Next week’s Hiscox Padel Irish Open in Limerick will be hosted at Padel LK, Ireland’s largest indoor padel facility.
The tournament will bring international players to the city for the first time under the official FIP Cupra Tour banner. But behind the rackets and rallies lies a commercial story that is as ambitious as any in Irish sport in 2025.
Padel LK only opened its doors earlier this year, the brainchild of local entrepreneurs Peter Brazil, Cian McNamara and Eimear McManus, who saw an opening to make Limerick a hub for the country’s newest sporting obsession.
The complex — eight courts, gym, retail and hospitality zones — was designed not just for play, but for events. “From the outset, the plan was to host international tournaments and bring the sport to a wider audience,” said McNamus this week. “We wanted to put Limerick on the padel map.”
That ambition has now materialised in partnership with the Padel Federation of Ireland, the International Padel Federation (FIP), and event specialists ForeFront Group, who are producing the Open.
For ForeFront’s CEO Cian Branagan, the goal is to establish a new annual fixture on the European padel calendar.
“This is about building something sustainable,” he said. “The commercial backing is there, the interest is there, and Ireland has the facilities and appetite to make this grow year on year.”
With the success of having written a similar playbook for the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, this looks like another winner.
The commercial architecture of the event underlines that ambition. Hiscox Ireland has come on board as title sponsor, the first major corporate to back a professional padel tournament on Irish soil.
“Hiscox is a brand that values innovation and boldness,” said Managing Director Richard Dwyer. “Padel is fresh, fast-growing, and dynamic — that’s the kind of energy we want to be associated with.”
Hiscox’s involvement sits alongside emerging partnerships, including Benetti Menswear, who joined as an official sponsor in late October, alongside GetPro and Ishka Irish Spring Water. Together, they are helping fund an event that blends professional sport with lifestyle appeal — live music, food zones, and corporate hospitality alongside international matches streamed worldwide.
The rise of padel has been one of Ireland’s business success stories of 2025.
“Padel has become Ireland’s fastest-rising racket obsession, attracting investors, developers and sponsors in equal measure,” according to Rob Hartnett of Sport for Business.
“Over €5 million has already been committed to new courts nationwide, while clubs in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick are seeing waiting lists for memberships. The Irish Open’s arrival, then, is perfectly timed — turning enthusiasm into a spectacle.”
Druid Padel are another player getting involved and while Arena Padel’s plan for a facility in Kildare has fallen foul of Zoning issues at the planning stage, they will be back.
For Limerick, the economic ripple effect is also important. Hotels and restaurants expect a mid-November bump as visitors, players and officials arrive. The local authority has supported the event’s promotion as part of the city’s growing portfolio of sports tourism assets, alongside rugby, athletics, and triathlon.
“It’s great to have something new and international here,” said one local hotelier. “It puts us in a different conversation.”
Inside Padel LK, the operational shift from club to tournament venue has been intense. Temporary stands, sponsor activations and enhanced broadcast facilities have been installed, with ForeFront leading logistics. The event also features junior coaching clinics and open sessions designed to convert spectators into future players. That integration between elite and grassroots is a cornerstone of the business strategy — ensuring the momentum doesn’t fade when the finals end.
Financially, organisers expect a direct local impact in the region of €1 million from visitor spend, hospitality, and media exposure, while the facility itself gains priceless marketing value. Membership enquiries reportedly surged following the initial announcement of the event in September.
The question now is whether this first edition can lay the foundation for a recurring international stop. ForeFront’s team is already planning for 2026, with discussions under way on expanded seating, broader sponsorship categories, and television distribution beyond digital streaming.
In a country where sport has long been defined by GAA, rugby, and football, padel’s arrival as a viable business and participation model feels refreshing. The Hiscox Padel Irish Open is less about novelty and more about momentum — proof that, with the right partnerships and ambition, a niche sport can serve as both cultural import and commercial enterprise.
Padel is making net gains not only on court but in the boardroom. Next week in Limerick, that balance between passion and profit will be fully on display.
Image Credit: Padel LK
Further Reading for Sport for Business members:
Read our Sport for Business Coverage of Padel
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