The Princes Docks courts were initially expected to be ready for mid-Autumn 2025
MD of Peel Waters Whittaker, MD of Padel Ventures Gareth Evans with Liverpool's Liza Marco and Chris Capes
MD of Peel Waters Whittaker, MD of Padel Ventures Gareth Evans with Liverpool's Liza Marco and Chris Capes
View 2 Images
New details have been revealed on plans for a one-of-a-kind sports court set within Liverpool’s docklands. The city has been the epicentre of something of a boom for the fast-growing racket sport padel in the last few years.
Combining elements of tennis and squash, padel is typically played in doubles. Courts have been popping up all over the city as Scousers embrace the new trend.
Plans for the UK’s first of its kind floating padel court were granted planning permission last year by Liverpool Council to sit within Princes Dock, with hopes of a summer opening. This has yet to come to pass.
Now, the operators have submitted a crucial licensing bid to the city council that offers new details on when the courts could open. It is the latest floating development for the city, with a Wyld Sauna concept opening up on the dockside in November 2024.
The proposed facility will sit within Princes Dock at Liverpool Waters and will feature three floating courts. They would be built on a special floating platform from Finland, with the courts themselves manufactured in Spain.
As part of the plans, players and spectators would be able to socialise in a clubhouse on the water. It would include a bar and kitchen with a decked seating area. A small specialist retail store would also be located within the clubhouse.
CGIs of the floating Padel courts and clubhouse
CGIs of the floating Padel courts and clubhouse
View 2 Images
This would require a premises licence with Padel Ventures seeking terms to open from 7am to midnight. This would only apply on Friday and Saturday with alcohol sold from midday until close.
From Sunday to Thursday the courts would open from 7am to 10pm. Alcohol sales would go from midday until closing time.
The sport is also gaining support among athletes, with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk an investor in the Game4Padel business while former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp spending the first months of his post Anfield career on the court. England white ball cricket captain Jos Buttler is also one of the sport’s most famous fans.
Speaking last year when the project was first announced, James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said: “We are really pleased to be bringing the UK’s first floating Padel courts to Liverpool Waters.
“This floating concept demonstrates the open approach we have at Peel Waters to welcoming innovative, new ideas and collaborating with forward-thinking businesses to use our portfolio as a testbed for unique, UK-first activations on water and the surrounding land.
“Padel is a fantastic, accessible activity and the social side of the sport is of utmost 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.”