(Image: Atmos Padel)
A pair of popular North East padel clubs – including one in Darlington – will change name as part of a new growth strategy.
Previously known as Padel Project, the Darlington club – in Grange Road – will now be known as Atmos Padel.
It will be joined by the firm’s South Shields site, which is the town’s only padel club.
The rebrand is part of a major new growth strategy for the company, which specialises solely in outdoor courts, and 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.
New CEO Ben Lacey
(Image: Supplied)
In the growing padel sector, Atmos Padel’s niche is that it builds outdoor clubs in green, landscaped settings, rather than retrofitting industrial warehouses.
That ties into the name Atmos – short for atmosphere – a term new 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, who has joined the firm from Deliveroo, where he was commercial executive.
Padel courts
(Image: Supplied)
"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.
According to Malcolm, the firm’s commitment to making padel accessible means their clubs have a higher percentage of female players, while participants are highly 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.
Read more
County Durham town getting first padel venue 'before you know it'
Plans for three new courts in Teesside as 'substantial' demand to play padel
North East padel courts hub could double in size under new plans
"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.