Padel Palm Beach Opens After Two-Year Project: Co-Owner Biel Roca Carreras Details the Process

Padel Palm Beach officially opened one month ago after a two-year process led by four friends from Europe. One of the owners, Biel Roca Carreras, explained how the project began and what it took to open the club in West Palm Beach.

“We started this project two years ago. It came from a group of friends that was very united. Three of us are Spanish — two from Bilbao and me from Barcelona — and one is French from Nice. Two of us, Bastian and I, come from the world of tennis, so we already had padel in our minds.”

Roca Carreras said the group wanted to start a sports-related business and saw opportunity in the United States while padel was still developing. “We wanted to start something, and we knew a sports project fit us. In Spain the sport is already very developed, but here racquet sports can grow a lot. We put together the money with what we had because it’s our own money,” he said.

Source: Padel Palm Beach

Although the courts were installed early in the process, opening the club took two years due to city requirements and construction needs unique to Florida. “At first it looks simple — four courts and that’s it — but the real problem is permits. That is the longest process,” he explained. “Depending on the land, you have to level it. Here we had to put more soil because the city required it. All that is much more than the courts themselves. The slab can cost the same or even more than the court.”

For years, players in Palm Beach County had fewer padel options and often drove south to play. Roca Carreras sees the recent growth and competition in the area as positive. “Competition always scares you, but like in Clematis, how many bars and clubs are on the same street?” he said. “More clubs bring more noise and more people. The sport is just beginning here. The only thing it does is motivate me. More clubs will help more people learn what padel is.”

Source: Padel Palm Beach

Unlike in Miami, Palm Beach County has fewer Europeans and Latin Americans familiar with padel, so the club focuses on players who already practice racquet sports. “We target people who already play racquet sports,” he said. “People here are curious. They see a court that looks like pickleball and want to try it. Americans like trying new sports.” According to Roca Carreras, many pickleball players end up preferring padel. “They love it. I’d say most like padel more than pickleball. It’s more active and more modern. And the first day they already play well because the technique is similar.”

He believes that the social aspect of padel is one of the reasons it is expanding quickly in the United States. “It has the social part that pickleball has. People stay at the club, play, and then stay longer. That doesn’t happen as much with tennis unless it’s a private club,” he said. “The club has to feel like a third home. When you come here you feel surrounded by people, with music and atmosphere.”

Padel Palm Beach decided to open with outdoor courts despite Florida’s heat and rain. “I come from tennis and always played outdoor here,” Roca Carreras said. “In Spain I never played outdoor, but here the weather during most of the year is incredible. I prefer outdoor 100%. If we could have both, we’d love to expand into indoor.”

Source: Padel Palm Beach

All four owners invested their own money in the project and chose to rent the land to reduce costs. “We rent the land. We know the owner and that helped us. Otherwise it would have been impossible because of the prices,” he said. “Many clubs are being built by people with a lot of money. We couldn’t maintain a high cost.” Starting with four courts was intentional. “We knew that four was the minimum to be profitable. For us four courts was the point to start, learn, and eventually replicate the business.”

The club offers two membership tiers. “We have a membership of $280 a month. You get a paddle and some benefits, and you can cancel at any time,” Roca Carreras said.

Padel Palm Beach is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day of the year. “Even Thanksgiving,” he noted. The club can be found at palmbeachpadel.com, on Instagram at @palmbeachpadel, and on Playtomic, where players can book courts, clinics, tournaments, open play sessions, and other activities posted weekly by the club.

===

Written by Florida Tennis Associate Editor Osvaldo Godoy. Top photo credit: Padel Palm Beach