A padel club is coming to Southeast D.C., giving the city its first facility dedicated to the fast-growing racquet sport.
Capital City Padel Club will open at 633 Howard Road SE in the Bridge District in spring 2027, developer Redbrick LMD and operator Tennis Central announced Oct. 15, according to PoPville. The club plans to host preview events in fall 2026 before launching its full schedule in 2027.
Padel is a doubles racquet sport played on an enclosed court, often compared to a blend of tennis and squash. It has exploded globally but remains early-stage in the United States, where the country had roughly 250 padel clubs and added 330 new courts in 2025, according to a Sports Business Journal report cited by Hoodline.
Louis Dubin, managing partner at Redbrick LMD, said in the announcement that the club is a first-of-its-kind addition for the city. He called Tennis Central the right partner for the space, citing the operator's focus on welcoming players of all ages and skill levels.
Yann Auzoux, founder and chairman of Tennis Central, said the club plans to offer leagues, clinics, youth camps and community events. Tennis Central will operate the facility.
The announcement lands as padel gains a higher profile in the D.C. area. The Pro Padel League relocated a franchise called the Matrix from Arkansas to Washington ahead of its 2026 season, Axios reported April 29. Franchise founder Barbara Hudson told Axios the city's international makeup helped seal the deal.
Capital City Padel Club won't be the region's first padel venue. Padel Up, a 17,000-square-foot club in Sterling, Virginia, with four indoor courts, has claimed that title, according to Hoodline. Padel Social has opened outdoor courts in Bethesda, and Epic Padel has been reported headed to Tysons Corner.
But the new club would be the first inside D.C. proper. It fits into a broader trend of padel courts being built into mixed-use developments as lifestyle amenities rather than standalone athletic facilities, Hoodline reported, citing a 2026 industry report.
The Bridge District itself is an eight-acre, seven-parcel development along the Anacostia River at the foot of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, according to Redbrick LMD. The project is entitled for roughly 2.5 million square feet of mixed-use space, including more than 2,000 residential units and 90,000 square feet of retail and parks.
The development's first phase, a 757-unit, three-tower apartment complex, opened for leasing in early 2025. Anchor retail tenants Atlas Brew Works, Andy's Pizza and Dabo Burger opened in November 2025. A 272-unit apartment building on Parcel 5, planned as D.C.'s first full-height mass timber building, had construction scheduled to begin in early 2026.
"There is much more to come," Sohael Chowfla, head of development at Redbrick LMD, said in the announcement, adding that the padel club "signals the next chapter of what we're building here."
Residents interested in early access can register on the club's website for invitations to preview events and opening activities.
