Padel Courts

S&C Slatter work with trusted partners to deliver stunning, high quality, UK-manufactured padel courts for the world’s fastest growing sport.

Read on to learn more about the up-and-coming racket sport or contact us to discuss your needs.

Padel court construction

With more than 30 years’ experience in sports construction, we’ve proudly designed, built and maintained thousands of sports facilities across the UK.

Whether it be for age old favourites such as tennis and rugby or innovative new sports such as padel, we combine heritage with innovation to deliver top performing, safe and durable sports facilities.

Working with proven partners such as PRO Padel Courts, the premier UK manufacturer of padel courts, we construct padel courts designed for your performance and budgetary needs.

PRO Padel Courts are the only padel courts manufactured here in the UK, designed specifically for the UK’s climate. Using British steel and glass, courts are finished with unique zinc weatherproofing and come complete with a 10-year warranty against rust and corrosion.

Call or email us for an informal chat about your new padel court.

Panoramic Padel Court

How to build a padel court

There are ten key stages in the construction of a padel court.

1. Design and planning
Padel courts, although relatively small, will require planning permission, whether new-build or change of use. Concept designs and specifications will be used in the planning process, and once planning is granted these will inform the technical drawings required for construction.

2. Environmental considerations
This stage will capture elements of the design that can mitigate the impact of your padel court, such as eco-friendly options for your artificial surface, water run-off management and overspill from any floodlighting.

3. Health and safety
Here the necessary plans will be put in place to ensure a safe and effective construction site that meets all legislative requirements and safety best practices.

4. Earthworks
Expertly prepared foundations are vital to ensure the integrity, performance and safety of your padel court.

5. Drainage
Here, the specified drainage system will be installed to ensure that the surface of the court is suitable for all-weather play.

6. Sub-base and base
The base system will be constructed with carefully chosen materials supporting the performance and effective drainage of the court.

7. Concrete perimeter ring beam
A perimeter reinforced concrete ring beam is designed by a structural engineer to ensure the structural integrity of the court, and is where the supporting posts or framed panels are affixed with base plates.

8. Surrounding enclosure and rebound walls
A padel court is constructed using mesh and glass panels to enclose the playing area and provides an opportunity to play the ball off the surrounding enclosure.

9. Padel court surface
The padel court surface utilises sand-dressed artificial turf which will be designed to provide you with optimum playing performance and durability.

10. Ancillary equipment
This includes appropriate court nets, equipment and floodlighting – as well as any project specific requirements in support of the padel court, such as access pathways, car parks or sports buildings.

What is padel?

Invented in Mexico in the late 60s, padel – also known as ‘padel tennis’ - is a racket sport that has been rapidly growing over the past decade, with 12 million players worldwide.

The point system is exactly the same as tennis, however the rules differ slightly. The main difference is the walls of the court, built with glass, that are used as part of the game. Players can play the ball off the walls, bringing in elements of squash to the game.

Sociable, fun and easy to play, padel has been integrated into the LTA, who recognise the potential of the fast-growing sport – both as a standalone sport and as a way to attract and retain more members to tennis clubs.

Contact our team to discuss how padel could be suitable for your needs.

Panoramic Padel Court

How much does it cost to build a padel court?

The average cost for a new build padel court is usually in the region of £55,000 - £80,000. Taking into consideration the breadth of groundworks, court specification and ancillary requirements, the cost varies, as with any sports construction project, on a number of factors.

These factors include:
- Scope of groundworks required
- Number of courts required
- Required base, sub-base and drainage system
- Chosen artificial turf surface
- Environmental mitigation methods
- Floodlighting, fencing and equipment requirements

Beyond the construction of the padel court itself, additional work may be needed in the form of ancillary equipment and civil engineering. This can include elements such as access pathways, hard standings, roadways and car parks, which you may wish to factor into your overall project costs.

Please get in touch if you’d like an example of a detailed breakdown of project costs, or a quote based on your requirements.

How long does it take to build a padel court?

The longest part of the process, as with most construction projects, will be taking the padel court through the design and planning stage.

After planning permission is granted, a construction programme will be agreed with you. The typical length of time on-site to construct a new padel court is between 6-8 weeks.

Padel Court with Pillars

What funding is available for padel?

The LTA offers a Quick Access Loan Scheme, providing interest free loans from £25,000 to £250,000 for eligible organisations to fund tennis and padel facilities.

For organisations who aren’t eligible, private funding options may be available, such as operating leases or hire purchase agreements. We work exclusively with Buckingham Leasing to offer competitive funding solutions for sports facilities.

What’s the benefit of padel over tennis?

Padel courts are 25% smaller than a traditional tennis courts, meaning less space is required for construction. This means it's easier to integrate padel into smaller spaces to maximise under-utilised areas for sport.

A social sport, padel is most commonly played in the doubles format, again maximising the usage of space while enhancing revenue potential from court hire.

Padel is a more accessible sport than tennis, easy to pick up and play for players of all ages and abilities. Growing in popularity, padel is becoming increasingly attractive to leisure centres, tennis clubs and schools for its revenue potential and as a way to encourage participation in sport.

How long does a padel court last for?

The life cycle of an expertly built and properly maintained padel court can be up to 20 years.

Imported courts, designed for the warmer, drier climates of mainland Europe, can however suffer issues such as peeling, corrosion and rust on UK soil when dealing with our harsher weather.

PRO Padel Courts are the only manufacturer who produce padel courts in the UK for use in the UK, with courts designed specifically to withstand Britain’s climate, using British steel and glass with a unique zinc weatherproofing.

For your peace of mind, PRO Padel Courts offer a 10-year guarantee on the steel structure of the court, with a 5-year warranty on the glass and 2-year warranty on the artificial grass surface.

How do you maintain a padel court?

Padel courts feature sand-dressed artificial turf playing surfaces, which are also commonly used for hockey pitches, Gen 2 pitches and multi-use games areas.

As with all sand-dressed synthetic surfaces, it’s crucial to regularly maintain your padel surface to maximise its performance, safety and lifespan.

Sand-dressed artificial turf maintenance can include brushing, decompaction, infill management and the removal of debris. Other areas of a padel court that require maintenance include the surrounding structure, such as tightening the bolts on the glass panels.

Get in touch with our Maintenance Division to find out more about padel maintenance or to discuss your court maintenance needs.

Are padel courts LTA approved?

The LTA became the national governing body for padel in November 2020 and is looking to have 400 padel courts in place across Great Britain by 2023 (the current number is 107).

Find out more about their development plan here and court datasheet here.

Padel courts constructed by S&C Slatter

S&C Slatter partner with leading padel court manufacturers to design and construct quality padel courts in the UK.

Our in-house civil engineering team are experts in creating quality sub-bases, bases and drainage systems, utilising our artificial turf partners FieldTurf for cutting edge synthetic surfaces.

If you have any further questions on padel, or would like to arrange a free site visit to discuss your new court, please get in touch.

For more information call 01635 34521 or email enquiries@slattersportsconstruction.com