Indiana Becomes Latest State to Join the U.S. Padel Movement
NorthPoint Padel is set to introduce the Hoosier State to the sport January 24...
While new padel clubs and courts continue to open around the country almost weekly, it has been awhile since we’ve seen an entirely new state added to the U.S. padel map…
But that’s all about to change on Saturday, January 24, when NorthPoint Padel opens the doors to its two-court indoor facility in Westfield, Indiana (about 20 miles due north of Indianapolis).
Better Late Than Never
To be honest, I’d been hearing rumors for years that a padel club was opening in Indiana. But it wasn’t until Dermot Ledwith of Spanish court builder Padel Alba (whose panoramic padel courts you see in the photo above and video below) reached out to me a few weeks ago that I actually believed it was finally happening.
And happening it is, with an open house scheduled for January 24th, followed by a full public opening the following Monday, January 26.
Of the decision to bring the first courts to the state of Indiana, co-founder Jon Omer, who spent over 30 years in sales leadership for the high-tech industry, explains:
“I was exposed to padel for the first time in 2022 while vacationing in Spain, and as a recreational racquet-sports person, I was intrigued. But it was not until a few years later, after seeing it in elsewhere and finally in the U.S., that the idea to bring it to Indiana was born.’’
As you can see in the time-lapse video above (which shows Padel Alba’s Midwest distributor, MTJ Sports of Naperville, Illinois, installing the courts) NorthPoint has a few unique features you don’t find in too many indoor padel clubs in the U.S.
First off, unlike many other clubs built in industrial warehouses, NorthPoint Padel has an abundance of natural light, which I personally love and instantly reminds me of Alma Padel, just outside Chicago.
So, I can’t help but crack a smile when I ask Omer about any clubs that influenced the design and concept of NorthPoint and he tells me:
“Alma Padel in Chicago was instrumental in helping me develop the concept, although I will say we have taken a very different approach than Abigail has done, which is to focus initially on just offering padel courts and a quality playing experience. Alma was more of a true multi-amenity "club" from Day 1.
Another unique feature is that each of the club’s two Alba Padel courts is a different color.
Of this Omer says, “We liked both the blue and terracotta and were having a hard time deciding between them, so we just did one of each.”
Fair enough.
Why Padel? Why Here?
When I ask Omer why he transitioned to padel after playing recreational tennis for the last 10-15 years and also quite a bit of recreational pickleball with occasional tournament play, he tells me:
What drew me to padel was the longer rallies and the strategy involved. And at 57, [I find that it has] less impact on the body physically compared to tennis and pickleball.
He then delves into why they chose to bring the first padel club in Indiana (with comfortably high 32 ft. ceilings, I might add) to this particular community, explaining:
Westfield has made a name for itself as a sports destination, mainly for the Grand Park youth sports complex (Ben and Brian's father, Andy Cook, was the mastermind behind Grand Park while Mayor of Westfield).
Westfield and Hamilton County are the fastest growing in Indiana, and one of the fastest in the U.S. I think the fact this sport will start here is part of the story.
I’ll stop here to clarify a couple of things:
When Omer refers to Ben and Brian Cook, he’s talking about his NorthPoint Padel co-founders/co-owners, who he tells me are two racquet-sport-loving brothers who had the perfect facility to match up with his idea. In fact, he goes so far as to say, “[NorthPoint Padel] would not have moved forward without the Cook brothers and their facility.”
If you aren’t familiar with the Grand Park Sports Campus that Omer mentions (I certainly wasn’t), here’s what you should know: It encompasses 400+ acres of land and includes 31 multi-purpose fields, 26 baseball diamonds, and a 377,000 sq. ft. (!) Events Center with three full-sized indoor synthetic fields, office space, and a full-serve restaurant and bar. The campus is also home to the training camp for the Indianapolis Colts (of the NFL), and an athletic center for the Indianapolis Pacers (of then NBA), among many other pro-sports-related things. So, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal — literally.
Now the Real Work Begins
While Omer is obviously excited to introduce padel to the Hoosier State, he knows doing so will come with its own set of challenges, telling me:
We have to generate awareness and education (on how it’s different from other racquet sports). [We’ll also have to lean in on] experimentation and see how well we can achieve customer retention.
Pickleball was a game-changer in terms of bringing more people into racquet sports, and I think padel is going to draft off pickleball's appeal. I’m excited to see if padel is received similarly and to be a part of introducing it and building it locally.
I think we will view success in how well we can build community and bring people together. I'm excited to not only be an owner, but develop, too, as a teacher and contribute to the sport in that way.
Despite these challenges, Omer is also already planning for the future expansions, telling me:
We have started small with two indoor courts, but Brian, Ben, and I want to get to four courts fairly quick, so that we can do more leagues and tournaments. We have the space to easily get to five or six courts, so that is one way to measure success. We won't grow courts if we aren't seeing the demand.
Prior to speaking with the NorthPoint team, my only real connection to Indiana was the fact that my favorite writer of all time, Kurt Vonnegut, was born and raised there. But now I have an exciting new link to the Hoosier state, and I look forward to tracking the progress of this project going forward.
(Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I’ll also certainly be rooting for the Hoosiers in the big game tonight!)
Beginning January 26, you can visit NorthPoint Padel at 20099 N East St, Westfield, IN. You can follow them on Instagram here or email them here. Once open, court bookings can be made via Playtomic here.
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It's great to see how Padel is growing in the USA. It is growing at a phenomenal pace in South Africa, and I'm so here for it.
Love it. Vamos hoosiers