Three years on from opening the doors at Canary Wharf, Padium has grown from a single club into a wider community, a growing team and a brand entering its next chapter.
To mark the third anniversary, we sat down with our founder to reflect on the journey so far, the lessons behind the growth, what has shaped the Padium experience, and where the brand goes next.
Q1. Three years of Padium. When you look at the brand today compared with where it was on opening day, what feels like the biggest transformation?
The biggest transformation is that Padium has become much more than the physical club we opened three years ago. When we opened Canary Wharf, we had a very clear idea of the standard of venue and experience we wanted to create, but you can never predict how people will respond to it.
Three years later, we’re incredibly proud of the community that has grown around Padium. There are people who first picked up a racket with us who now play several times a week, friendships have been formed here, and our team has grown alongside the business.
The growth of Padium is exciting, of course, but seeing it become part of people’s lives is probably the biggest transformation.
Q2. Canary Wharf has now been part of the London padel scene for three years. How has the club itself evolved as you’ve learnt more about what players want from the Padium experience?
Canary Wharf has taught us almost everything we now know about operating a padel club. We’ve always tried to listen carefully to our players and our team, and to keep improving rather than assuming we have all the answers.
Over the past three years, that has influenced everything from coaching and the academy to events, tournaments and the smaller details of the customer journey.
The standard we set ourselves has always been high, but our understanding of what makes a great club has become much deeper. It isn’t just about great courts or facilities. People want to feel welcome, they want energy around the club, they want to improve their game, and they want to feel part of something.
Q3. This year also marked a new chapter for Padium with the opening of a second club. What has becoming a multi-club brand taught you about what makes Padium, Padium?
Opening our second club forced us to really think about that question. When you only have one location, it’s difficult to know which parts of the experience exist because of that particular club, team or community, and which parts truly define the brand.
What we’ve realised is that Padium isn’t one particular design or location. It’s a feeling and a standard. It’s being premium without being intimidating. It’s a warm welcome, a great team, and an environment where someone playing for the first time can feel just as comfortable as someone competing at a high level.
The goal for us is to make sure that wherever you walk into a Padium, the values and level of care behind the experience feel the same.
Q4. As the brand grows and evolves, what are the elements of the Padium experience that you believe should never change?
The people, the community and the experience. Growth can never come at the expense of those things.
We want Padium to be ambitious and to keep raising its standards, but never to lose the personal side of what made the club special in the first place. The quality of the facilities matters, but ultimately people remember how a place makes them feel because of their experience.
They remember the person at reception knowing their name, a coach taking an interest in their progress, the atmosphere during an event or tournament, or the people they met through playing.
Q5. Over the last three years, have your ambitions for Padium changed? Is the business today becoming what you originally imagined, or has the vision grown into something different?
The ambition has definitely grown, but the fundamentals haven’t changed. From the beginning, we wanted to build something with longevity and create one of the best padel experiences possible.
What has changed is our understanding of what Padium could potentially become. Three years ago, our attention was naturally focused on opening one club and making it work. Today, we’re thinking about how we take everything we’ve learnt and build Padium for the long term.
We’re ambitious about where it can go, but there’s no point in opening more clubs if we lose the quality, culture or experience that gave people a reason to come to Padium in the first place. So the vision is bigger today, but the principles behind it are exactly the same.
Q6. Beyond the clubs themselves, Padium has developed through its community, team, events, partnerships and overall experience. What part of that evolution has been most rewarding for you to see?
The people, without question. Building courts is an easy thing to point to when talking about growth, but the most rewarding part has been watching a genuine network develop around Padium.
Our team has grown, our community has grown, we’ve hosted some incredible events, and we’ve had the opportunity to work with partners and people at the very highest level of the sport.
Walking through the club and seeing familiar faces, watching someone who started as a complete beginner become obsessed with the sport, or seeing friendships and communities develop around Padium - those moments mean a lot to us.
A huge number of people have contributed to our first three years, and Padium wouldn’t be where it is today without them.
Q7. Is there something about Padium today that you don’t think you could have predicted three years ago?
Seeing people genuinely identify with Padium, bring their friends, spend a big part of their week with us, and want to be involved in what we’re building is something we never take for granted.
We hoped people would enjoy playing at Padium, but when you’re opening the doors for the first time, it’s difficult to imagine the community that might exist three years, five years or even ten years later.
Q8. As you celebrate this milestone, what excites you most about the next stage of Padium’s journey?
There’s a lot we’re excited about, but perhaps the biggest thing is having the opportunity to take what we’ve learnt over these first three years and make it even better.
We want to keep improving Canary Wharf, establish our new clubs and bring the Padium experience to new communities.
Padel itself still has a huge journey ahead of it, especially in the UK, and we feel very fortunate to be playing a small part in that.
Three years is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of, but it also feels like we’re just getting started.
To everyone who has played with us, worked with us, supported us or simply walked through our doors over the last three years, thank you. You are the reason Padium is what it is today.
