Take A Look At One Of The World’s First Floating Padel Courts
By
3 weeks ago
Plus: here's when a floating padel will land in the UK
It’s no secret that padel is a must-have offering at luxury hotels these days, with everyone from Estelle Manor to multiple Maldives hotels installing courts. A hybrid between tennis and squash that was invented in Mexico in the 1960s, the racquet sport is growing rapidly, with The International Padel Federation noting that the number of people playing padel has increased by 40 percent in the last two years.
So it follows that hotels worldwide are seeking sustainable options. With that in mind, hospitality firm Yntegra Group developed a transportable Floating Padel Court fashioned from recycled steel from old shipyard materials; it is also engine and battery free. Currently floating in Miami Harbor until May 2025, where it debuted as part of Art Basel, the court will then be transported to its permanent home, Rosewood Exuma – part of a new ultra-luxury resort set across two private islands in the Bahamas – which is due to open in 2028.
A first of its kind, Yntegra has hopped aboard the burgeoning padel trend – and it is joined by a handful of European companies pushing the industry forwards. The very first floating padel court debuted in Stockholm, Sweden in 2021, thanks to Sebastian Gordon, founder of Rocket Padel. It was a fitting location for the publicity stunt: more than 10 percent of Swedes have played padel at least once (more than 1 million people), and Stockholm is an archipelago city built across 14 islands and plenty of water in between.
View this post on Instagram
With both of these floating padel courts attracting global attention, padel companies are teaming up with developers to bring more courts to the water ASAP – including one planning to bring floating padel to the UK…
Floating Padel Is Coming To The UK
Floating Padel Oy is a Finnish company based in Espoo – but its sights are set on Liverpool. There are currently more than 700 padel courts in the UK, but the nation’s very first floating padel courts will bob within Liverpool Waters at Princes Dock. Coming in the next few years (the precise date is still TBC), three full-sized courts will be accompanied by a clubhouse, bar, restaurant, shop and social deck. The courts will be built on a special floating platform in Finland, with the courts themselves manufactured in Spain.
It’s all thanks to a partnership between Floating Padel Oy, architects Imagineering Global, Cheshire-based Padel Ventures, and Peel Waters, which is the development company behind Princes Dock. The floating padel courts will join another pioneering recent opening in Princes Dock: the UK’s very first floating sauna, Wyld Sauna, which opened in November 2024.
Can’t wait? Here are our favourite padel courts in London.
‘We are really pleased to be bringing the UK’s first floating Padel courts to Liverpool Waters,’ says James Whittaker, MD of Peel Waters. ‘Padel is a fantastic, accessible activity and the social side of the sport is of upmost importance to us. We have thousands of residents, workers and visitors already on site at Liverpool Waters and we are constantly looking at new ways to connect-up the community and new activities for them to experience. This new facility will be an iconic, must-visit Padel destination both for Padel enthusiasts and general spectators encouraging more socialising, friendship forming and opportunities for the area.’
