Our eighth club is open. Padel People Wimborne opened on Thursday 8 October with eight indoor padel courts, six doubles and two singles, on Condor Close at Woolsbridge in Dorset. It’s the biggest club we’ve built, and it’s a short drive from Wimborne, Ferndown, Verwood and Ringwood.
Technically we’re in Three Legged Cross, but Padel People Three Legged Cross wouldn’t fit on the sign.
500 people on opening day
We welcomed 500 people to the club on opening day. All of our HQ team came down for it, and so did the managers from our other clubs.
Thanks to everyone who came.
Padel in Dorset
Dorset has a strong padel scene already. The clubs around Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch have been busy for a couple of years and there are a lot of good players in the county.
We opened in Wimborne because there aren’t enough courts to go round, and if you live inland it’s a long drive to get a game.
We want to add to what’s already here. When more courts open, more people take up the game, and that helps every club in the county.
Planning took longer than we wanted. We were knocked back at first and had to make the case again before we got permission in July.
Our biggest padel club so far
Eight courts is the most we’ve put under one roof. The hardest part of padel in this country is getting a court after work or at the weekend, and with eight courts there are a lot more of those slots to go round.
There are two singles courts as well, for the days you can only talk one friend into it.
The courts, the fit out and the racket wall
Hexa built the courts for us once again and they were great to work with. Harris Evolution did the fit out, and it’s another great job from them.
Express Padel have put in a racket wall, which is epic. You can rent premium rackets from us to trial before you buy. Have a look at it when you come in.
Two managers who know what they’re doing
A club this size needs good people running it, so Wimborne has two experienced managers.
Ant Morley is our Player Manager who was running our Basingstoke site beforehand, a superb man who is hospitable and a good player himself. Working with him is Kai who has experience working at another club in the area who is already getting rave reviews.
With eight courts there are a lot of people coming through the door, and we wanted two experienced people there to look after them.
Making people feel welcome
Building courts is the easy bit. Anyone with enough money can put up glass and turf.
People come back because of how they were treated when they walked in. They want someone to say hello, show them where to go if it’s their first time, and not make them feel daft for not knowing the scoring.
Most people who try padel are new to it. If a club feels cliquey the beginners don’t come back, and a club with no beginners doesn’t last long. Making customers feel welcome is essential, and it’s the first thing we ask of the team at Wimborne and at every other club we run.
Book a padel court in Wimborne
We have academy sessions all the time so please do check Playtomic to find the session that is right for you.
If you’ve never played before, tell them when you arrive and they’ll look after you.