St. Pete Athletic Expansion Introduces New Racket Sport

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Pete Athletic will celebrate the grand opening of St. Petersburg’s first padel courts, part of a major expansion at the facility, on Saturday, the club said in a news release.

The expansion adds nearly 20,000 square feet to the facility and includes two padel courts and six new pickleball courts, the club said.

This brings the club’s total to 14 pickleball courts, along with the existing six table tennis courts and hospitality offerings, including Rose’s Dining & Drinks.

The space totals 50,000 square feet and includes dining, member spaces, events, amenities and programming.

Padel, a blend of tennis and squash, is a sport that’s grown rapidly around the world over the past decade, the club said.

To mark the opening, St. Pete Athletic is planning a full day of events on Saturday.

A padel tournament takes place from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by a ribbon cutting with Mayor Ken Welch and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce at 12:30 p.m.

A professional exhibition match, featuring padel player Ignacio De Elía, is set for 1 p.m.

Guests can register for the tournament or RSVP to attend the grand opening festivities through the St. Pete Athletic app.

The club remains open to the public for dining, cocktails, courtside viewing, social events and other amenities, while memberships include additional access, preferred pricing and other benefits, the news release said.

“From the beginning, our vision has been about creating a place where people come together through sport, wellness, and community,” owner Reuben Pressman said. “Bringing padel to St. Pete is a natural extension of that vision. It’s a sport that’s inherently social, incredibly fun, and accessible to all levels. This expansion allows us to continue building something that feels bigger than just courts; it’s about community.”

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