Soul Padel are set to build the first padel facility at a Scottish league football ground by teaming up with Championship club Ayr United.
Proposals submitted to South Ayrshire Council feature four padel courts integrated into the Railway End of Ayr United’s Somerset Park ground (at the top of the above picture).
If approved, the padel facility will form part of the club’s wider redevelopment plans, which include a new training pitch, gym and expanded parking.
The padel facility is designed to complement and enhance the stadium campus, contributing to year-round use.
Nottingham Padel Centre, situated at Notts County’s Meadow Lane, was the first example of a padel club at a British league football ground. Mansfield Town later followed suit when World Padel Academy took up residence at their Field Mill home. Ayr United are the first league club to adopt the model north of the border.
Integrating padel at a league football club has many advantages:
- A built-in audience of season ticket holders, academy families, hospitality guests and community programme participants create an established base.
- Football supporters are competitive, team-oriented and familiar with club environments, aligning naturally with padel’s doubles format.
- A strong crossover between football audiences and padel’s core growth demographic, particularly within the 20–45 age bracket. Both sports appeal to socially competitive players, corporate groups and friendship networks.
- Pre-existing infrastructure including parking, lighting, catering facilities and strong brand visibility
All these combinations make the model operationally efficient and commercially sustainable, while strengthening the club’s year-round relevance.
Soul Padel will design, deliver and operate the Somerset Park facility under its established brand. The courts will be open to the public, while also forming part of the club’s wider sporting ecosystem.
Discussions are ongoing regarding structured access for players and staff as part of training and wellbeing initiatives.
“Our intention is to introduce a sustainable, community-focused model in Scotland that reflects that natural crossover between football and padel and integrates padel meaningfully within a professional club environment,” said a Soul Padel statement to The Padel Paper.
Many of the programmes that have proved successful at Soul Padel’s existing sites in Stockport, Loughborough, St Helens and Braehead (Glasgow) will be replicated at the Somerset Park site, once planning is approved.
These include:
● Soul Sisters: Women’s social sessions focused on accessibility
● Soul Timers: Social and competitive sessions specifically designed for the over 50s
● Soul Mates: Soul Padel’s loyalty and rewards programme
● Junior and adult coaching programmes supported by Soul Padel’s Technical Director, David Garrido Garcia
● Competitive leagues and graded matchplay including Soul Circuit and Americanos
● What’s That Racket? Free court access for local schools
● Potential joint football and padel holiday camps
Soul Padel’s long-term partnership with Ayr United is similar to its model at Loughborough University, where court access and programmes are balanced between students, university staff and the wider community. Each group plays a role in building a sustainable, inclusive sporting environment.
Soul Padel’s experience managing that balance sensitively and successfully is directly transferable to the Ayr United project, where club stakeholders, fans and the wider public will all be important to the venue’s long-term success.
