Great Britain reaches 1,000 padel courts as sport booms
Great Britain now has over 1,000 padel courts as the racket sport booms in popularity across the capital and beyond.
The news comes as the sport looks to make a case for Olympic inclusion, while a Ryder Cup of padel is scheduled for 2026.
London and the south east enjoy nearly a third of the 1,004 padel courts in the UK while the south and south west, north and east midlands, north and west midlands and central and east all enjoy over 100 apiece.
Scotland has just 45 courts while Wales has fewer, with 34.
Padel boom
Tom Murray, the Lawn Tennis Association’s head of padel, said: “It’s great news that we’ve reached the milestone of 1,000 padel courts in Great Britain and shows how rapidly the sport is growing across the whole country.
“We now want to focus on the sustained development of the sport, opening it up to more and different people. As well as maintaining our focus on padel infrastructure, key focus points going forward include growing and diversifying the padel coaching workforce, and implementing a performance pathway that supports current British players whilst also paving the way for the next generation.
“It’s an exciting time for padel and the perfect time for people of all ages and abilities to pick up a racket and enjoy the sport.”
The LTA and LTA Tennis Foundation has reportedly invested more than £6m in the growth of padel across Britain, while it has helped fund the development of around 10 per cent of all national courts.
Morning Wire understands, too, that the LTA is in talks with a number of potential host sites, including private schools, for new courts.
Courts in the capital are spread across the city, from Regent’s Park to Canary Wharf, Battersea Power Station to Turnham Green – with uptake impressive despite the cost associated with renting a court.