A 45,000 sq ft building is to become the second padel facility in Huddersfield – 14 and a half years after Britain’s first ever courts opened in the West Yorkshire town.
The Padel Shed is to open later this year at a vacant former indoor football venue on the Tandem Industrial Estate in the Waterloo area of the town. The building will undergo a £1.5 million refurbishment and will feature nine courts and café bar.
Back in April 2011, two outdoor canopied courts installed at Huddersfield Lawn Tennis & Squash Club were the first ever publicly available padel courts in the UK.
They were the brainchild of then-club chairman Peter Vann, known as the Godfather of British Padel. You can read our interview with Peter, written by the late, great RJ Mitchell, here.
Nearly 15 years on from the seminal moment of padel’s introduction to an unsuspecting British public, the denizens of Huddersfield are to get an alternative place to play.
Padel Shed’s courts will be competition standard and open to everyone. Limited memberships are on sale now but pay-and-play court hire will be available, along with expert coaching.
An internal strip out of the building is underway and work is planned on the roof and exterior before a complete internal refit. There will also be improvements made to the car park.
Jack Williams, a consultant at Padel Shed, said: “Padel is a really fun sport that gives a great aerobic workout too and anyone can play it. This is an exciting new facility for Huddersfield and the centre should be ready to open later in 2025.”
