Padel tennis is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world and a Liverpool dock will see the installation of the UK’s first floating padel courts. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool is to be home to the UK’s first floating padel tennis courts.
Late last year Princes Dock in Liverpool Waters saw the opening of a floating sauna. Now the same dock will have three floating padel courts which will be located close to the Crown Plaza and Malmaison hotels.
Padel is a racquet sport that uses the same scoring conventions as tennis but is played on an enclosed court that is around a third smaller. The ball can be played off the walls, similar to squash.
There are now more than 700 padel courts across the UK. It is one of the fast-growing sports in the world. Liverpool FC head coach Arne Slot is a big fan and he plays with club staff at a court at the LFC training complex in Kirkby.
A planning application for the Princes Dock courts and club house will be submitted to Liverpool Council this week. If approved the court could be open by late summer 2025.
Site owner Peel Waters is partnering with Ville Leisti, Finnish founder of Floating Padel Oy, Tytti Sirola of Bluet Floating Solutions Oy. Gareth Evans of Cheshire-based Padel Ventures and Paul Danson founder of Imagineering Global.
These courts will be built on a special floating Padel platform from Finland, with the courts themselves manufactured in Spain. Players and spectators will be able to socialise in a new floating clubhouse which is also included within the plans.
This will be designed by the architects and designers Imagineering Global who specialise in large scale leisure design projects, themed leisure attractions, and retail entertainment.
James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said: “This floating concept demonstrates the open approach we have at Peel Waters to welcoming innovative, new ideas and collaborating with forward-thinking businesses.”
A bar and kitchen have also been included in the clubhouse designs, with a decked seating area offering views across the dock. There will also be a small store selling all the essentials for the sport, including rackets, balls, clothing, and shoes.
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The floating infrastructure under the clubhouse will be designed and built by Bluet Floating Solutions. James added: “Padel is a fantastic, accessible activity and the social side of the sport is of utmost importance to us.
“We have thousands of residents, workers and visitors already on site at Liverpool Waters and we are constantly looking at new ways to connect-up the community and new activities for them to experience.”