By Cara Crawford

People at Padel Plant watching a match. Photo credit: @padelplant on Facebook.

It started off with tennis, then squash, then it transitioned to pickleball, and now the most recent racquet sport phenomena to strike Richmond is padel.

Padel is a dynamic game, a hybrid of sorts between squash and tennis. It is a doubles sport with enclosed courts surrounded by glass wall or wire mesh, known as “the fence.” The court is split in half by a net, which the ball must go over before it bounces twice on your side. The twist to this sport is that the ball can be played off the wall once it has bounced once on your side. Scoring is identical to tennis, and courts are one-third the size of a tennis court, but that does not take away from the intensity of the game. 

The adrenaline rush that comes with balls being played off the wall and the ground makes for an enticing padel match. In fact, oftentimes people come to padel games just to watch the fast-moving ball and frantic players creating a game that looks like it belongs on a TV screen. Who is responsible for this hot new buzz in Richmond? Richmond’s very own Padel Plant.

Padel Plant’s outdoor seating and court area with vandalized mural. Photo credit: axios.com.

Cultivating this business was no easy undertaking. Founded by two ambitious 23-year-old twin brothers Alex and Sam Nordheimer, the Plant offers a fresh atmosphere. However, the brothers faced the difficulty of not only educating local Richmonders about the sport—through social media and news outlets—but also discovering a prime location to execute their vision. 

The Nordheimers obtained an aging building located in the heart of the city of Richmond, along the Canal Walk. This revamped pump house had sat inhibited for decades. When the Plant was first founded, there was controversy over the purchase of this 125-year old building. This formerly abandoned location had been a hub for locals to hang out and artists to paint murals. 

When Thalhimer Realty Partners and Nordheimer Companies came in to buy this historic property, many artists feared being associated with a commercial business. The height of these tensions occurred in July 2025, when an unknown man vandalized the property, inscribing “NOT FOR SALE” over one of the murals—despite the building having remained unused for 50 years.

Padel Plant’s Smokestack Pizza location. Photo credit: padelplant.com.

In a recent interview with The Match, Alex Nordheimer clarified they wouldn’t take down the art and that “whoever wanted to keep their art up, perfect. If not, then that is totally okay.” The owners handled this controversy with grace, hiring other local artists to paint new murals. While an incident like this may have hurt some businesses, one of the best parts of the facility is the art, which brings life to the building. 

Since then, the Padel Plant’s operation has been met with positive reviews and excitement as its three-pronged approach satisfies every need of their clientele. They provide a captivating environment to play and watch padel. Not only do the turf courts provide more comfort for older players, but at the Padel Plant specifically the courts are fresh and new, the ceilings are high, and the seating is plentiful. The Plant houses five padel courts, both indoor and outdoor for sunny weather, along with two pickleball courts. 

Young kids enjoying a padel lesson at the Padel Plant. Photo courtesy of @padelplant on Instagram.

Open space is still abundant, even with the Plant’s café-style restaurant which, according to Nordheimer, “is open to the public throughout the day, so that the Plant receives a variety of people throughout the day, not just padel and pickleball players.”  The café sells products from Smokestack Pizza and Bar and pastries from Sugar and Twine, alongside their own curated array of coffees. After a recent visit, Collegiate Senior Maddy Privasky (‘26) recounted that not only did it have a “vibrant environment” but also “delicious food.” 

The Plant also creates an extremely social atmosphere. Padel may already be a social sport, but the Plant facilitates new connections for members through leagues and clinics that offer mixed doubles play. Due to the fact that padel originated in Mexico and was popularized in Spain before it exploded worldwide, the Padel Plant offers an opportunity to meet people from across the world. While Nordheimer was modest about the number of international players they receive, avid Padel Plant member (and my father) Penn Crawford has “played with Spaniards, Argentinians, and even Danish peoples,” calling the Plant an “international hotspot for Richmond.”

Featured image courtesy of Padel Plant.