Sale set for first padel club at Mersey Valley Sports Club

Sale looks set to get its first dedicated padel club, with a brand new independent, family-run venue planned for Mersey Valley Sports Club on Banky Lane.

The new venture, called PadelsUp, is aiming to open in May or June 2026 and promises to bring one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports to Sale in a friendly, beginner-focused setting.

According to PadelsUp founder, Louis Pearson, the proposed site will include two panoramic outdoor padel courts, a modern clubhouse and social space, plus outdoor seating designed for post-match coffees, catch-ups and rematches. The team behind the project says its vision is to create a welcoming place where local people can discover the sport, keep active and build a real community around it.

The arrival of PadelsUp would be a notable first for Sale, particularly because it is a private venture moving ahead now, rather than part of a longer-term public leisure redevelopment. Trafford Council has only recently approved the next stage of feasibility and design work for future plans at Sale Leisure Centre, meaning any council-backed padel provision there is still some way off.

That means Banky Lane is likely to become the first place in Sale where residents can properly get a taste of the sport that has been exploding in popularity across Britain.

For anyone unfamiliar with it, padel is usually played in doubles on an enclosed court and is often described as a cross between tennis and squash. The modern game was first developed in Mexico, before spreading internationally and becoming especially popular in Spain and beyond.

Its rise in Britain has been rapid. The Lawn Tennis Association says that at the end of 2024, more than 400,000 adults and juniors in Great Britain had played padel at least once in the previous 12 months, up from just 15,000 in 2019.

That growth is easy to understand. Padel is widely seen as approachable for beginners, sociable by nature and suitable for a broad mix of ages and abilities. While it is straightforward enough for new players to enjoy from the outset, it also offers plenty of depth for those who want to improve their technique and get more competitive.

More details about the opening are expected in the coming months.