Taunton has spent the last few years as a one-venue padel town. That’s about to change. Three outdoor courts at Blackbrook Leisure Centre have done the job of introducing Somerset players to the sport, and now a six-court venue is taking shape a few miles away at Queen’s College, with covered courts built to survive a Somerset winter. Once it opens, Taunton’s court count triples.
If you’re searching for where to play right now, the answer is straightforward. If you’re wondering what’s coming, that’s the more interesting story – and worth knowing before you commit to a membership or a regular slot.
Padelstars Taunton: three courts, open now
Padelstars Taunton runs three outdoor courts at Blackbrook Leisure Centre & Spa, on Blackbrook Way. They’re bookable today through the PadelStars app – pick the Taunton location, choose a date and time, and check availability like any other pay-and-play venue. There’s on-site parking and a relaxed social area for players who fancy sticking around after a game.
Three courts is a modest setup by the standards of England’s bigger padel towns, but it’s been enough to give Taunton a functioning scene. Weekday slots go fast among the regulars, and being outdoor courts, play leans toward the drier months – decent weather turns a Tuesday evening game from “maybe” to “definitely.”
Smash Padel Taunton: six courts, coming this summer
The bigger story is happening at Queen’s College, where Smash Padel has partnered with the school to build six panoramic padel courts. Construction is under way – groundworks are done and the court structures are visibly taking shape on site, as recent photos from both Smash Padel and Queen’s College show.
The venue is fully covered, meaning play continues through rain, wind, and the kind of grey Somerset afternoon that puts a lot of outdoor courts out of action. Six courts also puts Taunton in a different league entirely: instead of one small outdoor setup, the town gets a purpose-built venue that can host leagues, coaching programmes, and social sessions alongside the school’s own sports provision.
Subject to contractor schedules, Smash Padel and Queen’s College are working toward a June 2026 opening, with a summer 2026 target more broadly. Worth being precise here: as of this piece, the courts aren’t open. If you’re planning around Smash Padel Taunton, check their site closer to the time rather than assuming the doors are open – construction projects slip, and “targeting June” isn’t the same as “opens June.”
What’s here now versus what’s coming
This is the distinction that matters if you’re new to Taunton padel or moving to the area. Padelstars is real, bookable, and available this week. Smash Padel is real too, but it’s a pre-opening venue – you can’t book a court there yet, no matter how good the site photos look.
Once Smash Padel Taunton opens, the town’s court count goes from three to nine – enough for a proper multi-venue scene where you can choose a venue, a time, and a playing style that suits you, rather than fitting your week around one club’s timetable. Covered courts also change who plays and when: indoor-adjacent conditions mean winter leagues and evening sessions become realistic in a way they aren’t with outdoor-only courts.
What to expect when you book
Padelstars Taunton runs on the PadelStars app, the same booking model used across the group’s other sites – you’ll need an account, but there’s no membership requirement to play. Pricing follows the usual pattern for outdoor pay-and-play courts: expect it to be cheaper than an indoor venue, with peak evening and weekend slots costing more than daytime midweek games. If you’re new to the sport, ask about intro sessions when you book – smaller outdoor venues like this one tend to run informal beginner slots rather than a fixed weekly class, so it’s worth messaging ahead rather than assuming there’s a set programme.
Once Smash Padel Taunton opens, expect a more structured offer. Sites run by Smash Padel elsewhere combine pay-and-play booking with coaching and community sessions, and a school-based venue like Queen’s College typically means proper changing facilities and parking alongside the courts themselves – a step up from a leisure centre car park.
The wider Somerset picture
Somerset’s padel scene is still early, but Taunton isn’t playing in total isolation. Padel People in Evercreech, near Shepton Mallet, has indoor panoramic courts and is worth the drive for Bath-side players willing to head south. Further afield, Bristol has become the region’s biggest hub, with 33 courts across five venues including Rocket Padel’s 14-court flagship – a reasonable weekend option if you want more variety than Taunton currently offers. Head southwest and Cornwall has its own small but growing collection of coastal venues, useful context if you’re combining padel with a trip further down the peninsula.
The LTA’s Tennis Somerset padel venues listing is a decent way to track new courts as they’re approved across the county – Somerset is one of the quieter regions for padel development, which makes Taunton’s expansion notable rather than routine.
Should you wait for Smash Padel to open?
Play at Padelstars now – three courts, bookable today. Add Smash Padel’s covered courts to your plans once construction finishes and it opens.
If you want to play padel in Taunton today, Padelstars is your only option, and it’s a good one – three courts, straightforward booking, a social crowd that’s been building since it opened. There’s no reason to sit out a Somerset summer waiting for a venue that isn’t finished.
If you’re weighing up a membership or a regular booking slot, it’s worth knowing that Smash Padel’s covered courts will open up options Padelstars can’t match on a wet November evening. The sensible move for most players is to keep playing at Blackbrook now and revisit the picture once Smash Padel opens its doors – at which point Taunton goes from having padel to having a padel scene.
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