Work on new padel courts at Kettering Leisure Village to begin this week

Plans were submitted in late 2025 to convert the existing outdoor volleyball courts, which were installed after the London 2012 Olympic Games and are currently not in use. Now Arena Sports, which forms part of Kettering Leisure Village, has announced work will begin on September 9.

An Arena Sports Kettering spokesman said: “Padel is coming to Kettering!

“We’re excited to announce that padel is coming to Kettering Leisure Village. Work on our brand new padel facilities will officially commence on September 9, with the project expected to be completed this winter.

“We’ll be welcoming three covered padel courts, giving our local community a fantastic new way to get active, have fun and play together.”

The courts would form Kettering Padel Club, with existing sports facilities on site including numerous indoor courts for indoor football, futsal, badminton, short tennis and netball.

Courts will be covered by a single sport canopy to provide all round shelter from the weather and allowing year-round use, and contain balls during play.

Padel is a fast-growing sport, which mimics doubles tennis in its format, albeit on a smaller, enclosed court akin to squash. In 2025, the sport saw the number of active players has surpassed 35 million globally, with a 16.1per cent increase in clubs, a 15.2 per cent rise in court space, according to its governing body, the International Padel Federation.

Plans indicate the courts at Kettering Leisure Village will be available for use by members of the existing sports facility and members of the public on a ‘pay and play’ basis at ‘affordable’ prices.

Elsewhere in the county, facilities have been popping up at a rapid pace, including PlayPadel at Grendon Hall and Overstone Padel in Holcot Lane, as well as ongoing applications for a new padel court at the Old Grammarians sports field in Wellingborough and Oundle School.