Case Study / Padel Club Launch
Cinderford Padel Club: Building Local Interest Before Opening
Two covered padel courts were taking shape at Bell Sports & Rugby Park in the Forest of Dean. For Cinderford Padel Club, the challenge was to introduce the new facility to local players and build interest before the first game could be played.
Matchpoint Marketing supported the club’s padel club launch campaign through social media, paid search and local media activity, keeping the project visible and giving the community reasons to get involved ahead of opening.
The pre-launch campaign in numbers
Before the courts opened, Cinderford Padel Club was already building an audience. Social media, paid search and the club’s website provided measurable indicators of early interest, visibility and engagement.
- 83,639 Facebook post views 12 posts · Results to 27 October 2026
- 36,715 Instagram post views 12 posts · Results to 27 October 2026
- 285 Google Ads clicks 11 August – 30 September 2026
- 604 Padel landing page views September 2026 · Google Analytics 4
Source: Matchpoint Marketing campaign reporting. Social figures represent post views, not unique people reached. Landing page views include traffic from all sources. Booking and membership outcomes are not included in these figures.
The challenge: building a community before opening the courts
Cinderford Padel Club is bringing two covered padel courts to Bell Sports & Rugby Park, creating a new opportunity to play padel in the Forest of Dean.
The project has a strong connection to Cinderford Rugby Football Club, an established part of the local sporting community. The ambition was to build on that heritage while introducing a club that would welcome players of different ages, abilities and levels of padel experience.
But marketing a facility before it opens presents a particular challenge. Without courts available to play on, there are no on-site playing experiences to generate recommendations or establish regular booking habits.
The pre-launch campaign therefore needed to make the project visible, explain what the new club would offer and maintain local interest as construction progressed. The aim was to give potential players a reason to engage with Cinderford Padel Club before their first visit.
One Community, One Clear Message
Cinderford Padel Club was conceived as more than an addition to the local sports facilities. Its identity draws on the heritage of Cinderford Rugby Football Club, combining an established sporting community with a new opportunity for people to discover padel.
The club’s positioning centres on accessibility, shared experiences and a welcoming environment for players of different ages and abilities. These ideas provided a clear direction for introducing the project to the Forest of Dean.
For the pre-launch communications, that meant looking beyond the courts themselves. The campaign could introduce the people behind the project, explain how the facility was progressing and give the local community opportunities to engage before opening day.
One Community.
Built on local heritage
The connection with Cinderford Rugby Football Club provided a familiar local identity, helping introduce the new padel facility within an established sporting environment.
Welcoming new players
Communications reflected the club’s ambition to make padel accessible to people of different ages, abilities and sporting backgrounds, rather than focusing only on experienced players.
Keeping the community involved
Construction updates, messages from people involved in the project and pre-launch announcements gave the audience reasons to follow the club’s progress before the courts were available.
From the First Announcement to Founder Memberships
The pre-launch campaign evolved alongside the development of the facility. Early announcements introduced the club and its ambitions, construction updates kept the project visible, and October’s communications moved towards community events and opportunities to become a founding member.
- August2026
Introducing the Vision
The first campaign posts introduced the proposed facility at Bell Sports & Rugby Park, giving local audiences an early look at what the new padel club would offer.
Visual impressions of the courts were accompanied by messages about the club’s community ambitions. The early communications encouraged people to follow the project and share their interest before the facility was ready.
Campaign example · 3 AugustThe first visual representation of Cinderford Padel Club was shared across social media. View the original announcement .
- September2026
Making the Progress Visible
As construction progressed, the campaign began showing the development of the courts. Updates covered drainage work, the installation of the structure and preparations for the covered facility.
The communications also introduced the club’s partnership with BAS3LINE, which was announced as a supplier of rackets and equipment. A competition offering a free padel coaching session provided another opportunity for prospective players to participate.
- October2026
Turning Awareness into Participation
October brought a more direct focus on the people behind the club and the opportunities for the community to get involved.
A video message from Bell Sports & Rugby Park President Pete Bell introduced the project in a personal way. The campaign subsequently promoted the 21 October pre-launch information evening, giving local residents the opportunity to find out more about the facility.
On 23 October, the club announced the forthcoming release of 100 Founder Memberships. This marked a shift from general awareness towards a specific opportunity for interested players to engage with the club before opening.
Campaign example · 9 OctoberA Message from Pete Bell
Featuring the President of Bell Sports & Rugby Park, this video introduced the project directly from the site while construction was underway.
26,980 Facebook post views · Recorded to 27 OctoberThe video became the campaign’s most-viewed Facebook post. Watch the original video .
Throughout the campaign, the communications gave the growing audience new reasons to follow Cinderford Padel Club: first the proposed facility, then its progress, and finally opportunities to become part of the community ahead of opening.
Early Results Before Opening
Before the courts opened, Cinderford Padel Club had already built a community and seen early demand for Founder Memberships.
These club-reported figures show the community and early membership demand established ahead of opening. They are not presented as sales directly attributable to any single marketing channel.
Taking the Launch Story Beyond Social Media
The club’s social media marketing was complemented by local press coverage and face-to-face engagement. Together, these activities helped communicate the club’s plans, reach different audiences and give local residents opportunities to connect with the project ahead of opening.
Bringing the Community Together Before Opening
On 21 October 2026, the project team held a pre-launch information evening at Bell Sports & Rugby Park.
The event provided an opportunity to introduce the proposed facility, show attendees what the covered courts would look like and answer questions about the new club.
It also brought the people behind the project into direct contact with members of the local community, complementing the updates and announcements shared through digital channels.
Introducing Cinderford Padel Club on the Radio
As part of the pre-launch publicity, Matchpoint Marketing’s Polly took part in a radio interview promoting the forthcoming opening of Cinderford Padel Club. Listen to the recording below.
Coverage in the Sports Media
The planned facility also featured in sports publications, introducing Cinderford Padel Club to readers interested in padel and wider sporting developments.
- Padel Nation Indoor Padel Facility Coming to Cinderford
- The Sports News Blitz Padel Heading to Cinderford as Bell Sports & Rugby Park Serves Up Facility
What the Pre-launch Activity Achieved
The campaign reporting provides an early picture of how audiences responded to Cinderford Padel Club before opening. Beyond overall views and website traffic, the results offer useful insights into which messages attracted attention and where the next marketing priorities lie.
Authentic Club Voices Attracted Attention
A video featuring Pete Bell, President of Bell Sports & Rugby Park, became the most-viewed post on both Facebook and Instagram during the reporting period.
The video recorded 26,980 Facebook views and 34,715 Instagram views.
Instagram Insights also showed that 95.3% of the Reel’s views came from non-followers, indicating that the content reached beyond the club’s existing Instagram audience. This was particularly relevant during the pre-launch period, when introducing the new facility to potential players was a central campaign objective.
Its performance suggests that introducing the people behind a new club can be an effective way to attract attention, alongside updates about facilities and construction progress.
Search Advertising Created Another Route to the Club
Google Ads generated traffic during August and September, with September accounting for 238 clicks and a 4.81% click-through rate.
The generic search term “padel tennis” accounted for 201 of September’s clicks.
This showed the importance of reaching people already searching for padel, while also highlighting the need to distinguish general sporting interest from searches with clear local booking intent.
The Padel Page Established Search Visibility
The padel landing page on the Cinderford RFC website was already appearing in Google Search results during September.
Google Search Console recorded 554 impressions and 57 organic clicks, with an average position of 9.72.
These figures provide an early search visibility benchmark. As the club develops, local padel searches and booking-related queries will become important areas to monitor.
Email Response Highlighted the Value of a Clear Next Step
The reporting compared two email campaigns with different audience sizes and responses.
An automated email recorded a 50% open rate and a 42.5% click rate among 40 delivered emails.
A separate broadcast reached 90 recipients and recorded a 30% open rate, but no clicks. Although the samples were small, the difference reinforced the importance of clear calls to action as the club moved towards Founder Memberships.
From Visibility to Measurable Club Growth
Together, these results show that Cinderford Padel Club was attracting attention across several channels before the facility opened. Social content generated engagement, advertising brought visitors through search, and the padel page began establishing organic visibility.
The next stage is to understand how that interest translates into registrations, memberships and court bookings. Those commercial outcomes will provide a more complete picture of the launch campaign’s contribution to the club.
Source: Matchpoint Marketing campaign reporting, August–October 2026. Social figures were recorded to 27 October; paid search and organic search figures refer to September. Email campaigns had different audience sizes. Engagement and traffic metrics do not represent confirmed bookings or membership sales.
Building Momentum Before the First Match
The Cinderford Padel Club project demonstrates why launch marketing needs to begin before the courts are ready. Introducing the people behind the club, communicating progress and engaging the local community all help establish a foundation for opening day.
For padel operators, the next challenge is turning that early interest into memberships, bookings and regular participation. Clear communication and a coordinated marketing approach help connect those stages.
Planning a new padel club launch? Matchpoint Marketing can help you establish your priorities and build a marketing plan around your opening.