Court hire per hour
Padel is priced per court per hour, not per person, and the fee is normally split between the four players. The figures below are the "from" prices published by the 107 clubs on this site that list a price, as of September 2026. Peak evenings and weekends cost more, often 30 to 50% more than the off-peak rate.
£12
Cheapest hourly rate
Off-peak, lowest listed price
£32
Typical starting price
Median of 107 clubs
£80
Highest starting price
Premium venues, before peak uplift
£8.00
Per player, per hour
At the typical rate, four players
Indoor courts command a premium: the typical starting price at indoor-only venues is £31.5 an hour against £32 at outdoor-only venues. The gap narrows in summer when outdoor courts are busy and widens in winter when they are not.
Most centres run three price bands: off-peak (weekday daytime), peak (weekday evenings from about 5pm and all weekend) and sometimes a "super off-peak" first-thing or late slot. Booking apps such as Playtomic and MATCHi show the exact price before you pay.
Prices by city
Starting prices from the clubs listed in each city, cheapest typical rate first. Click a city for every club with its price and booking link.
| City | Clubs | Cheapest from | Typical from | Highest from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padel in Bristol | 10 | £14/hr | £18/hr | £26/hr |
| Padel in Nottingham | 14 | £12/hr | £24/hr | £32/hr |
| Padel in Manchester | 32 | £15/hr | £32/hr | £42/hr |
| Padel in London | 70 | £15/hr | £35/hr | £80/hr |
"From" prices are the lowest advertised hourly rate at each club, usually off-peak. Cities with fewer than two priced clubs are not shown.
Cost per player calculator
Drag the sliders to see what a game and a regular habit actually cost each player.
Per player, per session
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Once a week, per month
£0
Once a week, per year
£0
Court fee only. Add £3 to £5 per session for racket hire and about £2 a session for balls if you buy your own.
Memberships and lessons
Most dedicated UK centres are pay-and-play with an optional membership that discounts court hire, typically by 10 to 25%, and adds perks such as advance booking windows and free americano entry. Memberships run from roughly £20 to £60 a month at pay-and-play centres. They pay for themselves at about one game a week; below that, stay casual.
Racket clubs and the big leisure chains work the other way round: padel is included in (or bolted on to) a full club membership, and non-members either cannot book or pay a guest rate. Listings on this site flag members-only venues so you can filter them out.
| Coaching | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner group session (4 to 8 people) | £10 to £20 per person | Usually includes court and racket. The best value way to learn the walls |
| Private lesson (1 to 2 people) | £45 to £80 per hour | Plus court hire at some venues |
| Americano or social tournament | £10 to £20 per person | Two hours of rotating doubles, often with a drink included |
| Box league entry | £10 to £30 per season | Court fees paid per match on top |
Kit costs
| Item | Price | Do you need it? |
|---|---|---|
| Racket hire | £3 to £5 a session, often free for beginners | Use it for your first few games |
| Beginner racket | £40 to £100 | Once you are playing regularly. Round shape, soft core |
| Intermediate to advanced racket | £100 to £350 | When you know whether you want control or power |
| Balls | £6 to £8 for a tube of three | Lasts three or four sessions. Clubs sell them at reception |
| Padel or clay-court shoes | £50 to £120 | Worth it once you are playing weekly; trainers slide on the sand |
| Overgrips, bag, wrist cord | £5 to £40 | Optional. The wrist cord comes with the racket |
A realistic first-year budget for someone playing once a week is £700 to £1,200 including court fees, a racket and shoes, which is comparable to a gym membership plus a couple of classes.
Cost to build a padel court
If you are a club, a landowner or an operator, the question is the other way round. These are indicative UK ranges for a single court in 2026, drawn from supplier price lists and published project costs; every site is different and a proper quote depends on ground conditions, access and planning.
| Element | Indicative cost per court | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Court structure (glass, steel frame, mesh, net) | £20,000 to £40,000 | Standard post courts at the bottom of the range, panoramic structural-glass courts at the top |
| Groundworks and base | £10,000 to £25,000 | Reinforced concrete or porous asphalt slab with drainage. The biggest variable: poor ground or sloping sites cost far more |
| Artificial turf and sand infill | Included or £5,000 to £8,000 | Replaced every 8 to 10 years at similar cost |
| Floodlighting | £3,000 to £8,000 | Four LED columns per court; needed for any evening play |
| Canopy or fabric roof | £30,000 to £60,000 | Turns an outdoor court into a covered one, which roughly doubles winter bookings |
| Full indoor building | £100,000 to £250,000+ | Steel-frame building with 8 m clear height, heating, lighting and changing rooms, per court on a multi-court site |
| Planning, design and surveys | £3,000 to £15,000 | Planning permission is almost always required. Noise and lighting reports are common conditions |
| Booking system, access control, CCTV | £2,000 to £10,000 | Per site rather than per court |
Put together, a single outdoor floodlit court typically lands at £40,000 to £70,000 installed, a covered court at £70,000 to £130,000, and an indoor court on a purpose-built multi-court site at £150,000 to £300,000 once the building is apportioned. Costs per court fall as the number of courts rises because the groundworks, planning and services are shared.
For the exact footprint and height requirements, see padel court dimensions.
Build cost estimator
A rough range for a new installation. Use it for a first conversation, not a business plan.
Court type
Indicative total, installed
£40,000 to £70,000
About £40,000 to £70,000 per court. Excludes land, VAT and any building beyond the court structure for outdoor and covered options.
Multi-court discounts are built in: shared groundworks, planning and services bring the per-court figure down by up to a quarter on larger sites.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to play padel in the UK? +
Court hire on the clubs listed here starts from £12 an hour off-peak and the typical starting price is £32, rising to £80 at the most expensive venues. Split four ways, an hour of padel usually costs each player £6 to £15, plus a few pounds for racket hire if you need it.
Why is padel so expensive compared with tennis? +
A padel court costs tens of thousands of pounds to build and takes up prime land or indoor space, and most UK courts are run by commercial operators rather than councils or volunteer clubs. Prices are set per court per hour, so with four players sharing the fee it is often cheaper per person than a coached tennis session.
Is indoor padel more expensive than outdoor? +
On the clubs listed here the typical starting price at indoor-only venues is £31.5 an hour against £32 at outdoor-only venues. Indoor courts cost more to build and heat, and they are the ones that do not get rained off.
How much does a padel court cost to build in the UK? +
A single outdoor court typically costs £40,000 to £70,000 installed, including the base, court structure, turf and lighting. Covering it with a canopy adds roughly £30,000 to £60,000. A fully indoor court inside a new building is a different scale of project, usually £150,000 or more per court once the building is included. All figures depend heavily on site conditions and planning.
Do you need planning permission for a padel court? +
Almost always, yes. A padel court is a permanent structure with 3 to 4 metre walls and floodlights, and in the UK it will normally need full planning permission. Noise from the glass and the lights are the two objections planners look at most closely.
How much does a padel racket cost? +
Beginner rackets cost £40 to £100, intermediate rackets £100 to £200 and professional models £200 to £350 or more. Most clubs hire rackets for £3 to £5, and beginner sessions usually include one.