Nicol New Jersey Set to Reinvent Racquet Sports
Athletech News caught up with Nicol Squash co-founders Peter and Jess Nicol ahead of their upcoming venture in New Jersey to discuss the blossoming racquet sports industry and their West Coast ambitions
Later this fall, Nicol New Jersey is bringing pickleball, padel and squash to Fort Monmouth, with a modern, family-friendly facility setting out to redefine racquet sports in the tri-state area.
It’s the second facility launched by the former world #1 squash player Peter Nicol and his wife, Jess, a former collegiate tennis player. The two have selected the new Riverwalk Center as home to Nicol New Jersey, which includes a branch of Spear Physical Therapy.
A departure from Nicol New York, the couple’s squash facility on 42nd Street in New York City that opened in 2021, Nicol New Jersey integrates padel and pickleball in a 20,000-square-foot premium space. Local racquet sports enthusiasts can expect four pro-cushioned indoor pickleball courts, three international-sized indoor squash courts and two state-of-the-art indoor padel courts. Two outdoor courts for both padel and pickleball will be available beginning early next year.
A bar and food offerings, including healthy snack options and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, are also within the facility — making it an ideal spot for hosting events.
Eager to share their love of racquet sports with newcomers and experts, children and families, the couple share their vision for the Nicol lifestyle brand, the racquet sport that could soon overtake pickleball and what’s ahead.
All Under One Roof
As the former world top squash player turned coach, Peter views pickleball as a gateway to traditional racquet sports such as padel, squash, tennis and badminton. But more importantly, he sees racquet sports as a great way to build much-needed connections – an aspect many fitness enthusiasts crave.
“People love playing racquet sports, and they love that feeling of competing, socializing, having a community — it’s really important,” he says, adding that the democratization of racquet sports has also come a long way.
“It’s one of the things we’re doing, and other people are doing it as well,” Peter says. “Previously, [racquet sports] were the domain of the private club, and that’s obviously not accessible to people. I grew up playing all racquet sports at my local club, but it was a members’ club. But when we say members club, it was $100 a year to join. Anyone could join, and everyone did join. And I think that’s where we’re starting to see the change.”
Nicol facilities are open to members and non-members, offering beginner classes for all ages and private lessons. Group programs are a core component of Nicol New Jersey, encouraging socialization.
“Lessons tend to be more one-on-one, or maybe two-on-one with a coach, whereas our group programs are a big group of kids, and they’re all training together, and it’s fun, and it’s social, and so that is a big belief for us,” Jess says. “It’s very common outside of just the United States to have big groups of kids that are playing and not a lot of one-on-one lessons, whereas in the U.S., historically, it has been the inverse.”
The couple says their business has progressed alongside their personal lives, ensuring that Nicol New Jersey has a family-friendly vibe with lounge areas, cafes and a kids and adult squash program designed and led by Peter and Jamal Callender, director of squash.
“We started a family 10 years ago, and we slowly have started to focus on the family unit and providing a space where everybody can come and have an activity,” Jess says.
Full Service: From Smoothies to Physical Therapy
Another interesting element to Nicol New Jersey is the integration of Spear Physical Therapy, which both Peter and Jess have used for minor injuries. The physical therapy provider has multiple locations all over New York and is interested in further expansion.
“I think it also ties in with the health aspect of playing racquet sports,” Peter adds. “There’s all this mental wellness that comes from playing racquet sports: the community, the socialization, the competition, the learning and the skill. But then the physical side is also to look after yourself, prehab, rehab — and that’s where Spear Physical Therapy would come in. So we have the ability to look after people physically as well while playing the racquet sports they love. That’s big for me.”
Looking ahead, Jess says having the prehab/rehab component will be key in future locations, which may include additional wellness offerings.
“Then also having the socialization aspect,” she says. “Of course, we socialize on the court, but being able to come off the court and grab a smoothie, grab a drink, a snack and sit down together. Having dedicated lounge seating and always having a bar space are really important things to us, and so that’s the idea of making sure that they’re all incorporated under one roof.”
Squash Enters the Olympics
With squash set to become an Olympic sport in 2028, the Nicols are enthusiastic on both a personal and business level. The sport is one of five that will be featured at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 – quite a feat, considering squash had been denied inclusion from the famous games four times.
“That was a happy surprise,” Jess says of squash finally debuting at the 2028 Olympics. “Obviously, a lot of people have been working very hard for that to happen a long time ago, but it’s finally happening, and so it’s a huge opportunity for us within the squash community. We’re just so excited to see it be included and featured, and the growth that will happen subsequently is very exciting.”
Padel: The “Brainchild of Squash & Tennis “
Offering padel, one of the fastest-growing racquet sports worldwide at Nicol New Jersey, was a must. The growth of the highly social sport in the U.S. has pleased Jessica, who is a big fan. The sport, believed to have originated in Mexico in 1969, offers a more challenging experience than pickleball but is less intimidating than squash.
“I was in France last summer, and my son and I went to the local tennis club – a 10-court complex because we heard there was padel there,” she says. “They converted five courts to padel, and there was no one on the tennis courts. We could not get a single court for padel that entire day. It’s not surprising because we are falling in love with the sport. We love playing it, and when we were exposed to it, that’s when we made the decision that we have to make sure that this sport is under our roof for New Jersey and beyond.”
Nicol Goes West
Although the tri-state area is the main focus of Peter and Jess for the next 3 years, the couple say they plan to zero in on the West Coast at the three to five year mark. And while franchising isn’t an area that the Nicols are currently focused on, they aren’t ruling it out for the future.
“There’s a lot of opportunity on the West Coast, in particular, for squash,” Jess says. “We find pickleball to be an extremely supportive sport to have alongside squash, and so that’s really going to be our focus going forward, to include them. Pickleball is becoming a very busy market, and we think it’s really important because it’s a gateway to our more technically challenging sports, which is padel, followed by squash. We’re really excited to be able to offer those three sports.”
