World Cup activities may be winding down, but new pickleball, padel, volleyball, and fitness destinations are giving people more ways to stay active in Downtown San José year-round.
These are not temporary tournament activations. They are spaces designed to keep people moving—and staying downtown—over the long haul.
From social sports in the SoFA District to padel, high-intensity interval training, yoga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, here are three additions helping make Downtown San José a place to participate, not just spectate.
Volo Sports Brings Social Sports to the Valley Title Lot
First up is Volo Sports, which has transformed the Valley Title Lot into a 41,000-square-foot destination for leagues, pickup games and social recreation.
Located on a former parking lot that once served as a roller rink and food truck site, the new venue includes several pickleball courts, a futsal area and a sand volleyball court. The five-year lease marks Volo’s first dedicated facility in the Bay Area after previously operating leagues in rented spaces.
The location is hard to beat. Players have the Serpentine Pavilion as their backdrop (on their website the site is identified as “Club Volo Serpentine Pavilion Downtown”), while the steady flow of league participants and visitors should bring additional foot traffic to the restaurants, bars, galleries and other small businesses throughout the nearby SoFA District.
That kind of recurring activity can have an impact beyond the courts. A player might meet teammates for dinner before a match, grab a drink afterward or discover a neighboring business while spending time in the district.
Bringing the site to life took persistence and coordination. Many thanks are owed to Westbank, Gary Dillabough, the City of San José’s Planning, Building and Code Enforcement departments, and the many people who continued working to move the project forward.
With organized leagues and more casual ways to play, Volo adds an approachable, social option for people who want to be active without needing to be elite athletes. Additional information can be found on the Volo Sports website.
Downtown’s expanding sports scene will also include Bay Padel San José, bringing six professional-grade padel courts and an extensive collection of fitness and recovery amenities to the area.
Padel combines elements of tennis and squash on a smaller, enclosed court, where the surrounding walls remain part of the game. It is typically played in doubles, making it both competitive and highly social.
Bay Padel plans to operate seven days a week, with classes and trainers available for beginners as well as more experienced players. The San José club’s amenities include:
The combination of courts, instruction and recovery amenities makes Bay Padel more than a place to book a game. It is designed as a full training and wellness destination where members can practice, recover and connect with other players. Membership information, classes and court reservations are available through the Bay Padel website.
The Playground by HIIT School Centers High-Intensity Training
Also joining Downtown San José is The Playground by HIIT School, a fitness destination built primarily around high-intensity interval training. HIIT School’s headquarters is in Willow Glen, and their entrance to downtown bodes well for the downtown fitness community.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) will be at the center of The Playground’s programming, with structured workouts designed to improve strength, endurance, conditioning and overall fitness. The fast-paced training format alternates concentrated periods of effort with short recovery intervals, creating workouts that are challenging, efficient and adaptable to different fitness levels.
The Playground will also offer a broader mix of classes and training experiences under one roof, including yoga, youth athletic development and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Open seven days a week, the facility will offer classes and access to trainers throughout the week. That variety will give members the flexibility to combine demanding HIIT sessions with mobility work, yoga, skill development and other forms of movement.
The Playground’s programming will extend to younger athletes through youth performance training focused on building strong movement habits and a solid athletic foundation.
Its summer camp, running from July 13 through August 7, will include training in:
The goal is not only to help young participants perform better, but also to teach techniques that can support safer movement and long-term development across different sports.
The Playground will also be home to Serao Academy, led by Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and professor Leopoldo Serao.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu adds a different kind of physical and mental training to the facility’s offerings. Along with conditioning, the martial art emphasizes technique, discipline, problem-solving and controlled movement.
With Serao Academy becoming part of The Playground, members will be able to complement HIIT workouts with martial arts instruction, while families and students will have another way to participate in structured physical activity downtown.
Classes for The Playground, including its HIIT and other fitness programming, can be found through Mindbody.
A Downtown Built for Participation
Large sporting events can draw international attention and introduce new visitors to a city. Downtown San José is experiencing that energy firsthand this summer.
The city is fresh off hosting the 2026 U.S. National Table Tennis Championships, held July 3–9 at the San José McEnery Convention Center. Later this month, the 2026 CrossFit Games will bring elite athletes and fitness fans to SAP Center from July 24–26.
Together with the FIFA World Cup activities taking place across the region, these events reinforce Downtown San José’s ability to welcome major competitions and the crowds, excitement and economic activity that come with them.
The longer-lasting opportunity, however, is creating places that people can use week after week.
Volo Sports, Bay Padel and The Playground by HIIT School each offer a different way to get involved. For one person, that might mean joining a pickleball or volleyball league. For another, it could be learning padel, signing up for a HIIT class, practicing yoga, enrolling a child in performance training or stepping onto the mats for Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Together, these destinations add recurring activity, new gathering places and more reasons to spend time downtown. They help connect the excitement of major sporting events with accessible opportunities for people to participate in sports and fitness themselves.
As the World Cup, the U.S. National Table Tennis Championships and the CrossFit Games bring the spotlight, Downtown San José’s growing collection of courts, classes and training spaces will help keep the city moving long after the medals are awarded and the crowds head home.
In Community,
Michael Lomio