Cambridge went from zero padel venues to four in under two years. That’s the compressed version of a story that’s still unfolding – one that includes a brand-new community venue that opened in February 2026, a university sports centre with courts open to the public at £5 a session, and a regional option for players on the western edge of Cambridgeshire. Here’s the full picture.
Cambridge’s padel venues – the current picture
| Venue | Location | Courts | Access | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDL Padel United (Orchard Park) | Orchard Park, CB24 9PP | 4 outdoor (3 doubles, 1 singles) | Public | Free intro/coaching at launch; 20% resident discount |
| University of Cambridge Sports Centre | Philippa Fawcett Drive, CB3 0AS | 2 outdoor | Public + members | Intro sessions £5/person (free for members). Racket hire included |
| David Lloyd Cambridge | Coldham’s Business Park | Outdoor (count not published) | Members only (Platinum) | Membership required |
| St Ives Golf Club | Needingworth Road, St Ives | 2 outdoor | TBC | TBC |
All four venues have outdoor courts – which is standard for a city where padel arrived relatively recently and didn’t inherit the indoor-first infrastructure of older scenes like Manchester or Bristol. It also means the summer calendar is more appealing than the winter one, so if you’re planning your first session, factor in the weather.
PDL Padel United at Orchard Park
PDL Padel United at Orchard Park opened in February 2026 and is the freshest padel facility Cambridge has. It sits within the Orchard Park development in CB24 – a purpose-built community north of the city that was always planned with sport and green space in mind – and the venue brings four outdoor courts to an area that had nothing comparable nearby.
The court split is three doubles courts and one singles court, which is a sensible ratio for a community venue: most padel is played doubles, and a dedicated singles court caters for those who want a more tennis-adjacent workout without taking up doubles court time. The facility is publicly accessible, meaning you don’t need a membership or a gym contract to walk in and book.
For residents of Orchard Park itself, the incentive is sharper: a 20% discount on sessions, plus a schools programme that includes free court access, equipment, and teacher training for local schools. That combination – subsidised community play alongside a proper schools pipeline – is the kind of foundation that makes padel stick in a new area. The sport doesn’t just become something people drive to on a weekend; it becomes something the next generation encounters in PE.
At launch, PDL Padel United offered free introductory sessions and coaching to help establish a player base. That kind of soft-launch approach is sensible for a market that was starting from scratch: you can’t fill four courts without first building a local community of people who know what padel is and have had a decent first experience. If you’re entirely new to the sport, the your first month of padel guide covers what to expect before you walk onto a court for the first time.
Sixteen miles up the A14, Huntingdon has just got its own first dedicated venue, closing one of the gaps in Cambridgeshire’s padel map.
University of Cambridge Sports Centre – £5/session
This is the detail that most coverage misses, and it changes the maths for anyone considering padel in Cambridge. The University of Cambridge Sports Centre on Philippa Fawcett Drive has two outdoor padel courts, and they are open to the public – students, staff, and anyone else who wants to book.
Intro sessions are £5 per person, with racket hire included in that price. For context, that’s the cheapest entry point for padel we’ve come across in any UK city we’ve written about. Most beginner-friendly venues charge £8–15 per session before racket hire. The university’s pricing reflects an institutional goal of broadening participation – an unusual and welcome approach in a sport that sometimes prices out the people it claims to want to attract.
Cambridge Sport members – those with an active university sports membership – can play for free. If you’re affiliated with the university in any capacity, it’s worth checking whether you qualify for membership before booking at public rates.
Two outdoor courts is a limited inventory for a city of Cambridge’s population, which means peak times will fill quickly. Book early if you’re aiming for evenings or weekends. But for a first session, or for regular casual play at a price that doesn’t require you to justify the spend, this is the most accessible padel in the city.
If you’re weighing up padel against your existing sport, padel vs tennis covers the practical differences – court, scoring, gear – for players coming from a racket sports background.
How much does padel cost in Cambridge?
Cambridge’s pricing landscape is fairly typical for a mid-sized UK city in 2026. The outlier – in a good way – is the university centre.
At the University of Cambridge Sports Centre, intro sessions are £5 per person with racket hire included. That’s the floor for padel access in the city.
At PDL Padel United, Orchard Park residents benefit from a 20% discount. Exact session prices weren’t published at launch, but expect rates broadly in line with regional padel venues – typically £8–14 per person per session for 90-minute court hire split between four players.
At David Lloyd Cambridge, padel access requires a Platinum-tier membership. David Lloyd memberships vary significantly by location and package, but Platinum tier is among the higher-end options – you’re paying for the full gym, spa, and club facility, with padel as part of that package. If padel is your only reason to join, the membership cost won’t make sense. For existing members, three outdoor courts is a meaningful addition to what the club already offers.
St Ives Golf Club is a regional option worth knowing about for players in the west of Cambridgeshire. Pricing and access details were not confirmed at time of writing – contact the club directly.
Where to start if you’re new to padel
If you’re in Cambridge and padel is new to you, the University of Cambridge Sports Centre is the obvious first stop. Five pounds, racket hire included, courts open to the public – there’s no easier entry point in the city.
If you’re near Orchard Park, or in North Cambridge more broadly, PDL Padel United is the venue built for exactly this purpose: getting people playing for the first time in a community setting, with coaches on hand during the launch period and a local player base forming around the facility.
David Lloyd makes sense if you’re already a member, or if you’re the kind of player who’s past the beginner stage and wants courts alongside a full fitness club. Our guide to choosing a padel club covers the questions worth asking at any venue before you commit to regular sessions there. It’s a self-contained ecosystem – a full sports club where padel is one amenity among many.
The social side of the sport matters too, especially when you’re starting out. Social padel in the UK covers how padel’s community formats – americano tournaments, box leagues, club sessions – work, and how to find people to play with beyond whoever you booked your first session with.
Padel arrived in Cambridge later than in London, Manchester, or Bristol. But four venues in under two years, including a brand-new community facility and university courts open at £5 a session, is a decent foundation. The city of ideas has picked up the fastest-growing racket sport. It’s worth seeing what they do with it.
Looking to compare with somewhere else? Browse all UK towns we cover for court guides across the country.