I first set foot on a padel court in 2021 (at the original PADELphia location outside Philly). A few minutes later, I became hopelessly addicted. And about a day after that, I started thinking of how to help bring padel to South Carolina.
If, back then, you would have told me that five years later…
The Palmetto State would be rapidly pushing towards 20+ courts…
States like Indiana, Vermont, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Rhode Island would all be home to padel, and…
Far-flung places including Lowell, AR… Pikesville, MD… and even my hometown of Colorado Springs, CO would all have padel clubs with 3+ courts…
… YET Seattle (and the entire Pacific Northwest, for that mater) would have zero clubs or publicly accessible courts, I would’ve been willing to make a substantial wager that you’d be dead wrong.
Shows what I know!
Where Can You Play Padel in the U.S. Right Now?
So, What Gives?
As long-time Seattle resident and budding padel enthusiast, Josh Kerns, who also serves as Chief Marketing and Member Officer for the International Association of Pickleball and Padel Facilities (IAPPF), recently explained to me:
“The coming of padel to Seattle and Washington state is long overdue. It’s not for lack of interest or trying. Hundreds belong to a NW padel What’s App group and regularly discuss bringing padel to the NW. Many drive three plus hours to play in Vancouver, BC, at the nearest club.
Several interested, well-funded parties have actively searched for suitable locations for several years. But the Seattle real estate market is extremely difficult.
Between exorbitant rents, a lack of suitable inventory, and a morass of bureaucratic hurdles, even the several groups who have signed leases face plenty of headwinds before they’ll be able to get their clubs built and opened.”
Yet, based on multiple things I’ve seen online and conversations I’ve had recently, one group does seem to have finally broken through.
What We Know About Pacific Padel So Far
While details are still few and far between at this point, it’s clear that, unlike some padel clubs popping up across the country, the team behind Pacific Padel does actually have an extensive background in racquet sports in general and padel in particular.
In fact, the club’s founder and CEO, Pablo Arcuschin, is described as, “a certified padel coach who grew up playing padel in 1990s Argentina during the sport's explosive growth [there].”
Meanwhile, Ory Dank, who will serve as COO, was “born into a tennis family and a [was] former professional player in his youth.”
What’s more, he “brings over 15 years of experience in racquet sports facility management and operations, [having] successfully managed tennis facilities and academies across Europe and the U.S.”
As their website states, the founders (which also includes CFO, Nadav Porat):
“Combine deep padel expertise with proven experience in sports facility development,
creating the ideal foundation to establish padel as the next
great racquet sport in the Pacific Northwest.”
The padel-loving trio also insist that they’re not just building courts — they’re also, “cultivating communities and creating lasting connections through the unique social experience that only padel can provide.”
Although an exact location for the club hasn’t been announced yet, the founders have promised they’ll be revealing that information soon — and we’ll follow-up with another post (and hopefully an in-depth interview, as well) once they do.
In the meantime, Seattle area padel-addicts like Kerns are left to wait a bit longer for their itch to be scratched — but they also know it’ll ultimately be worth the wait. As Kerns puts it:
“The demand is undoubtedly here. With so many high-income foreign nationals working for Microsoft, Amazon, and other major companies based in the Seattle-area, there are plenty of people with knowledge and passion for padel.
And given the ever-increasing buzz about the sport, Pacific Padel is poised to kick start what I predict will be one of the next high-growth markets for padel.”
As soon we know more about Pacific Padel’s locations and opening dates, we’ll back with more.
In the meantime, please be sure to subscribe to Padel Nation below to get exciting updates and important insights on the rapidly emerging U.S. padel scene like this one delivered directly to your inbox for free.
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