Some exciting news from us: we’re opening the biggest padel venue in the North West, in partnership with developer Far East Consortium (FEC).
The 10-court venue will be opening in 2025, with the first courts launching early in the year. The site is located in the 13,000 sq ft centre within Manchester’s Victoria North regeneration area. It will be designed by architecture practice IF_DO.
Padel, best described as a hybrid between tennis and squash, is the fastest-growing sport in the UK. Played in doubles and accessible to beginners, it is by nature a ‘social sport’ and central to Social Sports Society’s vision to create community-first gathering spaces in previously-unoccupied urban spaces. At a later stage, other sports will become available at the centre, including boules.
Planning permission has now been granted for the site on Peary Street in New Town, a vibrant new area neighbouring the emerging communities of both Red Bank and MeadowSide. FOUND, the experience-led retail and leisure meanwhile-use strategy from FEC, has transformed Red Bank into a hotspot of some of Manchester’s most-loved independent restaurants and venues.
These include Love Factory, Green Arches Brewery and Bar, Half Dozen Other bakery, Foundation Coffee and renowned spätzle restaurant, The Sparrows – as seen in the Michelin Guide. Nearby, MeadowSide also provides a wealth of community events for local residents and the wider city centre community, including an artisan market with stalls run by local, independent vendors.
We’re bringing padel to the region across multiple venues, with our Stockport venue opening later this year. The two launches in the North West follow our successful opening of London Wembley’s first padel venue, in the one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects, Wembley Park. This will soon be joined by the forthcoming opening of its Brent Cross venue, which has capacity for a total of 26 courts – more than any of its UK counterparts. Several other venues are currently in the pipeline.
Rachel Tan, Social Sport Society’s Director of Growth and Development, said: “We are delighted to be bringing Social Sports Society to Manchester. This venue, secured on a long-term lease, represents our commitment to helping unlock the potential of regeneration areas, for the purpose of placemaking and serving communities with accessible gathering hubs. With our talented team of built design experts, we see past the initial technical challenges and we couldn’t be prouder to be part of a shared vision for this Manchester Victoria’s North’s future.”
Shilpa Lakhanpal, Asset Manager at FEC, said: “Bringing the incredibly popular padel tennis to North Manchester is exciting for us and residents in the local area looking to pick up a racket and try something new. We’ve had a long focus on expanding our sports and activity offering to enhance the wellbeing of our resident community, so developments like this, where we can offer multiple sports in a small area, are a great addition.”
