Embrace padel with new covered courts, pensioners told
A network of 40 covered community sports centres will be rolled out across the UK by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in an attempt to encourage people of all ages to play a form of tennis.
The move is being backed by Paul Farmer, the chief executive of Age UK, who has described padel as 'a simple and easy format that can provide older people with opportunities to get and stay active'.
The initiative comes after there were more Britons in the Wimbledon singles draw this year than any year since 1984, and on the first day of the championships on June 30, Britons won more singles matches in a day than at any time in the Open Era.
Data from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) shows Britain is at the forefront of the global rise in tennis participation and has the highest percentage of population playing tennis of any of the 199 nations who contributed to their report.
In April 2025, adult annual participation was at 5.8 million adults playing at least once a year, up by 51 per cent since January 2019. Back then, padel participation was at 6,000 but this has climbed to about 400,000 annual players today.
Fans of the sport include the Hollywood star Eva Longoria, who has said she is 'addicted' to padel and is the co-owner of a team, Eleven Eleven. David Beckham is another celebrity fan of padel.
There were just 50 padel courts six years ago but now there are more than 1,000 across the UK. However, there is a lack of covered tennis courts in Britain compared with the rest of Europe. France has six times as many as us, with a roughly similar population and preferable weather.
The new hubs, which will use new light-weight all-weather lit canopy structures that allow courts to be covered easily, will be positioned in some of the areas with the highest levels of obesity and inactivity across Britain.
They are expected to offer free community sessions, specific activity sessions for inactive groups, including pensioners, and other classes such as female-only and disability tennis sessions, as well as being able to be booked by members of the public.
The sites could also be able to be used for basketball, netball or other sports all under one roof, whatever the weather.
It is hoped the new facilities would also help to inspire the next generation of children to take up a sport.
The £80m project will be funded by the Government, the LTA's charitable arm – the LTA Tennis Foundation, and local authorities, including through the opportunity to unlock money from property developers, and other partners.
In the spending review, the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) received £400m for sports facilities capital spending over the next four years, of which the LTA is bidding for £60m. The proposal would complement existing Government investment into football pitches, which doesn't cover courts or court-based sports.
Mr Farmer has written to the DCMS urging Labour to back the project, 'to further grow opportunities for older people to be active and participate', saying: 'Expanding access to year-round tennis facilities is vital.'
The charity already runs a Walking Tennis programme, in partnership with the LTA encouraging older adults to stay active.
Mr Farmer added: 'In those locations where we run the programme outdoors, we have witnessed a very significant drop-off in participation in the autumn and winter months.
'This would also grow opportunities for older people to participate in padel by expanding affordable community provision.
'Padel is a simple and easy format that can provide older people with opportunities to get and stay active, but public facilities are crucial to ensuring that these benefits are accessible to all.'
Parkinson's UK also urged the DCMS to back the project.
In May, then British No 1s Jack Draper and Katie Boulter, alongside wheelchair tennis champions Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid, and Lucy Shuker, urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to invest more in tennis.
Pointing out the 'huge strides' British players had made in recent years, it read: 'Too many places around the country still do not have access to high quality community sports facilities.
'A new national network of community accessible covered tennis, padel and multi-sport hubs would support year-round play, and grow participation, particularly among underserved communities and disabled people.'
Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray also backed the plans earlier in summer, saying: 'It is essential in this country for the winter months, because the weather is not great, particularly up north.
'It's tough. It's not easy to go out and want to run around when it's freezing cold and raining. So more covered courts will make a big difference.'
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