Padel in Kettering: what's open now, and what's coming

At a glance

Padel in Kettering right now: one venue, David Lloyd Kettering, three outdoor courts, membership-gated access.

What’s coming: Kettering Padel Club at Kettering Leisure Village – now under construction, targeting winter 2026, pay-and-play pricing.

Best pay-and-play option nearby: Corby, about 15–20 minutes away, no membership needed.

If you’ve searched for padel in Kettering, you’ve probably found the David Lloyd page and not much else. There is padel in Kettering – one court, at a members’ club – and a second venue everyone’s been reading about since the Leisure Village announcement is finally being built. Here’s what that means if you want to play this week, and what changes once the new courts open.

David Lloyd Kettering – the only padel open

David Lloyd Kettering has three dedicated outdoor padel courts, bookable through the David Lloyd app. Padel is included as part of the club’s Platinum membership tier, which is the detail most searches don’t tell you upfront: access runs through membership, not open pay-and-play booking like a Playtomic listing.

That doesn’t necessarily rule out a one-off game if you’re not a member. David Lloyd clubs across the UK vary on whether they offer day passes or guest access, and court hire fees can apply on top even where a pass is available. Kettering’s own guest-access policy isn’t published clearly enough to state as fact here, so the honest advice is to ring the club or check the app directly before you plan a session around it. Racket hire is available from reception if you don’t own one, and balls are sold on site.

Kettering Padel Club – now under construction

The other name that comes up in any Kettering padel search is Kettering Padel Club, a covered padel development at Kettering Leisure Village, on the site of the former outdoor volleyball courts. It’s being developed by Phoenix Leisure Management Ltd, the company that already runs the Leisure Village, as a multi-hundred-thousand-pound investment.

The original spring 2026 completion target passed without an opening, but the project has since moved forward: the Northants Telegraph reported that building work officially began on 9 September 2026, with a winter 2026 completion target. The plan is for three courts under a single canopy, giving year-round shelter from the weather – padel that doesn’t get rained off is rare outside the bigger cities. Access will run on a pay-and-play basis at “affordable” prices, open to both existing Leisure Village members and the public, so it won’t carry the membership requirement that gates David Lloyd’s courts across town. There’s no mention of padel yet on the Leisure Village’s own website, which hasn’t caught up with the build – treat the construction start as the confirmed signal, not the website. No exact opening date has been announced, so don’t book anything around it yet, but this is now a live build rather than a proposal on paper.

Nearest alternatives without a David Lloyd membership

If membership access at David Lloyd doesn’t work for you, Corby is the nearest confirmed pay-and-play option, roughly 15–20 minutes’ drive depending on where in Kettering you’re starting from. Corby Tennis Centre has three floodlit outdoor courts run by operator Padel T, with racket and ball hire on site and no membership required to book.

For more choice, Northampton is worth the extra distance – Padel Social House and Padel Power between them offer 21 indoor courts, café facilities, and coaching, all bookable through Playtomic. It’s a different scale of provision to anything currently in Kettering itself, and indoor courts mean you’re not at the mercy of the forecast.

Grendon and Market Harborough also have padel within a reasonable drive if you’re comparing options across North Northamptonshire, though neither currently has coverage here – worth a quick search on Playtomic or your preferred booking platform if you’re weighing up where to play regularly.

The bottom line for Kettering players

Right now, Kettering padel means David Lloyd, and David Lloyd padel means membership. That’s simply the access model, and it’s the detail most searches skip past. If you’re not a member and don’t want to be, Corby’s pay-and-play courts are close enough to make a regular habit of, and Northampton’s indoor venues are there for when you want more choice or the weather’s against you. Kettering Padel Club at the Leisure Village has moved from proposal to building site, with pay-and-play courts targeted for winter 2026 – worth checking back on as that date firms up, and set to change the access picture in Kettering for good once it opens.

See how this compares elsewhere with the full directory of UK padel court guides, organised by region.