Arena Padel is the brainchild of former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given, and his business partner Declan Fagan, and the pair have revealed plans to open a state-of-the-art, 45,000 sq. ft indoor padel facility in Goffs, Co. Kildare next year.

Planning permission has been submitted to Kildare County Council for the €4m facility, which will include nine championship-standard indoor padel courts, along with complementary fitness and wellness offerings such as a state-of-the-art “bio-circuit” gym in partnership with Technogym, along with a variety of recovery rooms.

Since retiring from professional football, Given has taken up padel, and the opportunity to create a world-class facility in Ireland was too good to turn down. 

Goffs and Kildare were specifically selected as the first arena location.  

“After retiring, I needed an outlet to keep my competitive juices flowing, and I found that in padel,” said Given.

“It’s the fastest growing sport in the world, and it’s easy to see why.  Padel can be played together by all ages and skill levels.”

“We’ve founded Arena Padel to bring padel tennis to the masses by investing in purpose-built, modern sports arenas.

“We have found an ideal location in Goffs and can’t wait to start welcoming players early next year.”

Like Given, business partner Fagan is a regular padel player. The shared passion between the two created the idea for Arena Padel.

“We were playing together last year, and we spoke about how we could elevate the padel tennis experience in Ireland by offering a truly premium offering, in a centre of excellence, at affordable prices, with a facility that will be open to all”.

“Padel is continuing to grow globally, and the scale for growth in Ireland is palpable. We intend to create a facility that will still be cutting edge in 20 years' time.

“I live near Goffs, so I’m really excited to add this amenity to the local area, creating 30 new jobs”, Fagan added.