General Manager - New Padel club

Leisure People; Northampton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A new sports club organization is seeking a General Manager for their first dedicated indoor padel club in Northampton. This role involves leading the club from pre-launch through to long-term growth, ensuring exceptional member experiences while achieving commercial success. The ideal candidate will have experience in leisure or sports management, strong people-management skills, and a passion for community engagement. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the club's development and progress with future projects.

Benefits

Career development

Bonus

Benefits

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing a leisure or sports venue in a leadership role.
• Ability to inspire and develop diverse teams.
• Experience managing budgets and driving revenue growth.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced start-up environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the pre-launch setup and day-to-day operation of the club.
• Recruit, lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team.
• Create a welcoming and community-focused environment.
• Oversee operational standards, including health and safety.
• Manage budgets and drive revenue across various streams.
• Promote the sport of padel within the community.

Skills

People management skills

Commercial awareness

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Job description

General Manager - New Padel club - Northampton

Up to £35,000+bonus + benefits+ career development

Our client is launching Northampton's first dedicated indoor padel club, and we are looking for an ambitious, people-driven General Manager to lead it from pre‑launch then through long‑term growth. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will be responsible for delivering exceptional member experiences while driving commercial success and operational excellence.

This is a rare opportunity to join the company in its infancy and work with the founders to make this club a success with a view to opening more padel clubs in the future and progressing with the business.

Responsibilities

• Lead the pre‑launch setup and day‑to‑day operation of the club, ensuring a smooth and successful opening.
• Recruit, lead, motivate, and develop a high‑performing team across all areas of the club.
• Create a welcoming, inclusive, and community-focused environment that drives participation and retention.
• Oversee all operational standards, including health and safety, facilities, and customer service.
• Manage budgets, control costs, and drive revenue across memberships, events, coaching, café and retail.
• Build strong local partnerships and promote the sport of padel within the community.

Key Requirements

• Proven experience managing a leisure, fitness, sports, or hospitality venue in a leadership role.
• Strong people‑management skills with the ability to inspire and develop diverse teams.
• Commercially minded, with experience managing budgets and driving revenue growth.
• Highly organised, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast‑paced start‑up environment.
• Passion for sport, wellbeing, and community engagement (padel obsession encouraged but not mandatory).
• Excellent communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including every other weekend.
• Self‑motivated, resilient, and excited by the challenge of launching and growing a new concept.

For more information, please click apply and we will be in touch promptly if you have the right level of experience.