{"id":4453,"date":"2026-07-13T19:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T19:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4453"},"modified":"2026-07-13T19:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T19:40:17","slug":"bay-padel-opens-in-san-jose-giving-lively-boost-to-sleepy-downtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4453","title":{"rendered":"Bay Padel opens in San Jose, giving lively boost to sleepy downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN JOSE \u2014 Bay Padel has opened its doors to the public for the first time in San Jose, bringing a fast-expanding racket sport and lively activities to the city\u2019s sleepy downtown.<\/p>

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The downtown San Jose venue hosted tournaments, lesson-seeking padel enthusiasts and other padel fans over the weekend as part of a soft opening for Bay Padel on July 11.<\/p>\n

Bay Padel\u2019s opening marks the latest venture to join the Google-created Creekside Socials community and sports district that the tech giant established as a way to help activate this section of the western edges of the city\u2019s downtown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are having a great turnout and we are very busy,\u201d said Lucas Tepman, a co-owner of Bay Padel. \u201cWe hosted three tournaments for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players, and they were all full.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 350 people came out to the Bay Padel San Jose venue as of midday for opening day on Saturday, Tepman estimated.<\/p>\n

The Bay Padel San Jose venue is located near the SAP Center and Diridon train station with an entrance on South Montgomery Street near the light rail tracks, although the official address is 87 Barack Obama Blvd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing good crowds,\u201d said Matias Gandulfo, co-founder of Bay Padel. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of people new to the sport who have never played.\u201d<\/p>\n

Padel is enjoying dramatic growth in the United States and worldwide. As of April 15, more than 1 million people were playing padel on more than 1,000 courts, according to a post by Mike Dorfman, chief executive officer of Padel Pro League. Both those numbers were around zero in 2022, when the 10-team Pro Padel League was founded.<\/p>

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That nationwide enthusiasm appears to be taking root in San Jose at the Bay Padel venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides the tournaments, we offered an intro to padel,\u201d said Pedro Zorraquin, vice president of growth for Bay Padel. \u201cWe had about 70 people sign up for those\u201d as of the middle of the day on Saturday.<\/p>

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Hapa\u2019s Brewing Company, a beer garden a couple of doors away from Bay Padel, helped out the sports venue with some pop-up refreshments and food, according to Gandulfo and Tepman, adding to the lively community atmosphere in Creekside Socials.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think we have an amazing location in Creekside Socials,\u201d Zorraquin said. \u201cIt is so close to the Caltrain station. It\u2019s pretty exciting.\u201d<\/p>

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More activation could be in the works for Creekside Socials as a result of a recent real estate deal involving the San Jose Sharks and Google.<\/p>\n