Can Steel Frame Canopies Make Padel An All-Year-Round Sport?

Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK right now. The racket sport is easy to pick up, fun and fast to play, and has a great social element. 

The number of participants in Britain has doubled since 2024, with an estimated 860,000 people playing it in 2025. It is a dramatic increase for a sport that was barely heard of ten years ago. 

With the increase in players, comes the increase in demand for padel courts. The most recent figures show that over 1,553 courts have been installed across 559 venues in the UK, a number that is still increasing. 

What is padel?

Originating in Mexico in the late 1960s, padel was invented by Enrique Corcuera because he did not have enough room for a full-size tennis court. Instead, he designed a smaller court with a central net, where the ball could be bounced off the back wall. 

The sport really took off when it was taken to Spain and Argentina in the 1970s and grew in popularity across the world. It finally reached Britain in 1992 when the Lawn Tennis Association built the first padel court at the National Tennis Centre. 

The rules are similar to other racket sports, such as tennis; however, players use a solid bat perforated with holes rather than a stringed racket. Unlike tennis, serves are underhand and players can hit the ball after it has bounced off the back or side walls. 

How big are padel courts?

Played on artificial turf or concrete, the courts for doubles are 20m by 10m in size. The back wall is 4m high, and the side walls are 3m; the lower sections are usually glass and the top metre is a mesh fence. 

Can padel be played indoors?

The weather in the UK is temperamental, with the autumn and winter seasons; rain, ice and snow can stop play for outdoor sports. Many padel courts in the UK are covered or indoors; however, 55 per cent of the courts are open to the elements. 

For organisations that run the padel courts, this can impact bookings and the amount of return on investment for installing the courts. 

With an average off-peak court hire costing £27 per hour and peak prices of up to £50 per hour, bad weather can have a serious impact on profits. 

To protect players from adverse weather, a roof or canopy is needed, and that is where TotalSpan can help. Whether that is covering existing courts or building a new facility, a portal steel building can make padel an all-weather, all-year-round activity. 

In order to play comfortably, padel courts need at least 6m to 8m of vertical space to allow for high balls. Existing buildings converted for use as padel courts may not have that clearance, which is why many courts are still built outdoors. 

The steel portal-framed structures designed and supplied by TotalSpan can accommodate the height as well as being adaptable to any size needed for the courts and facilities. 

They can also be built over the top of existing courts without damage to the walls and playing surfaces. 

An additional benefit is the cost, at a fraction of what a brick or concrete structure would be. With that saving, court owners can be sure to get a substantial return on their investment.