BECOME A
RURAL RACQUETS FRANCHISE PARTNER
Rural Racquets was founded by Chris Gibbon,a farmer who grew up working the land and still does today.
His love of padel, pickleball, and the rural community he’s part of led him to build this side of the business: helping other farmers and landowners across the country, and beyond turn underused buildings into working courts under the Rural Racquets brand.
Reap what your serve, as we like to say.
Why diversification makes sense
Farm diversification matters more than ever, and the agricultural industry is changing fast.
Indoor padel and pickleball courts are one of the fastest-growing leisure markets in the UK, and rural sites are perfectly placed to meet that demand. A spare shed, barn, potato store, or grain store can become a thriving venue with the right setup, the right guidance, and someone in your corner who understands both farming and the sport.
Potato stores and grain stores in particular lend themselves perfectly. The floor space, the ceiling height, and the structural setup are often exactly what’s needed with relatively little modification. Fields of opportunity hiding under a tin roof. If you’ve got the building, we’ve got the game plan.
We work with farms, estates, landowners and commercial sites across the United Kingdom. This isn’t only for rural communities. If you’re in a town or a city, or you have a commercial shed sitting empty, we’d like to hear from you, so please do enquire.
How the franchise works
You bring the building and the local knowledge. We bring the brand, the install, the systems, and ongoing support.
As a Rural Racquets franchise partner, your venue operates under the Rural Racquets name, with our booking platform, our self check-in system, and our coaching network already in place from day one.
Wherever you are in the UK, it starts with a simple phone call. From there you share images of your building with Chris and the team, who come back to you with their thoughts and arrange a meeting to talk through the next steps.
It’s a model built for farmers, landowners and commercial site owners who want to diversify without taking on something completely outside their experience. You’re not working it out alone, and you’re not signing up to something rigid. The setup is shaped around your building, your land, and what makes sense for you. No two sites are the same, and no two franchise venues are either.
Hands on support from someone who’s done it
Chris and the Rural Racquets team work alongside you throughout, from the first conversation to opening day and well beyond.
That includes a call to discuss what’s possible, honest advice on the financial and practical inputs involved, full support through the install, and ongoing guidance once the courts are open.
For younger farmers and the next generation looking at how to diversify, this route is a practical way in. You’ll have someone to talk to at every stage rather than figuring it out from scratch. Think of it as a new crop rotation, just with fewer combines and more rallies.
BOOK A
CONVERSATION
If you’d like to explore whether your building could work as a Rural Racquets venue in Yorkshire, Durham, or anywhere else across the north, there are two easy ways to start:
Most partners start with a virtual call and follow up with an on-site meeting once we’ve covered the ground together.