St Ives coach's bid to break down barriers as padel demand rises
Nearly 2,500 players have tried padel at the club since 2024
Last updated 27th Mar 2026
A padel coach in Cambridgeshire says more work must be done to break down barriers when trying out a new sport.
The game - which combines tennis with squash - is played inside a glass cage and has grown in popularity in recent years.
At Game4Padel in St Ives - one place in the county with padel courts - almost 2,500 players have come to play the sport since 2024.
"To come on and try a new sport for the first time can be intimidating, especially if you're playing people that have perhaps played before and you haven't," Louise Wilcox, coach at Game4Padel, said.
"I think that's one of the big challenges, boosting people's confidence."
There are at least seven padel courts in Cambridgeshire - St Ives, Cambridge and Ely - with more planned including in Peterborough.
According to the Lawn Tennis Association, padel is one of the fastest growing sports in Great Britain, with more than 400,000 adults and children playing at least once by the end of 2024.
That's more than three times the total for 2023, which saw 129,000 people take part.
Alex Watkins first started playing padel around a year ago, and since then, the game has become a routine.
"You might not be the best, but you'll have fun, you'll return the ball and you'll want to play again next time because you got enough out of it (first time) that inspires you to come back and give it another go," she said.
Alex believes the sport will keep growing, but more facilities are needed to keep up with demand.
"It's great to feel like you're doing some form of exercise that doesn't feel like exercise because you're having a good time, especially if you feel exercise should be torture," she added.
"It certainly isn't."
'No pressure'
The LTA estimate nearly 900 padel courts are available to use across 300 different venues in Great Britain.
But despite its rapid growth, Louise - who has been playing padel for two-and-a-half years - is keen to see more people come and try it out.
"One of the things we're working hard to do is to get more beginners playing," she added.
"We've got an initiative called 'no pressure padel' just about to launch, and that's a simple 'have a go', not thinking about scoring points and getting people hitting balls and having fun.
"It's great exercise, the importance of feeling good, having a laugh and it's getting people out and socialising."