Biggest padel club in the north to open at Trafford City

Plans to create the biggest and most sustainable padel facility in the north of England have been approved by Trafford Council.

The new state-of-the-art 1.5-acre development at Trafford City will be another location for The Padel Club, which opened in Wilmslow in 2022.

It will be a major new hub for health, sport, and socialising with 11 purpose-built and high specification courts, of which nine will be covered and two will be open air. The onsite clubhouse will serve as a hub for relaxation and socialising, offering retail spaces, dining options, and shower facilities.

The approved plans also include a dedicated fitness and conditioning area, providing future players and members opportunities to improve their fitness levels and enhance their on-court performance.

Construction of the £2.5m club at Trafford City will take place this summer and is expected to be open by the end of the year.

The Padel Club in Wilmslow opened with two purpose-built courts at the venue and now has four. The club is expected to expand by a further four covered courts and a club house in the coming months.

So what is padel and how do you play it?

Padel is often described as a mix between tennis and squash. Played mainly as doubles, it’s suitable for anyone to play and it’s easy to learn the basics.

Scoring is the same as tennis – but that’s where a lot of the similarities end. To play padel, all you need is a partner, some basic equipment, and a court – and that’s where The Padel Club comes in.

Padel requires two teams of two players (doubles) and is played on what looks like a smaller tennis court with a net dividing both sides and glass walls surrounding it. You can play the ball off the walls to try and win the point.

The aim is to score more points than the opposing team. Points are won if the ball bounces twice, the ball strikes any player, or the ball hits the wall or fixture before going over the net, or into the opponents’ half of the court.

Kristopher Ball, The Padel Club’s founder and  CEO, has been working on bringing padel to the UK since 2020 with the mission of getting people playing a fun, active and social sport that everyone can participate in.

Former Man United footballer Ryan Giggs is a fan.

“The Padel Club is a brilliant place to be,” he said. “Padel is fast becoming everyone’s new sport to play. I started playing with a couple of friends, including Nicky Butt, and I can’t get enough. I’m back on court pretty much every day, if I can.

Competitive and social

“I’ve played a couple of tournaments at The Padel Club, it’s been competitive and social. Meeting new players and challenging each other to play better. It’ll be even better when the Trafford City club is built.”

James Whittaker, executive director of Peel Waters, the regeneration specialists developing the wider TraffordCity destination, said: “We are excited that Trafford City will now be the home of the biggest padel facility in the north to further enhance the unparalleled choice of sport and wellbeing available. The facility will deliver new jobs, grow our local visitor economy and create a must visit destination for padel fans whilst inspiring a new generation of padel players and fans within our local community.”