Padel in Sunderland Keeps on Growing
Written by Lleyton Hunter on 28th October 2026
Padel has been one of the fastest growing sports in the United Kingdom with 13 courts being available in the Sunderland region.
True Padel, Wessington Retail Park, offer 11 indoor courts with seven doubles courts and 4 singles courts. Alongside this, the Beacon of Light have built two brand-new indoor courts.
According to Playskan, there are 2,848 padel courts across 821 clubs in the United Kingdom with an estimated 1,142 more courts in the last 12 months, up 67%.
New plans for a padel complex at Peel Retail Park in Washington have been approved with the operator, Soul Padel Ltd, having had plans previously allowed by Sunderland City Council, but had to re-submit their scheme due to underground utilities running across the area.
Sunderland City Council found there were no other suitable sites within the designated centres, and it would have no effect on the surrounding areas.
A spokesperson at Sunderland City Council said: “Where appropriate, new sporting facilities can help widen opportunities for residents to be active and support healthy lifestyles.”
Alongside this, plans for new courts in Silksworth had been approved in late September 2026 to convert four tennis courts into a padel complex. The complex would be located at the Silksworth Community Pool Tennis and Wellness Centre.
Figures released in April 2026, according to LTA Padel, show 860,000 adults and juniors played padel at least once which has more than doubled since 2024.
When asked about the rise and development of padel in the region, the Team Sunderland Padel Club, said: “It’s great to see the growth of padel across Sunderland, with new padel courts opening at the Beacon of Light.
Alamy Images: The Beacon of Light, the Aquatic Centre and The Stadium of Light as seen from the river Wear, Sunderland.
“Having more courts locally gives people more opportunities to get involved, whether recreationally or competitively, and helps build a stronger padel community across the North East. It’ll be interesting to see how the sport continues to develop.”
Per Live For Padel, awareness of padel among adults reached 43% of the population (around 23 million individuals) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a significant increase from 23% (12 million) during the same period in the previous year.
