A padel tennis center operator that intends to open locations around the south of England has received funding from the Dwellcourt group, a leisure expert.
PadelStars was founded by Andy Knee and Jamie Brooke with the goal of running the top padel clubs in the UK and spearheading the expansion of the sport. In Reading, the company initially established a padel factory. Later, it will be followed by new centres in Southampton, Bracknell, St. Albans, Bournemouth, Folkestone, Basildon, and Chigwell.
Dwellcourt, which is most known for owning Kingswood Golf and Country Club and Silvermere Golf & Leisure complex, will acquire a sizable interest in PadelStars and offer strategic counsel in an effort to quicken the company’s expansion.
Andy Knee, PadelStars’ chief executive and co-founder commented: “We’ve met several times with Dwellcourt over the past year and discussed multiple opportunities. This has resulted in us gaining an understanding of how they have built such an impressive business, and we have enjoyed getting to know them as people. It’s a great match, we’re very excited about what their investment and expertise will bring to the PadelStars business.”
Jeff Hilliard, chairman of Dwellcourt Group, added: “Having had several approaches by padel operators hoping to build courts on our sites, Andy and Jamie stood apart for their vision, dynamism and professionalism. With a pipeline of strong new sites being secured, we have decided to once again back impressive people and see how we might offer our operational experience as well as our investment to help them scale their business. These are exciting times for padel and we are excited to be a part of the PadelStars journey.”
