£750,000 at Somerset Park: Can Football Help Padel Build a Lasting Audience?

Ayr United’s Somerset Park is preparing to welcome a different kind of crowd. Soul Padel’s planned £750,000 development will bring four covered courts to the football ground, offering a useful test of whether established sporting venues can help padel build a broader, returning customer base.

The project, reported by Ayrshire Daily News on 3 November, is already under construction. An opening is expected in early spring 2027, with a dedicated clubhouse, showers and toilets, and approximately ten local employment opportunities.

Mark Hewlett, Soul Padel’s founder and chief executive, described working with established local sporting organisations as the kind of partnership the company wants to build in Scotland, emphasising opportunities for people to get active and meet others.

Ayr United chairman David Smith also framed the development around community participation, saying it would create another reason for people to visit Somerset Park. Those ambitions give the project relevance beyond the four courts themselves.

Expansion with a local partner

Soul Padel’s own Ayr listing confirms four covered courts and an early 2027 opening. The operator is inviting registrations of interest, giving it an opportunity to build a local audience before bookings begin.

The development follows Soul Padel’s 1 September funding announcement: £3.6 million raised from three family offices at a £30 million valuation, supporting a planned move from four operating clubs to ten over twelve months. Ayr was among six locations that the company said had secured planning permission.

In that announcement, Soul Padel said its Soul Mates loyalty platform had attracted 12,000 members in its first year. That is a company figure, rather than evidence of demand or future financial performance at Ayr.

What Racket Business thinks...

The appeal is clear. A football club can offer local recognition and relationships that a new operator would otherwise spend time building. Padel, in turn, could give people a reason to visit outside the matchday calendar, creating opportunities for hospitality, sponsorship and community activity.

The commercial test will be whether that familiarity becomes regular play. Football supporters will still need beginner sessions, suitable playing partners and prices they can sustain. Marketing to an existing audience is only the beginning of the work required to retain it.

We would watch weekday utilisation, repeat bookings and the proportion of newcomers who return after an introductory session. Those measures would reveal more about the partnership’s value than an opening weekend packed with curious visitors.

There is also a useful question for investors: what does the sporting partner contribute beyond the address? Introductions to schools, businesses and families could help develop demand, but responsibilities need to be explicit. A recognisable badge alone cannot establish who will run sessions, handle customer relationships or fund participation programmes when the initial publicity fades. The strength of the agreement will become visible in everyday delivery over time.

Other clubs considering similar arrangements should establish how access, matchday disruption, staffing and shared facilities will work. Somerset Park offers a promising example to follow, provided the eventual results demonstrate that both sporting communities benefit.