Northeast Padel Launches as New Division of Cape and Island
February 12, 2024
Cape and Island Tennis & Track announces the launch of Northeast Padel, a new division dedicated to court construction for what is widely considered the world’s fastest-growing sport, padel.
With over 25 million players internationally, padel is the number two sport in Spain (after soccer) and played by celebrities from Maria Sharapova to David Beckham, and Serena Williams to Roger Federer. 2023 was a breakthrough year for the sport in the U.S. with new clubs and courts constructed in New York City, California and in America’s padel hotspot, Miami.
Based in Massachusetts, Northeast Padel is a new business supported by over 50 years’ experience in the court construction industry, 50 American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) Distinguished Facility Awards and two accolades as Racquet Sports Industry Magazine’s Court Builder of the Year. Northeast Padel will be focused squarely on prioritizing quality throughout its court builds as it seeks to become the go-to padel court constructor for the racquet-sport passionate U.S. Northeast.
Prior to launch, Northeast Padel spent 18 months conducting due diligence on the padel court construction market in the U.S., which included looking into suppliers and carrying out market research. The 50-plus strong team – which includes Gordy Pierce and Kristoff Eldridge, both of whom are past chairmen of ASBA – will provide a full turn-key service, from architect designs to planning, consulting, construction and after-sales support, with the opportunity for club development to follow in the near future.
The motivation to establish Northeast Padel came from a desire to implement quality-driven standards into the current burgeoning court construction sector in the United States, as VP Eric Loftus explains.
“Our driving force in establishing Northeast Padel is two-fold. First and foremost, we are passionate padel advocates and want to see more people from more communities in the U.S. Northeast playing this new racket sport,” said Loftus.
“Secondly, in the formative stages of the court construction sector in America, we have witnessed sub-standard approaches to construction. To date, many courts have been imported from overseas without the required paperwork and insurance, and laborers have been transporting, unloading and installing the courts without the required work permits. At Northeast Padel, we want to correct the short cuts being taken and ensure courts are constructed with quality at the heart, and according to recognized American standards. We have launched to ensure we can give padel court construction in the U.S. the right reputation,” he added.
Since it was formed in 1972, Northeast Padel’s parent company, Cape and Island Tennis & Track, has been responsible for installations for home owners, clubs, public facilities and the biggest institutions in New England. The company installed the surface for the Davis Cup’s 100th anniversary in 1999 at Longwood Cricket Club in Massachusetts, pioneered the use of post tensioned concrete for tennis courts in New England in 1988 and has built for the likes of Harvard University and Dartmouth College as well as the region’s top private schools. To-date, the company has built over 2,650 tennis courts and 600 athletics tracks – over 3,250 construction projects in total.
For more information, contact Loftus at Northeast Padel at [email protected] or (508) 759 5636.