Published on 1st July 2025

Padel is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with David Beckham and French President Emmanuel Macron amongst its fans. AAH visited Henfield Leisure Centre, where two purpose-built courts have opened, to find out more…

 A little about padel…

Padel is a relatively recent invention, reputedly born when a wealthy couple created a rudimentary version of the game and built a court at their home in Acapulco, Mexico. It is a racquet sport that has similarities to tennis, in that players stand on either side of a court divided by a net. It adopts the tennis scoring system too. However, courts are enclosed by walls, which players can use to return the ball, much like in squash.

Dan West, Padel Coach at Henfield, said: ‘While it incorporates aspects of squash and tennis, padel is a slower game, which helps with playability. The balls look like tennis balls, but are softer and slightly smaller, so they cannot be hit as quickly. Solid racquets without strings are used too, to limit the velocity of shots, and players serve underarm, which encourages longer rallies and makes it a great game for people of all ages.’

The courts at Henfield…

Padel can be played as a singles game, with courts that are 20m long and 6m wide, surrounded by a wall 4m high. However, the doubles version of the game is more popular, and the two courts built at Henfield are both designed for pairs. The courts have the same length but are 10m wide, with walls made of toughened glass to withstand the impact of balls. Although the courts have been built outside, they are covered with a roof and include lighting, so they can be used throughout the year.  

Simon Thompson, Manager of Henfield Leisure Centre, said: ‘We worked with Padel Tech, the UK’s premier padel court provider, on the design and build. Padel courts require a certain grade of artificial grass that gives both good bounce and grip. One of the great things about padel is that you can knock the ball around the court easily, which encourages players of all ages and abilities, which isn’t so easy to do with tennis. So, we’ve had people over the age of 80 on the court, enjoying the game, and have racquets and balls that we’re happy to lend to new players. At the same time, padel can be extremely competitive and players often work up a real sweat as they charge around the court.’ 

A gentle introduction…

To encourage people to try the game, the coaches have already provided 300 hours of free tuition. Those booking a court for the first time still benefit from free guidance from padel coach Dan, as part of an introductory offer. Dan first played the game when a friend’s family built a court at their holiday home in Spain. As a proficient squash player and coach, Dan took to the game quickly and soon rose through the ranks to become captain of Sussex. When Henfield Leisure Centre needed someone to run its new courts, he answered the call.  

Dan said: ‘Although it’s difficult to be very good at padel, it is relatively easy to learn the fundamentals of the game. In recent years, padel’s popularity has boomed. Lockdown helped as people sought outside activities and ever since then, courts have been popping up. However, many of them are at private health and sports clubs and we offer a more affordable option. We have also been encouraging mixed sessions, with seven or eight players rotating on the court, so they can meet people while learning a new game. This has encouraged smaller groups to form amongst players of a similar ability. So, now we run mixed sessions for beginners, immediate and advanced players, as well as offering individual coaching to help people focus on a particular shot.’

Heart of the Community…

The leisure centre first opened in 1990, when it was known as Henfield and District Sports Association. Rather than being operated by a specialist enterprise, which manages the facilities in partnership with a local authority, Henfield is run by a committee of trustees comprised entirely of volunteers from the community. In 2014, the trustees decided to transform it into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and renamed it Henfield Leisure Centre. As a CIO, the centre is able to recognise the needs of the community and swiftly implement changes to its facilities. 

Simon Thompson said: ‘That is one advantage of being a CIO. If there’s demand for children’s karate or Zumba classes, we can introduce them quickly. Another nice aspect of being a community facility is that we get to know our members and it has the feel of a friendly, safe place. In recent years, we have introduced Bump-to-Baby groups, with post-natal and ante-natal courses and drop-ins, as well as toddler groups, so that expectant and new mothers can meet. 

'As the children get older, they can enjoy Sharky’s soft play area while parents, grandparents, relatives and carers keep watch from the café. We have breakfast and after-school clubs for primary school pupils too, and as they progress to secondary school, we offer junior weights, trampolining and gymnastics, so they maintain an affiliation. One of the disadvantages of being a CIO is that when it comes to significant investment, we have to find money ourselves, be it through grants or fundraising. However, the community has always been generous with its support, as they know we put the money back into the facilities that they use.’ 

The need for padel…

Next to the new courts are two wooden benches, in memory of two long-serving trustees. Conway Thorns was a village man who was involved in running several sports clubs, while Robert Mohamed was the man whose drive inspired the introduction of padel. Robert had fallen in love with the game while on holiday and enthusiastically introduced the concept to the committee. Sadly, he didn’t live to see his idea come to fruition. 

Simon said: ‘After the pandemic, costs were rising across the board. You can raise prices a little, but we’ve always strived to be affordable and accessible to all and we know everyone feels the pinch. So, we wanted to introduce something new to generate revenue and entice people to the leisure centre. We looked at padel and secured a grant from Horsham District Council’s Rural England Prosperity Fund and loans from LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) and CAF (Charities Aid Foundation). The project cost about £300,000, which we contributed to by holding quiz nights and other events, while staff including Deputy Manager Sam Eastman raised £8000 by completing the Three Peaks Challenge. We also secured court sponsorship from two local businesses: Foster & Co and Golden Barn Garage. 

‘To ensure water neutrality, we installed a rainwater harvesting system, feeding water from the roof into tanks, which is used to flush the toilets. This was funded by the Southern Water Business Partnership Fund, which also funded the refurbishment of the washrooms. It was a long road to get padel up and running in Henfield, but we are one of the first venues in the Horsham District to host the game and the response has been fantastic. It’s great to see people of all ages embracing both the health and social benefits of the game.’

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright

Further information: Booking fee: £40 per court per hour. £2 racquet hire with balls. Visit www.henfieldleisurecentre.co.uk/padel