Fairgrounds, the Canadian public pickleball and padel racket club, has announced the closing of its Series A financing round. The round was led by Back Forty, the first investment firm in Canada focused exclusively on the country’s consumer and retail sectors. The investment will support a nationwide expansion beginning in Fall 2025 as the brand scales its accessible, design-led clubs to meet surging demand for court space across Canada.
The Fairgrounds Canada expansion reflects a growing cultural movement around social sports and wellness. Pickleball and padel have become two of the fastest-growing recreational activities in the world, with Canadian participation rising sharply in the past two years. As demand far exceeds available courts in most markets, Fairgrounds is positioning itself as the country’s premier destination for inclusive, community-driven racket sports.
As part of the funding announcement, Tim McGuire, Co-Founder of Back Forty, will join the Fairgrounds board of directors. McGuire brings deep experience in consumer and retail leadership as the former Head of the Americas’ Retail Practice at McKinsey & Company. His background includes serving as Executive Chairman and investor in Jump+, North America’s only Apple Premier Partner retailer, and as CEO of Mobile Klinik, which he scaled from three stores to more than one hundred before leading its sale to Telus. McGuire also sits on the board of Dollar General, one of the largest U.S. retailers.
“Fairgrounds is tapping into one of the most powerful lifestyle shifts we’ve seen in Canadian recreation in decades,” said McGuire. “What excites me is not just the growth of pickleball and padel, but Fairgrounds’ ability to build clubs that people truly want to be a part of—accessible, welcoming, and designed with community in mind. We’re proud to back this team as they scale across Canada, and I’m thrilled to join the board to help bring that vision to life.”
Back Forty’s track record of backing emerging Canadian consumer brands such as Monos and Formula Fig signals a continued appetite for scalable, experience-driven businesses that combine retail, community, and hospitality elements.
Founders Bring Deep Retail and Experience Design Expertise
Fairgrounds was co-founded by Drummond Munro, co-founder of Superette, and Matt Rubinoff, founder of Stackt Market. Together, the pair have extensive experience in retail, placemaking, and brand strategy — skills that have proven instrumental in shaping Fairgrounds’ concept.
“Pickleball and padel may be trending right now, but Fairgrounds is taking an entirely different approach—reimagining the racket club experience from the ground up,” said Munro. “We’ve spent years building, testing, and iterating our model across multiple formats, proving that a fully owned and operated approach—not franchising—is the best way to deliver a consistent, world-class experience. As long-time leaders in this space, we’re not hopping on a trend; we’ve been at it since 2022, bringing deep consumer-retail expertise to create something truly unique for Canada’s players and communities.”
Expanding Across Canada: New Clubs from Vancouver to Ottawa
Launched in 2022, Fairgrounds has quickly built a strong foundation with six operating locations across Ontario and a growing member base of more than 60,000 players. The company’s upcoming rollout will introduce its first clubs in British Columbia and Alberta, alongside continued growth in Ontario.
Planned openings for late 2025 and early 2026 include:
- Fairgrounds Capilano Mall (North Vancouver, BC)
- Fairgrounds Bower Place (Red Deer, AB)
- Fairgrounds Cataraqui Centre (Kingston, ON)
- Fairgrounds Whitby (Whitby, ON)
- Fairgrounds Centre on Barton (Hamilton, ON)
- Fairgrounds Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)
- Fairgrounds Kitchener (Kitchener, ON)
With 30 additional locations planned between 2025 and 2027, the Fairgrounds Canada expansion will make the company the nation’s largest racket club network by the end of 2025. Each facility combines modern court design with thoughtful amenities, positioning Fairgrounds as both a fitness destination and a social hub.
Design-Led Spaces and Community-Driven Programming
Each Fairgrounds club is designed with a strong emphasis on community, inclusivity, and play. The facilities feature tournament-level pickleball and padel courts, integrated social lounges, and curated retail spaces offering gear and apparel. Upcoming flagship sites, including Toronto’s Leaside location, showcase how Fairgrounds is transforming underused real estate into dynamic “third spaces” for recreation and connection.
The Leaside flagship, opening in mid-2025, will span approximately 55,000 square feet, featuring 13 pickleball courts, four padel courts, a full-service restaurant and bar, sauna, retail shop, and children’s programs. Similar adaptive reuse concepts are being rolled out in Hamilton and Kingston, each designed to activate community gathering spaces through design, sport, and social experiences.
Fairgrounds also offers coaching, beginner leagues, and drop-in sessions to accommodate all skill levels. Its programming encourages players to connect through events, tournaments, and clinics, supporting both casual and competitive play.
Building a New Kind of Club Experience
What sets Fairgrounds apart is its consumer-retail lens on club design and operations. The founders’ backgrounds in retail and experiential development have inspired a model that integrates sport with lifestyle, aligning with a broader trend toward socially driven fitness.
Fairgrounds’ approach removes traditional barriers often associated with private clubs, such as initiation fees, restrictive dress codes, and rigid membership structures, making it an accessible space for everyone. The company’s emphasis on inclusivity and well-being is reflected in its “free-to-join” model, encouraging participation without exclusivity.
Its hybrid retail-sport model also introduces opportunities for brand collaborations, on-site product testing, and community activations. By integrating curated retail within its spaces, Fairgrounds is demonstrating how retail can intersect with active leisure.
Back Forty’s Role in Scaling Canadian Consumer Brands
For Back Forty, the Fairgrounds investment represents another milestone in its mission to scale homegrown Canadian consumer businesses. The Toronto-based investment firm, formerly known as Venn Consumer, focuses exclusively on the retail and consumer space, investing in brands that demonstrate strong unit economics and exceptional customer experience.
The firm partners closely with founders, providing capital and operational expertise to accelerate growth. Beyond financial support, Back Forty offers strategic guidance in retail optimization, brand expansion, and customer engagement — capabilities that will be central to the Fairgrounds Canada expansion.
McGuire’s addition to the Fairgrounds board ensures alignment between investment strategy and execution, leveraging his extensive background in retail leadership and scaling operations.
