David Lloyd Clubs has laid claim to the title of ‘UK’s largest operator of padel’ following the recent roll-out of padel courts across its venues.
The health and wellness group now has 84 padel courts across its estate of 33 David Lloyd clubs in the UK (and 166 courts across 47 clubs in total across Europe).
It plans to have over 220 courts, adding a further 19 clubs to its padel programme by the end of this year, with over 100 clubs operating padel when the rollout completes.
The number of members playing padel has risen from 3,300 monthly players in April 2023 to over 18,100 in April 2025 and continues to grow at pace.
These UK numbers mean David Lloyd Clubs has overtaken the next biggest UK operator, Game4Padel, which has around 55 courts in the UK (and 74 internationally), all of which are open to the public.
David Lloyd Clubs, which has a strong heritage in racket sports, has been offering padel in a number of its Spanish and Italian clubs for years, and is ensuring as many members as possible in the UK have access to padel facilities.
Simon Pearson, group racquets manager at David Lloyd Clubs commented; “As racquet sports sit at the heart of our heritage, and with the club environment offering so much more than just a game, we’re perfectly placed to grow padel in the UK and beyond. We see padel not only as a sport but as an extension of our broader lifestyle offering – fun, inclusive, and social.”
The majority of David Lloyd’s padel courts are outdoors played on all-weather courts, and accompanied by dedicated outdoor clubroom areas.
