Tasmania’s first dedicated padel and pickleball courts have opened in Launceston as part of a new sports venue built by a group of Tasmanian mates who spotted a gap in the market.
The Racquet Collective launched last weekend from a warehouse in Kings Meadows, offering both padel and pickleball courts in what its owners say is a first for the state.
Nick Fader, one of the venue’s co-owners, said the idea came together after he saw both sports explode in popularity in Sydney.
“I started off playing pickleball [and] saw the growth of that over there,” he told Pulse.
Fader floated the idea of opening something similar in Tasmania to his sister Eliane Fader and her partner Charlie Eastoe over lunch.
The couple initially laughed it off but changed their minds after a trip to Vietnam.
“They came to me with a warehouse in Launnie,” Fader said.
“I was sort of indifferent between Launnie and Hobart, but it’s not that easy to find a warehouse, and they ended up finding the perfect one, so we thought, ‘Let’s start it in Launnie’.”
Less than a year later, the venue is now up and running.
Fader said last week’s opening weekend went better than expected.
“I think the bloke who made our first ever padel booking was back three times in a row,” he said.
The venue features padel courts and pickleball courts, along with a lounge area, wine barrel bar tables and a big screen TV for weekend footy.
Fader described padel as like squash but with a net in the middle, played on a 20 by 10 metre astroturf court with tennis scoring.
The venue’s also running social sessions, where players rotate through matches while others chat on the sidelines.
“That is something that’s gonna be very important if we wanna succeed,” Fader said.
The owners are waiting on final approval to serve alcohol, which would allow them to also host corporate events.
Fader said he was excited to provide the sports a proper home in Tasmania and flagged plans to eventually expand to Hobart.
“The fact that there’s no courts down in Hobart … I think that’s a big opportunity,” he said.
The Racquet Collective is at Unit 2/30 Innocent Street, Kings Meadows and is open daily from 7am.
