Everyone knows about the padel addiction rapidly enveloping large swathes of the British public.
With the Thistle Tennis Club in Edinburgh reporting a 300% membership increase since installing their Game4Padel courts, one would hope – and expect – others will follow. But courts are reportedly few and far between right now.
So where can you play?
We’ve highlighted four UK locations who are leading the way. If you live near one of these, you’re in luck.
1 Surge Padel, Harrogate
Surge Padel describes itself on its website as ‘the largest padel centre in the UK’. Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Surge Padel has six state-of-the-art indoor adidas courts, luxury changing facilities – which include GHD hair straighteners ‘to keep you looking your best off the court as well as on it’ – and a bar to unwind in after a hard match.
The onsite pro shop has racquets for hire at £5 a pop (pretty good value in our book). They also stock leading brands such as adidas, Head and Babolat, as well as own-branded merchandise, so if you want to treat yourself to some new stash, there’s plenty of choice.
Free wifi ensure that any spectators are well catered for if they fancy checking their Insta feed in between games. Snapped a decent pic? Share on #Surgestories.
Surge Padel hope that the launch of their first club will see more clubs open up across the UK. Sign up for their newsletter online and get 3 hours on-court free!
The Padel Paper says: If Carlsberg did Padel clubs…
2 Skipton Tennis Club
Skipton Tennis Club was awarded National Club of the Year in 2017-2018. Surrounded by the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, the club was derelict ten years ago but thanks to the heroic efforts of Head Coach Adam Cox, the facility was redeveloped into what you find there today. The club has a burgeoning tennis section as a result, with over 15 teams competing weekly in local leagues.
Fortunately, the club’s commitment to redevelopment didn’t stop there, and they had no hesitation in putting a padel court up at the earliest possible opportunity despite it being the biggest financial investment the club has ever made. It is now being enjoyed by many, and they hope to see their memberships bolstered further.
The court is available for booking by both members, and non-members, so you aren’t tied into a set monthly payment.
The Padel Paper says: a great case study of how padel facilities can breathe extra life into membership numbers. We love the flexible payment option
3 Island Padel
Island Padel is located on the idyllic island of Jersey. Their ethos is all about family, community, and fun achieved through playing the fantastic sport of padel. No doubt helped by the fact they have state-of-the art facilities and a bunch of coaches trained by the renowned Mauri Andrini, one of the top coaches in the world and former two-time Junior World Champion. Andini also founded the Hello Padel Academy, one of the most prestigious academies in existence, so for Island Padel to achieve his stamp of approval is no mean feat.
The coaching team run individual and group programmes, catering for all abilities from beginner to advanced. Head coach Scott Clayton reached a world ranking of 107 in tennis before converting across.
The sports-mad island is only 119 square km, so if you fancy socialising after your game, you don’t have to travel far to experience the amazing selection of restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
With superb weather, Jersey and Padel are a match made in heaven. However, the club has been careful to ensure that three of the five courts are indoor, just to make sure they can be used all year round. With the promise of more courts to com, Jersey looks set to become one of the premier destinations for Padel in the UK.
The Padel Paper says: pack your bags and pop over for a long weekend
4 Stratford Padel Club
The club recently hit headlines when it hosted possibly the biggest padel tournament which has ever taken place in the UK, attended by a number of top players.
The 5 courts sit adjacent to the bar which serves ice-cold Super Bocks and pumps out music loud enough to but not loud enough to drown out the regular ‘thwock’ of padel balls.
The bar doubles up as the pro shop which has a limited but high quality range of racquets to buy and rent. The picnic area outside ensures that on sunny days you have somewhere the sit after your match and the Argentinian food stall directly outside the entrance serves up freshly-friend empanadas to keep you going until dinner.
The club has a handy App for booking courts.
The Padel Paper says: a cool, vibrant club in an edgy East London location. If you live or work within the M25, check it out!
