As padel experiences a meteoric rise in popularity and facilities across the city become harder to book, plans have been submitted to create four new courts for public use on the University of Salford’s main campus.
860,000 Britons played padel at least once during 2025 as the racket sport combining elements of tennis and squash within a smaller enclosed court continued its rapid ascent from niche hobby to popular sport, according to LTA figures.
Amid rising demand for facilities across the country, Soul Padel, a company which converts underused land into padel courts and benefits from the growth of the sport by cashing in on £30-per-hour bookings, has submitted plans to build four courts on the University’s Wallness Lane land.
The organisation currently operates a padel club across St Helens, where an hour-long match will cost roughly £30, Stockport, where court prices vary from £24 to £40 an hour across six courts, Loughborough University and Braehead in Glasgow.
Sporty Salford residents who enjoy the racket sport may recognise the style of clubs that have been appearing across the North West. Alongside the four courts, the proposed site would feature a converted shipping container providing a toilet, seating area, coffee station and locker storage.
Eleven parking spaces would be provided for users of the facility.
The organisation currently operates a padel club across St Helens, where an hour-long match will cost roughly £30, Stockport, where court prices vary from £24 to £40 an hour across six courts, Loughborough University and Braehead in Glasgow.
Mark Wantling, Chief Infrastructure Officer at the University, said: “Our Padel courts plan is the first step in a major overhaul of our campus sports facilities – so it’s great to know the application has been validated today.
“We are in the middle of a transformation of many parts of our estate with our partners, especially around the Crescent area, and we’ll be announcing more about this over the next few months. The Padel courts, if planning is granted, will create a brilliant facility for our students to use as well as colleagues, plus local schools and other community organisations to access.”
Mark Hewlett, Founder and CEO of Soul Padel, said: “It’s great to be working with the University of Salford on this and to see the project progressing. We’re building something that’s centred around community and we can’t wait to welcome people onto the courts to meet, play and connect.”
