City’s first covered padel courts open at Withdean

Racket sport players will be spoilt for choice as three new covered padel courts have opened at Withdean Sports Complex.

The courts have been built and will be operated by Game4Padel, the UK’s largest padel club developer/operator in conjunction with the council and the council’s Withdean leisure operating partner Freedom Leisure.

The new facility complements the popular padel courts at Hove Beach Park, also run by Game4Padel, providing opportunities for players north and south of the city.

The new covered courts feature a state-of-the-art canopy to allow play all year round and will be floodlit for evening use. There will also be a staffed padel reception selling and hiring rackets, balls and other items. To celebrate the opening, a 50% discount on courts will be available for the first month.

Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet Member for Sport and Recreation, said: “We are delighted to be opening these three new permanent padel courts at Withdean, to help meet demand for this popular and fast-growing sport.

“As a major sporting city, we are keen to provide opportunities for residents to participate in a wide range of activities at our leisure facilities and to take up new sports.

“Who knows, in future years we may be celebrating our own home grown Padel champions!”

The courts are expected to be hugely popular with the Withdean community and beyond, as demand for padel in the city continues to grow.

A single previous temporary court at Withdean, operated for Game4Padel until May 2024, ran at an average of 90% occupancy, and the highly successful padel and tennis facilities at Hove Beach Park with the padel courts at 97% occupancy throughout the Summer.

Michael Gradon, CEO of Game4Padel, commented: “We are thrilled to be expanding our footprint in Brighton with these three new premium covered courts. The incredible demand we’ve seen at both Withdean and our Hove Beach Park site proves that this city is a true hotspot for padel.

“There are now reportedly one million padel players in the UK so this sport is continuing its exciting trajectory and facilities like this will help to make it more accessible to even more people.”

Jason Musk, Freedom Leisure Area Manager added: “We’re delighted to be working with Game4Padel and the council on this exciting new addition to the already outstanding Withdean facilities.”

The padel courts also add to the existing facilities at Withdean which include small sided 3G football pitches, squash, tennis, a gym, Level Up soft play, a climbing wall and an athletics track.

Plans for a new community swimming pool have also been approved with work due to start later this year.