Padel House expands with new strategic investment

From left: Amrith de Soysa, Haresh de Soysa, Shamal Perera, Ranil Fernando and Mahela Jayawardene

Padel House, the company that first brought padel to Sri Lanka and has since built the sport’s most established presence in Colombo, announced the entry of two new investors in Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka cricket captain, and Trade Promoters Limited, a diversified business group with commercial interests across Sri Lanka and the Maldives. 

The investment round closes a formative chapter for the business and marks the beginning of a structured phase of national expansion.

Co-founder Rajeev Rajapaksa, one of the sport’s few certified coaches in the country, will exit his shareholding as part of the transaction. He will remain involved with Padel House in a coaching capacity. Shamal Perera continues as co-founder and will lead the company through its next phase.

The company’s most substantial near-term undertaking is the transformation of its CR&FC facility in Colombo. Two additional courts are being added to the site, and a curated selection of wellness and lifestyle partners will come together to create what will be Sri Lanka’s first fully integrated padel and wellness destination. 

The facility will bring together a Pilates studio under Barressential, a café and coffee concept by Crust & Crumble, a children’s play area, and a premium recovery centre operated by The Recovery Room, offering ice baths, infrared sauna, compression therapy, sports massage, dry needling, and hyperbaric oxygen chambers.

The thinking behind the model is well supported by experience in established padel markets such as Spain, Sweden, and the UAE, where operators have built successful businesses by creating destinations — places where the court is the anchor but the broader experience is the draw. 

The infrastructure build-out extends across multiple locations. Playing surfaces at the company’s Claessen Place courts are being fully upgraded this year, and a third Colombo site is in the planning stages, with an opening expected later this year. A new court in Ahangama is scheduled to open in May, representing the company’s first move into the southern coastal market. 

Beyond its commercial operations, Padel House has also established a complementary business designing and building private padel courts at homes and villas. Drawing on the company’s expertise in court construction and design, the offering has found a niche market within Sri Lanka’s premium residential segment.

Shamal Perera, co-founder of Padel House, outlined the thinking behind the new partnerships: “From the outset, the goal was to introduce padel to Sri Lanka and build a strong community around the sport. What we’ve seen over the past two years has been encouraging; rapid adoption and a growing player base across all segments. 

“Bringing in partners like Mahela and Trade Promoters reflects a shared vision for where this sport is headed. This new phase is about scaling what we’ve built, expanding access, and taking padel to the next level across the country.”

Mahela Jayawardene, commenting on his entry into the business, noted: “Padel is one of the most accessible and enjoyable sports I’ve come across. It’s easy to pick up, highly social, and provides a great workout at the same time. 

“What Padel House has built over a short period is impressive, not just in terms of infrastructure, but in the strength of the community around the sport. I’m excited to be part of this journey and to support its growth across Sri Lanka.”