The Padel Club secures 8 new sites with Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund backing

Business to open sites in Cardiff, Brighton and Chester

A Cheshire business focused on fast-growing racket sport padel has secured eight sites across the UK and plans to open more after securing investment through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

The Padel Club was founded in 2020 by Kris Ball after he played padel overseas and realised it would soon take off in the UK too. Its first site opened in Wilmslow in 2022 and it soon grew to four sites.

In 2024 the company secured £3.8m in funding, including £1.5m from NPIF II – PXN Equity Finance, which is managed by PXN Ventures as part of the £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.

Since then it has secured eight new sites in the UK and plans to grow further. Upcoming openings will include venues in Brighton, Cardiff, Chester and Handforth Dean.

Kris Ball, CEO of The Padel Club, said: “We saw an opportunity to bring padel to the UK at a time when the sport was still relatively unknown. Starting with just a couple of courts in Wilmslow, our ambition has always been to build a network of clubs that could introduce more people to the game and create a real sense of community around it. The support from NPIF II and PXN has given us the platform to accelerate that vision, helping us scale at pace, invest in new sites and continue growing this much-loved sport across the UK.”

Louise Chapman at PXN Ventures, said: “The Padel Club is a standout example of an ambitious, fast-scaling business bringing a relatively new sport to communities across the UK. From a single site in Wilmslow, Kris has built a strong platform for growth with a clear pipeline of locations and a differentiated, community-led offer. We’re pleased to be supporting their next stage of expansion as they continue to introduce more people to padel.”

Sue Barnard, senior investment manager at the British Business Bank, said: “Through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, we’re backing ambitious, fast-growing and community-focused businesses that are delivering real impact across the North. Just two years on from its launch, we’re already seeing tangible results, with businesses creating jobs and unlocking new opportunities to support local economies and The Padel Club is a great example of this.”