett, founder and CEO of Soul Padel, who has taken over the Rochdale project initially started by Jordan Ingoe, former CEO of The Hook Club at Mottram Hall.
Local businessman Ingoe had signed an agreement with the sports club and secured planning permission for an initial six courts with amenities that would sit alongside the club’s long-established cricket, lacrosse and squash facilities.
But in an example that is becoming common across the UK padel industry, the project was handed over to an operator with a proven model suited to working in partnership with community sports facilities.
“I’ve seen this happening in a number of other places and my view is that we’ll see a lot more of it over the next two or three years,” Hewlett told The Padel Paper.
“I believe the fragmentation we’ve seen in the early stages [of padel’s growth] will start to consolidate.
“People will come in and out of the market and those with a long-term view who have the sport’s best interests at heart will grow their networks and produce viable clubs for the future.”
Ingoe handed the Rochdale project over to Soul Padel with the acknowledgement they would be better placed to run it as an asset to the community he grew up in.
Soul Padel has a range of programmes established at its other clubs which engage under-represented demographics, such as Soul Sisters (for women), Soul Timers (for older players) and What’s That Racket (free school sessions).
These and other programmes will enrich the sports offering at Rochdale, bring new faces into the club, boost its coffers and offer the local community all the many health and social benefits that padel brings.
“Jordan’s view would be that Soul Padel are better placed to operate this club more successfully than he would be on his own,” said Hewlett.
“As a local businessman, he’s saying’ This is the right thing for my home town.’ This is his local sports club and he wants it to be enhanced by a partnership with an operator with the same principles.”
Soul Padel reduced the initial plans for a six-court facility at Rochdale down to four. “People tend to think bigger is better, but at Soul Padel we believe you achieve a community feel and proximity to your players in a more intimate environment,” Mark explained.
“In Sweden, the mega clubs with 15-20 courts tended to be the ones that failed first when over-supply and other factors impacted the market over there.”
Once opened, the new club at Rochdale will be one example of what Hewlett believes is a growing trend. As he summarises: “Lots of local sports clubs are going from, ‘We’re going to do this on our own,’ to ‘We need some help please!’ That will end up being a good thing for the sport’s future.”
About Soul Padel
Soul Padel is a community-driven padel operator focused on making one of the world’s fastest-growing sports accessible to everyone. Soul Padel creates welcoming spaces where people can meet, play and connect. With a growing network of clubs across the UK and partnerships with leading organisations including Decathlon, Soul Padel is committed to supporting physical wellbeing, mental health and long-term participation in sport.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Mark Hewlett
Email: mark@soulpadel.co.uk
Phone: 07961310078
Website: soulpadel.co.uk
