Padel courts now open at Shobnall Leisure Complex

Three brand-new padel courts at Shobnall Leisure Complex have officially opened.

The £85,000 investment was joint-funded by award-winning centre operator Everyone Active and East Staffordshire Borough Council.

The state-of-the-art padel facilities replaced three of the six concrete tennis courts, meaning both activities now have three courts each.

Alongside two grass tennis courts, the facility now provides multiple forms of racquet sports on a variety of surfaces.

Padel, one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, is played with racquets mostly in a doubles format and combines elements of tennis and squash. The same scoring system as tennis is used, but padel is played with different racquets and lower-pressure balls.

Originating in Mexico, the sport is now booming in the UK, with more than 400,000 people playing in 2025, up from just 15,000 in 2019. In addition, the number of courts has grown from just 87 in 2020 to more than 1,000 nationwide.

People can book their slot at Shobnall Leisure Complex using the Everyone app or website, or by contacting the centre on 01283 372970.

Dan Mclean, Everyone Active’s area contract manager, said: “We’re incredibly excited to add further variety to the fantastic facilities at Shobnall Leisure Complex, by officially opening a space where the local community can play padel.

“This fun, social and easy-to-learn sport offers the chance for people of all ages and abilities to get active, improving their physical health and mental well-being.

“We would urge anyone new to padel to give it a go and we are confident they will quickly be hooked on this fast-growing sport.”

Cllr Paul Walker, Cabinet Member for Tourism and Cultural Development, said: “The three new padel courts will be an exciting addition to the fantastic facilities at Shobnall Leisure Complex, offering an opportunity to take part in one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK.

“It’s great to see our facilities constantly adapting to community demand and benefitting people of all ages and abilities. I would encourage people to get themselves down and give this sport a try.”