New Chicago-area club bets on padel boom
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A new club in Glenview is catering to the growing popularity of the Mexican-born sport of padel.
Why it matters: Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports internationally, and enthusiasts say its doubles-only structure makes it great for socializing. Additionally, businesspeople hail it as "the new golf" and consider it great for deal-making.
Driving the news: Alma Padel opened in the northwest suburb in April, one of only a few padel courts and clubs in Chicago.
Flashback: Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera set up the first-ever padel court in Acapulco in 1969.
Zoom in: Alma Padel owner Abigail McCulloch fell in love with padel [pronounced PAH-del] a few years ago as a grad student in Philadelphia.
- After working with a start-up incubator, she left the East Coast to bring the sport closer to the North Shore, where she grew up.
Context: McCulloch tells Axios that Alma caters to current padel players who are looking for a place to play in the Chicago area, but the club is also introducing the sport to athletes and casual players looking for a more athletic and social sport than some other racquet sports.
- At least two other padel facilities exist in the Chicago area, one in Bridgeport and one in Mundelein.
State of play: Padel naturally draws comparisons to pickleball, the racquet sport that has dominated in recent years, but there are plenty of differences.
- The courts are smaller, and there are no out-of-bounds lines.
- Players can play the ball off the four walls and it's a game of doubles.
- The ball is more like a deflated tennis ball rather than pickleball's lightweight ping pong style ball.
What they're saying: "People say it's as easy to learn as pickleball, but as hard to truly master as tennis," McCulloch told Axios during a tour of Alma.
- "You can play a rally immediately, but you feel like, 'Oh, I can, like, improve at this, and I can get better. And there's something to work towards." McCulloch says.
If you go: Alma Padel has four courts, a juice and cocktail bar, cafe, and other gym amenities like a sauna and yoga classes.
- Members pay $135 a month, and non-members can play for $30 per hour.