Accrington Stanley Community Trust brings padel to Accrington for the first time

Accrington is getting its first padel courts, and they are being built by the town's football club community trust. Accrington Stanley Community Trust is investing £600,000 to bring the fast-growing racket sport to the Stanley Sports Hub on Thorneyholme Road.

The project will deliver two new covered and floodlit padel courts. They are going up on previously unused land at the edge of the hub, turning a forgotten corner of the site into a new sporting and social space. Planning documents submitted to Hyndburn Council described the courts as the first padel facilities in Accrington.

Each court is built to the national standard size of 10 metres wide by 20 metres long. The structures are prefabricated off site, and the design includes a canopy so the courts can be used in every season, which should be welcome news for anyone who knows a Lancashire winter.

Alongside the courts, a new catering and reception unit will manage bookings and welcome players, offering snacks and a choice of hot and cold drinks. The Trust will run the courts itself, with bookings open to the general public. The Stanley Sports Hub already appears on the Playtomic booking platform, where its two roofed courts are listed as coming soon.

The courts are the latest chapter for the Stanley Sports Hub, which has benefited from significant investment in recent years and has grown into a £5m community sports facility.

Padel mixes elements of tennis and squash. It is highly accessible and social, and can be enjoyed by complete beginners, families and groups of friends as well as more experienced players.

Trust chief executive Martin Fearon said: "We're really excited to be bringing padel to Accrington for the very first time. This is a significant investment which will transform a previously unused edge of the site into a fantastic new facility for the community." He added that the team was looking forward to welcoming the first players in November.

Accrington Stanley chief executive Warren Eastham said the hub had become a real asset for the town, and that padel could attract people of all ages and abilities, including those who might not normally take part in traditional sports.

Local businesses can get involved too. Sponsorship opportunities include an exclusive headline padel partnership and individual partnerships for each of the two courts, giving companies a chance to put their name to a new community facility in Accrington.