Finally! Ohio Is Getting Its First Dedicated Padel Club(s)
At long last, two venues in Cincinnati and Cleveland are preparing to put Ohio on the U.S. padel map in 2026
Despite being the seventh most populous state in the U.S. — with nearly 12 million residents — Ohio has been notably (and surprisingly) absent from the U.S. padel scene thus far.
In fact, aside from a single padel court at a large pickleball facility outside Cleveland and the two courts that were recently added to the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason (which is the the home of the Cincinnati Open pro tennis tournament), the Buckeye State has been a complete padel desert up until now.
Compare that with other states that have very similar populations like…
Pennsylvania — which has dozens of padel courts in cities including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Lancaster at some very notable public and private clubs including Ballers Philly, PADELphia, and the Philadelphia Cricket Club…
Illinois — which also now has dozens of courts (all in the greater Chicago area) at private clubs like the prestigious Saddle & Cycle Club as well as public clubs like Alma Padel, Cube Padel, Padel Clube, and the recently opened Union Padel Club in the West Loop, and…
Georgia — a state that’s now home to over a dozen courts (all in the Atlanta metro region) at private clubs like the storied Piedmont Driving Club and public venues including pATL’s flagship location and the newest Padel Haus outpost, which will be the host venue for the U.S. Open through at least 2027…
… and you’ll start to get some sense of why it has been so surprising to see Ohio lagging behind when it comes to padel.
That’s all about to change thanks to the soon-to-open padel clubs in Cincinnati and Cleveland
So, let’s take a quick look at these clubs and how the local padel-playing population is responding…
Cincinnati:
As first reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, Club Padel will initially be a four-court outdoor venue at 3804 Church St. in Newtown, on the site of Robert James Park, a $15 million outdoor distillery, dog park, and dining destination created by Robert James Distillery.
Per the Cincinnati Business Courier:
“Padel is the first phase in a multi-phase, mixed-use project that will include indoor racket sports, indoor padel facilities, additional entertainment programming and the potential for future padel locations elsewhere in the region.”
In addition to four outdoor panoramic courts with LED lighting for evening play, Club Padel will also feature a clubhouse with locker rooms and a pro shop. Beyond padel, the Robert James Park is also slated to have a dog park, a barbecue restaurant, an outpost of Fifty West Brewing, and a to-go-style craft beer store known as The Growler Stop.
Of bringing Club Padel to the Cincinnati area, co-founder Bob Slattery (who is a principal of Fifty West Brewing and RJ Brands, which owns the Robert James Distillery) says, “Club Padel is ideal for this site and for our broader vision of activating the Eastern Corridor.”
Meanwhile, in a news release, fellow co-founder Rich Lonneman added, "Our vision is bigger than just courts. We’re building a place where people can play, stay for a drink, watch the game and feel part of a vibrant, welcoming community.”
Not surprisingly, those who have played padel — and have been waiting for courts to near them — are incredibly excited to finally have a dedicated padel facility to call home. This includes Eric West, a Cincy-based padel player, who recently told me:
“The Cincinnati racquets community is beyond thrilled to finally have a padel dedicated facility. With the facility upgrades and rejuvenation of the Cincinnati Tennis Open, racquet sports is front and center of everyone’s attention. All that was missing was padel! We cannot wait to bring our city’s passion of racquet sports to the padel court.”
Cleveland:
Meanwhile, about 250 miles northeast in Cleveland, a multi-racquet-sport club known as Padel Square is set to debut as early as this month at 5700 Transportation Blvd in Garfield Heights (roughly 10 miles southeast of downtown Cleveland) with six indoor padel courts and two pickleball courts.
According to Padel Square’s website, in addition to padel, the re-purposed 30,000 square foot warehouse space will feature a refreshment area as well as “a sitting area to read, socialize or work while you wait for your next game.”
While there is currently no mention of other amenities beyond a gym and men’s and women’s washrooms, the club should have plenty of space to get creative with. And based on the club’s DIY Instagram posts, it’s obvious the founders are taking a very hands-on approach to the project.
Granted, Cleveland probably isn’t the first city that springs to mind when people think about padel in the U.S., but based on early reactions to Padel Square, there certainly seems to be an appetite for the sport here.
As Rich Moroscak, an avid padel player and Cleveland native, told me:
“I am super excited regarding this padel development. Given the city’s deep and long standing tradition of racquet sports from racquets to squash to tennis to platform tennis, this feels like a natural evolution in Cleveland’s vibrant sports culture.”
While Ohio obviously has a long way to go to catch up to slightly more populous states like New York, Florida, and Texas when it comes to padel, it’s exciting to see them finally start to get into the fray — and I look forward to hearing from anyone who plays at these clubs or knows of others opening in the Buckeye State.
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