Padel United Redbridge is open. The three covered courts at Redbridge Sports & Leisure (RSL) in Barkingside went live on Playtomic on Wednesday 4 November 2026, a month after the original Saturday 3 October target. Padel United’s own news post says court bookings opened at 5pm that day, and it has announced a free opening weekend from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November.
If you live in Ilford, Barkingside or west Essex, this is the closest new venue to try, and the first weekend costs nothing. Here is what the operator has published and what it has not.
At a glance
Address: Redbridge Sports & Leisure, Forest Road, Barkingside, Essex IG6 3HD
Courts: 3, covered (Padel United’s venue page calls them outdoor covered panoramic courts; Playtomic lists three outdoor roofed courts)
Status: open; bookings opened 5pm on Wednesday 4 November 2026
Booking: Playtomic, as Padel United Redbridge
Free opening weekend: Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026
Hours: Padel United’s venue page says daily 8am to 9pm; the Playtomic listing shows Monday to Friday 8am to 10pm and Saturday and Sunday 8am to 8pm. The two disagree, so check the app
Court-hire prices: not published on Padel United’s venue page or in the Playtomic listing when we checked on 10 November
Getting there: Padel United says the site is a two-minute walk from Fairlop Underground station (Zone 4) and has a large car park
Websites: padeluniteduk.com and rslonline.co.uk
Has Padel United Redbridge opened?
Yes. Padel United’s post of Wednesday 4 November says the club “has just gone live on Playtomic” and that court bookings opened from 5pm that day. Its Redbridge page now lists the club as “Now Booking” after weeks of “coming soon”.
The opening came later than planned. Padel United’s announcement of Friday 12 June 2026 called Saturday 3 October a “targeted opening weekend”, and RSL said the venue was “scheduled to officially open on Saturday 3rd October 2026”. RSL later blamed “an unforeseen delay with the delivery of structural materials into the UK” and moved its estimate to mid-November. The courts opened inside that window.
What is the free opening weekend?
Padel United says Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November has free court time and free sessions at Redbridge, including free training and Intro to Padel sessions for beginners and returning players.
According to the post, you book the free sessions in the Playtomic app by going to the homepage, tapping the Learn button and signing up to a session. The post says all the free weekend activity is booked the same way. It does not say how many places there are, so book early if you want one.
What does it cost to play?
Padel United has not published court-hire prices for Redbridge. Its venue page has a pricing heading with no figures under it, and the Playtomic listing did not show court prices when we checked on Tuesday 10 November.
The Playtomic listing did show group sessions. An intro session was listed at £10 and group training at £17.50 for 90 minutes. Treat those as session prices only, and check the app for the current price of each.
RSL said earlier that padel members would get priority bookings and discounted court and social rates. Neither partner has said what a padel membership costs or how large the discounts are.
What is confirmed about the venue
Padel United first announced the partnership in August 2025, saying full planning permission had been granted and that Lauralu would supply the canopy over the courts. The canopy should keep the courts playable in the rain.
RSL is a charitable trust (Charity No. 303187) that has run the Forest Road site since 1972. Its racket-sports offer is already large: eight indoor and six outdoor tennis courts, 12 badminton courts in the Jean Brown Indoor Arena, plus squash, racketball and table tennis. There is also a gym with fitness classes and a licensed café and sports bar.
Where to play nearby
Rocket Padel runs a club in Ilford, and Powerleague Romford lists padel courts on Playtomic. Our Romford guide and Essex guide cover both, and the London guide lists venues across the capital.
We will update this piece if Padel United publishes court prices or membership details.
Updated 10 November 2026: Padel United Redbridge is now open, with bookings live on Playtomic from 5pm on 4 November, and the operator has announced a free opening weekend on 13 to 15 November. Opening hours differ between Padel United’s venue page and Playtomic. Earlier versions said opening was expected in mid-November (22 October) and that the 3 October target had been missed (15 October). An earlier version also said the courts would open on Saturday 3 October 2026 and that construction started in August 2026; both were planned dates, and we removed an “up to 50%” membership discount, a claim about the nearest swimming pool and a claim about Lauralu’s earlier work for Padel United, none of which we could find on the operators’ pages.