26 October 2026Reading time: 5 min
Padel is easy to start, but the glass walls give it a twist that can catch new players out. The good news is that you don’t need a tennis background, a powerful serve or a bag full of specialist kit. Learn a few simple rules, share the court with three other people and you can be rallying within minutes. Here’s what to expect from your first game.
20 October 2026Reading time: 5 min
Britain had 69 padel courts when the LTA took over the sport in 2020. By May this year it had 1,825, spread across 551 venues, and the governing body announced that a million people now play. Court numbers more than doubled in under 18 months. Figures like these make good headlines, but they also raise an awkward question about how long the building can continue.
16 August 2026Reading time: 8 min
Buying your first padel racket can be surprisingly confusing. Walk into a shop or browse online and you are immediately faced with round, teardrop and diamond shapes, different weights, balance points, EVA densities and carbon finishes. The good news is that beginners do not need to understand every specification. A handful of features matter far more than the rest.
7 August 2026Reading time: 6 min
At Premier Padel's London tournament this week, the real action often seemed to be happening off court. Around the venue, racket brands, kit sellers and equipment stalls were doing brisk business, with hundreds of players and enthusiasts browsing grips, frames and court deals. Inside the arenas, though, some of the sport's biggest names played in front of noticeably empty seats.
5 August 2026Reading time: 5 min
Padel has gone from a niche racquet sport to one of the fastest-growing activities in Britain. New courts are appearing in city centres, leisure clubs, converted industrial buildings and even on the roofs of shopping centres. With celebrity backing, growing media coverage and major international tournaments arriving in London , the sport has clearly entered the mainstream.
24 July 2026Reading time: 4 min
Padel is booming, and that's not really news anymore. What is news, or at least what should be, is the gap opening up between how fast people want to play and how fast anyone is building courts for them to play on. Ask around at any club on a Tuesday evening and you'll hear the same complaint. Booking slots vanish within seconds of release. The sport's growth is starting to strangle itself.
19 July 2026Reading time: 5 min
Padel has stopped being a curiosity and started being an investment case. Court operators, private equity firms and even football clubs are now pouring money into a sport that barely registered in the UK five years ago. The numbers behind that shift are worth taking seriously, because they explain why the boom looks far from finished.
6 July 2026Reading time: 4 min
Padel looks simple from the sidelines. Two pairs, a smaller court, a bit of glass at the back. Then you step on court for the first time and nothing goes where you expect. These nine tips come from what actually trips beginners up, not from a textbook.