A huge new sports and entertainment venue featuring indoor golf, pool, darts, live sport and street food is set to open in Southport this December following a £400,000 investment.
Pitch & Pot will transform a previously vacant sports and leisure space at the rear of 72 Tulketh Street into a 9,000 sq ft competitive social entertainment venue.
The new destination will combine professional-standard sporting facilities with food, drink and hospitality, offering everything from Trackman golf simulators and championship-standard pool tables to darts, interactive sports and a dedicated live sports viewing theatre.
Around 20 new jobs are expected to be created as part of the development, while the owners also plan to establish a youth sports academy and support community and charitable events.
Pitch & Pot is being launched by Jamie Rae, Les Dodd and Danny Balshaw, who bring together experience across hospitality, professional sport and sports-led leisure businesses.
At the heart of the venue will be 14 Rasson Apollo II Ultimate pool tables, including two dedicated TV and match-table arenas.
Plans include hosting high-level pool competitions and events such as Ultimate Pool British Open and Ultimate Pool Shootout events.
Darts fans will have access to seven lanes as well as a separate exhibition and match-stage board, with ADC darts tournaments also planned.
Golf will form another major part of the venue, with advanced Trackman simulator technology allowing visitors to practise, compete and receive coaching indoors.
The technology can also be used for a number of other interactive sports including football and baseball.
Professional golf coaching, leagues and challenges including longest drive and lowest-round competitions are also planned, with the owners hoping the venue will complement Southport’s reputation at the heart of England’s Golf Coast.
Visitors who would rather watch sport will be able to make use of a dedicated viewing theatre centred around a huge 4.5m by 2.5m ultra-HD screen.
Around 20 large screens will be positioned throughout Pitch & Pot, supported by Sky Sports and TNT Sports packages and a full surround-sound system.
Football, boxing, golf, darts and pool are among the major sporting events expected to feature throughout the year.
A private poker and games room will also form part of the venue.
Pitch & Pot is aiming to offer more than the traditional sports bar experience, with full table service available throughout alongside premium beers, wines, cocktails and spirits.
The venue has secured partnerships with brands including Coca-Cola, Heineken and Forged Irish Stout.
Food will be provided through a separate street-food space featuring a rotating selection of local and national vendors.
Rather than offering one permanent menu, Pitch & Pot plans to regularly introduce different cuisines and food operators, including emerging brands gaining popularity online.
Jamie Rae is the owner of Potters Sports Lounge in Formby and Lansdowne Bistro in Southport, while Les Dodd owns the Les Dodd Snooker Centre and has around 27 years of experience in the cue-sports industry.
Dodd is also a former professional snooker player who reached the world’s top 40.
Danny Balshaw is co-owner of the McNamara’s sports bar brand, which has venues in Runcorn, St Helens and Crosby. He also competes in Ultimate Pool and plays golf from a +2 handicap.
The owners said:
“Pitch & Pot is the result of three people with different backgrounds in hospitality and sport coming together with one shared vision: to create an environment where the quality of the sporting facilities is every bit as important as the quality of the hospitality.
“We wanted to move beyond the traditional idea of a sports bar. Whether somebody is a serious player looking for professional-standard facilities and coaching, a family looking for somewhere different to spend time together, friends meeting for an evening out or a business entertaining clients, we want the experience to feel exceptional.
“Southport has an incredible sporting heritage, particularly through golf, and we believe there is an opportunity to create something that complements that reputation while introducing a new generation of competitive social entertainment to the town.
“We are investing £400,000 into transforming a vacant sports and leisure space, but our ambition goes beyond the building itself.
“We want Pitch & Pot to become part of the local sporting community, create employment, develop young players and provide a venue capable of attracting exciting sporting events and personalities to Southport.
“Ultimately, we want people to be able to play sport, watch sport and experience sport at a completely different level — all while receiving the standard of hospitality they would expect from a premium venue.”
A range of memberships is planned following the opening, including corporate, family and sporting packages alongside coaching programmes.
The owners also plan to establish a youth sports academy, giving younger people opportunities to develop their skills in pool, darts and golf through structured coaching.
Pitch & Pot says it also has connections across professional sport, including figures such as Steven Gerrard, Luke Littler and Liverpool boxer Liam “Beefy” Smith, as well as personalities from pool, snooker and golf.
Businesses are already being invited to enquire about corporate memberships, sponsorship and advertising opportunities ahead of the launch.
Pitch & Pot is due to open at the rear of 72 Tulketh Street in Southport in early December 2026, with further details about its official opening, memberships and launch events to be announced.
