A NATIONAL padel chain has rebranded – and launched another new site – amid ambitious plans to expand rapidly across Britain.
Having launched as Padel Project, the fast-growing company will now be known as Atmos Padel.
With five clubs and 19 courts already operating across the country, Atmos Padel has just announced it will open a sixth – in Chesterfield – on August 22.
The rebrand comes as recent data from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) revealed one million Brits now play padel – up from just 15,000 at the turn of the decade as the sport continues its rapid rise.
In the growing padel sector, Atmos Padel’s niche is that it builds outdoor club in green, landscaped settings, rather than retrofitting industrial warehouses.
That ties into the name Atmos – short for atmosphere – a term CEO Ben Lacey said captures both the brand’s open-air USP, and the social aspect of padel. He believes the rebrand will help establish the company as a national force within padel.
“Padel Project served us brilliantly during our start-up phase, helping us establish clubs and build communities,” said Ben.
“But padel is no longer an emerging sport, and we are no longer an emerging business.
“The growth we’ve witnessed over the last few years has been remarkable, and there remains a huge shortage of courts across the UK.
“With Atmos Padel, we aim to build a nationally recognised brand capable of becoming one of the most established names in UK padel.”
Ben heads up a new senior management team for the Arbor Ventures-backed business. That includes Head of Padel Operations Adam Holman, Finance and Ops Manager Emma Gibson and Head of Marketing Tom O’Brien.
Additionally, as Head of Property, Malcolm Kilpatrick joins them with the task of finding suitable sites across the UK to develop new clubs.
The first of those, Atmos Padel Chesterfield, will see four state-of-the-art new courts opened in the town – long seen as one of the biggest in Britain without a padel club – following a £350k investment.
Additionally, Atmos Padel has existing sites in Darlington, South Shields, Lytham, Worthing and Potters Bar.
According to Malcom, the firm’s commitment to making padel accessible means their clubs have higher percentage of female players, while participants are high engaged – often playing at least once a week.
“There’s a perception that padel is a sport solely for macho young men, but the reality is, our courts are filled daily by people of all ages and from every walk of life,” said Malcolm.
“Padel’s popularity is due to the fact that anyone can play. You don’t have to be super fit or sporty – it is fun, accessible and addictive – and at Atmos Padel, we run everything from women’s coffee-and-padel mornings and over-50s socials, through to junior programmes to make sure everyone can find a way in.
“Our name’s based on our motto – ‘atmosphere makes the game’ – and that sense of community within the sport is second-to-none.
“There isn’t a sport like it, which is reflected in that feverish demand for more clubs – we hope to help satisfy that by scaling as a business nationally”
As part of that growth strategy, the company is seeking land to lease for prospective outdoor clubs – overseeing planning, delivery and operations with rent paid in return.
For more information, visit www.atmospadel.com
