The world's fastest-growing sport is coming to Stratford Leisure Centre, with work poised to begin on the installation of three padel courts.  

Everyone Active is partnering with padel centre operator PadelStars to construct the courts at the centre, which is run by award-winning operator Everyone Active and Stratford-on-Avon District Council.  

The new padel courts will sit next to the existing outdoor courts, replacing the 2G Multi-Use Games Area. Customers will have access to three football courts and three padel courts by the end of the project. There will be two doubles courts for padel and one singles court.  

Construction begins toward the end of May, with courts for matches and training expected to open by June.

Padel is a racquet sport mainly played in a doubles format that combines elements of tennis and squash.

Originating in Mexico, the sport is now booming in the UK, with more than 850,000 people playing in 2025, up from just 15,000 in 2019, and the number of courts growing from just 87 in 2020 to now more than 1,500 nationwide.

Padel uses the same scoring system as tennis but is played with different racquets and lower pressure balls.

Richard Bell, area contract manager at Everyone Active, said: "We're incredibly excited to add to the fantastic facilities at Stratford Leisure Centre and offer space for the local Padel community to play.

"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. We are confident they will quickly be hooked on this fast-growing sport."

Julie Lewis, Head of Environmental and Neighbourhood Services, said: "We're delighted to see padel coming to Stratford Leisure Centre as part of our continued investment in high-quality, accessible sporting facilities for local people.

"Padel's popularity is growing rapidly, and this project demonstrates how working in partnership with Everyone Active and PadelStars allows us to respond to emerging trends and expand the range of activities available to local people."

Andy Knee, CEO of PadelStars said: "We're thrilled to be working with Everyone Active to bring padel tennis to the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon. If you've not yet tried padel tennis you're in for a treat - it's so easy to learn, highly sociable, great exercise, a lot of fun. If you've already played then chances are you're already hooked! Padel is a sport that we know people in Stratford-upon-Avon are really going to take to, we can't wait to see them on court."