Loughborough has one of the more interesting padel stories in the Midlands, despite a population of just 60,000. Soul Padel put £150,000 into building two courts and a clubhouse on Loughborough University’s Ball Park, and in the first four months the courts sat empty for just two hours across a 7am-11pm day. That’s a level of demand most operators in bigger cities would take.
Here’s what’s there, how the public gets in, and what it costs.
What’s there: Soul Padel at the Ball Park
Soul Padel partnered with Loughborough University to build two outdoor courts and a purpose-built clubhouse on the Ball Park, part of the university’s sports campus. The investment – £150,000 – bought proper infrastructure rather than a couple of courts bolted onto an existing car park: dedicated changing facilities, a clubhouse, and courts built to the same standard you’d find at a commercial venue.
The courts opened in March 2025. Early coverage framed the launch as an initial six-month period, which is standard practice when a new facility is finding its feet. More than a year on, the courts are still running, the university lists a 2025-26 pricing structure for them, and Loughborough has entered a team in the Midlands division of the National Universities Padel League for the 2025/26 season. Whatever the original trial terms were, this now looks like an established part of the university’s sport offer rather than a short-term experiment.
Can the public play?
Yes. The courts at Loughborough University are open to students, staff, and the wider local community – no university affiliation is required to book.
This is the detail most people searching for padel in Loughborough seem to miss. The courts sit on university land, which leads people to assume they’re restricted to students and staff. They’re open to the wider community.
If you live in or around Loughborough and fancy a game, you don’t need a student card, a staff badge, or any connection to the university at all. You book like anyone else, turn up, and play. For a town with a single dedicated padel venue, that open-access policy matters – it’s the difference between a padel court existing in Loughborough and a padel court you can use.
How to book and what it costs
Bookings go through the Loughborough Sport app, with courts also listed on Playtomic. It’s pay-as-you-go: no membership, no minimum commitment, just book a slot and pay for it.
The standard rate is around £30 per hour. Loughborough Sport members get a discount on top of that – the university runs tiered membership (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Purple) that knocks a percentage off pay-as-you-go rates, though the discount only applies to the account holder, not to guests you bring along. If you’re not a member, you pay the standard rate and that’s the end of it.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Venue | Soul Padel at Loughborough University Ball Park |
| Courts | 2, outdoor |
| Opened | March 2025 |
| Booking | Loughborough Sport app or Playtomic |
| Price | ~£30/hour pay-as-you-go (member discounts available) |
| Access | Students, staff, and the public |
The numbers behind this venue’s success
The headline stat is the utilisation figure: in the first four months of operation, the courts were unoccupied for only two hours across a 7am-11pm day. For two courts in a town of roughly 60,000 people, that’s an extraordinary rate of use – closer to what you’d expect from a flagship venue in a major city.
Part of the explanation is the university team. Loughborough fields a squad in the National Universities Padel League’s Midlands division for the 2025/26 season, which brings a competitive, structured layer on top of casual pay-and-play bookings. The club also runs training sessions on campus and at We Are Padel in Derby, giving members access to coaching beyond what two courts alone could support. Between student demand, league fixtures, and local community bookings, the courts stay busy across the whole day rather than clustering around evening peak times the way a lot of pay-and-play venues do.
Getting there and parking
The Ball Park sits within Loughborough University’s sports campus, a short walk or drive from the town centre. If you’re driving, the university’s sports facilities have dedicated parking – check the Loughborough Sport site for the current arrangement before you travel, as campus parking policies can shift term to term. If you’re coming from further afield, Loughborough station is on the Midland Main Line with regular services from Leicester, Nottingham, and London, and the campus is a short taxi or bus ride from there.
If you’re travelling from further into the Midlands, it’s worth knowing what’s on offer nearby: Derby has 21 indoor courts across two venues, Leicester has multiple sites with more opening through 2026, and Nottingham has over 20 courts across four venues. Loughborough’s offer is smaller, but the open community access and the story behind it make it worth the trip on its own terms.
For court guides in other parts of the UK, browse the full directory of towns we cover.