Andrew Simister (left), organiser of the upcoming Inclusive Padel Tour UK Series, tells The Padel Paper that many of Britain’s clubs are still not upholding their responsibilities on inclusion.
Last year, I wrote an article for The Padel Paper asking whether padel clubs in the UK were truly accessible to everyone. Almost a year on, it is worth asking the same question: has anything changed?
In my view, the situation has actually worsened.
Padel operators are opening new clubs at an astonishing rate, yet many appear to be disregarding the requirements of Part M building regulations and, in doing so, excluding disabled players from participating in the sport. Accessibility is too often treated as an afterthought rather than a fundamental requirement.
How has it become acceptable for a brand-new sports facility, open to the public, to be built without an accessible toilet? Within a ten-mile radius of my home, I can name at least three clubs that provide toilets for the able-bodied, but none for the disabled.
I recently visited a newly opened club and was proudly shown around by a member of staff. They enthusiastically highlighted the coffee shop, Pilates studio, saunas and ice baths. Yet for many disabled people, these impressive facilities might as well not exist. There was no accessible toilet, all of the additional amenities, except the coffee shop, were located on the first floor, and of course there was no lift.
‘Disabled people play padel!’
Disabled people use toilets. Disabled people want to enjoy cafés, wellness facilities and social spaces. Most importantly, disabled people play padel.
If anyone doubts that, they only need to look at the Inclusive Padel Tour, where players with a wide range of disabilities compete at an exceptionally high level. The question, therefore, is not whether disabled people can play padel; it is whether the industry genuinely wants them to be part of its future.
Whenever I hear that a new club is opening, I contact the operators to ask about accessibility: blue-badge parking, accessible toilets and showers, step-free access, and access to upper floors. The response rate has been disappointing.
I am not sending these emails to criticise or embarrass operators. I am trying to build a directory of genuinely accessible clubs so that disabled players do not arrive expecting to enjoy the sport, only to discover that they cannot enter the building unassisted, access the courts independently, or even use the toilet. No one should have to experience that humiliation in 2026.
Recently, I challenged a major health club chain that spent £5 million refurbishing the club I attend, only to leave me needing assistance to enter the spa retreat. To their credit, after I raised concerns that the doorway to the only “accessible shower” had been narrowed to the point where I damaged either my knuckles and wheel rims, they widened it. It took four months, but the problem was eventually addressed.
Through the Inclusive Padel Tour, my colleagues and I have repeatedly offered to contribute to podcasts, forums and discussions on court and club design. We have found willing allies among architects and a handful of forward-thinking clubs, but the wider industry response has been disappointing.
The truth is that this should not be a battle that disabled athletes are still fighting in 2026.
Padel prides itself on being inclusive, social and accessible. Those values mean very little if disabled players are unable to enter the building, use the facilities or participate with dignity. Accessibility is not a luxury, an optional extra or a box to tick at the end of a construction project. It is a legal obligation and, more importantly, a moral one.
The growth of padel in the UK presents an opportunity to build a sport that genuinely welcomes everyone. The question is whether the industry is prepared to seize that opportunity—or whether disabled people will continue to be left outside looking in.
