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Padel Cambridge 2026: 5 Best Courts, Prices & Clubs
By the Padel Gameplan Editorial Team | Published: 31 Aug 2026 | Updated: 31 Aug 2026
The 2026 picture in brief
Looking for padel Cambridge courts in 2026? This guide compares the main places to play in and around Cambridge, including court numbers, prices, booking systems, indoor and outdoor options, membership requirements and beginner-friendly choices.
Within Cambridge, the University of Cambridge Sports Centre runs two public outdoor courts, and David Lloyd Cambridge runs three outdoor courts for members. Just outside the city, on the edge of South Cambridgeshire, PDL Padel United’s Orchard Park venue offers four outdoor, pay-and-play courts. Court One Cambridge, an eight-court indoor club, is advertised as opening in 2026 but currently takes waitlist sign-ups only, with no live booking or confirmed opening date. All currently operating courts are outdoor.
Padel Cambridge Quick Answer
Cambridge has two operating padel venues within the city: the University of Cambridge Sports Centre and David Lloyd Cambridge. Nearby options include PDL Padel United at Orchard Park and St Ives Golf Club. Court One’s proposed eight-court indoor club is not yet open.
| Need | Best Cambridge Option |
|---|---|
| Best public option | University Sports Centre |
| Cheapest regular court | PDL Padel United |
| Best for beginners | University Sports Centre |
| Best for existing club members | David Lloyd Cambridge |
| Singles court | PDL Padel United |
| Indoor padel | Court One – opening 2026, not yet operating |
| Nearby alternative | St Ives Golf Club |
Cambridge padel venues compared: operating outdoor courts and the announced Court One indoor project.
Cambridge Padel Courts at a Glance
Court and price figures above are drawn from each operator’s own website as of 31 August 2026. Full-court rates are shown where published, with an approximate per-person figure in brackets assuming a full four-player doubles game -check each app for the exact live price before booking.
What changed in 2026
Padel expanded around Cambridge over the past year rather than arriving all at once. PDL Padel United’s Orchard Park venue is the newest addition: it is shown as operating, with live pricing published, on the operator’s own venue page as of the last-checked date above.Separately, Court One Cambridge has been announced as a private indoor club with eight courts, three miles from the city centre. It is currently running a founding-member waitlist rather than live bookings, with no confirmed opening date published, and should not be treated as an operating venue until its own site or booking system shows live availability.
1. University of Cambridge Sports Centre
Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS
Outdoor | 2 Courts | Public Pay-and-Play
The University Sports Centre has two outdoor padel courts, opened in September 2024, that can be booked by the public as well as University students, staff and members. It is the most accessible option within Cambridge city for players who do not want to join a private health club, with racket hire included in the court fee.
Court Price
Members and current students: £28 per court, per hourNon-members: £36 per court, per hourBalls can be bought at Reception for £7 per tube of three.Equivalent to about £7 or £9 per player when four people share the court. Check live prices before booking.
Booking
Book through Cambridge SportMembers can book 14 days ahead. Non-members and current students can book seven days ahead – students receive the £28 member rate but not the longer booking window.Cancel more than two hours before your slot for credit; cancellations inside two hours forfeit the fee.
Coaching & Social Play
Learn to Padel (60 min): free for members, £5 for non-members.Improve Your Padel: £12 per person, Tuesdays 1–2pm.Open Padel drop-in: Mondays 6–7pm, 7–8pm and a 10am slot; free for members, £5 for non-members.The venue has also run organised padel leagues – check the site for current dates and registration.
Membership
Not required to book.Optional padel-only membership from £15/month or £150/year; Cambridge Sport Membership from £32/month for the wider centre plus reduced court rates.Rackets & Balls
Racket hire is included with the court booking.Balls can be purchased at reception (£7 per tube of three).Facilities
Two outdoor courts on Mondo Shot XN Blue turf (RC-10 Panoramic court system), built in 2024 with access to the wider University sports-centre facilities.Outdoor courts remain weather-dependent.
Parking
Free on-site parking for Sports Centre users, 3-hour limit, with barrier access via a code in the Cam Uni Sport app. Overflow parking (Car Park 8) is available when the main lot is full.Accessible spaces are reserved for blue badge holders near the entrance.
- Public booking available
- Central Cambridge option
- Lower rates for students and members
- Racket hire included
- Beginner and social sessions
- Free on-site parking
- No private-club membership required
- Only two courts
- Fully outdoor and weather-dependent
- Students get the member price but the shorter, 7-day booking window
- No published junior-specific sessions
2. David Lloyd Cambridge
Coldham’s Business Park, Cambridge CB1 3LH
Outdoor | 3 Courts | Members Only
David Lloyd Cambridge offers three dedicated outdoor padel courts, converted from the club’s existing tennis courts, within a full-service health and racquets club. It suits players who already use, or want access to, the gym, pools, spa and other club facilities, but it is not presented as a public pay-and-play venue.
Court Price
Padel access is included with an eligible club membership.The club does not publish a standalone Cambridge padel court rate.
Booking
David Lloyd Clubs appEligible members reserve courts and club sessions through the app.Coaching & Social Play
Classes are divided by experience level for beginners and improvers, alongside weekly match-play sessions and social events.Membership
Required.The official club page identifies Platinum membership as including padel access.Confirm current tiers, fees and any trial options directly with the club.
Rackets & Balls
Members can borrow rackets and purchase balls at reception.Facilities
Gym, swimming pools, spa, changing rooms and additional racquets facilities are available within the club, alongside a new outdoor seating area added when the padel courts were built.- Three dedicated courts
- Club coaching and social sessions
- Racket borrowing available
- Extensive health-club facilities
- Convenient for existing members
- Membership required
- No published padel-only rate
- No confirmed public day rate, hours or parking details
- Courts are outdoor
3. PDL Padel United Cambridge
Orchard Park, Cambridge CB24 9PP
Outdoor & Floodlit | 4 Courts | Public Pay-and-Play
PDL Padel United’s Orchard Park venue sits just outside the Cambridge city boundary in South Cambridgeshire. Its three doubles courts and one singles court, public pay-and-play access and published rates make it a strong option for casual and regular players in the wider Cambridge area.
Court Price
Off-peak doubles: £20 per court. Peak doubles: £24 per court.Orchard Park residents: £16 off-peak / £19 peak per court.About £5 per player off-peak for four players. Check MATCHi for live rates and singles pricing.
Booking
Book through MATCHiOpen daily 8am–9pm. Select the Cambridge venue, date, court and available time.Coaching & Social Play
Coaching sessions are run through the venue and MATCHi.The venue also runs a “Free Padel for Schools” programme offering local schools free equipment, teacher training and court time – worth asking about for junior or family sessions.
Membership
Not required.Public pay-and-play booking is available, with a discount for Orchard Park residents.Court Choice
Three doubles courts plus one singles court.The singles court is useful for two-player games and focused practice.Facilities
Four outdoor floodlit courts, open daily 8am–9pm.Check MATCHi for same-day availability.
- Four floodlit courts
- Three doubles and one singles court
- No membership required
- Public MATCHi booking
- Published peak and off-peak pricing
- Resident discount and a schools programme
- Just outside Cambridge city
- All courts are outdoor
- Peak rates are higher
- Confirm live pricing and hours on MATCHi before booking
4. Court One Cambridge
Approximately three miles from Cambridge city centre – exact address not yet published
Planned Indoor Club | 8 Courts | Not Yet Open
Court One Cambridge is an announced private indoor padel project rather than an operating venue. Its website promotes eight climate-controlled indoor courts, on-site parking with EV charging, and a founding-member waitlist capped at 300 places, but no confirmed opening date, exact address, live booking system or public pricing has been published. Do not travel to play until the operator confirms opening.
Price
Not yet published.Founding membership is capped at 300 places; final pricing may change before opening.
Booking
No live court booking is available.Join the official waitlistProposed Club
The project is promoted as a private indoor club with eight climate-controlled courts, specialist lighting, a café, and a members’ lounge with changing facilities.Membership
A private-club, founding-membership model is planned, capped at 300 places.Final access rules and public booking options have not been confirmed.
Opening Status
Announced / waitlist only.No confirmed opening date was available when this guide was last checked.Parking
On-site parking with EV charging is advertised for the planned club.Exact address and access details are not yet published.
- Eight proposed indoor courts
- Potential year-round play
- Climate-controlled courts and café/lounge facilities
- On-site parking with EV charging planned
- Founding-member waitlist available
- Not currently open
- No live court booking
- No confirmed opening date
- No exact address published
- Prices and final access rules unavailable
5. St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club – Nearby
Needingworth Road, St Ives PE27 4AD
Outdoor | 2 Courts | Public Pay-and-Play
St Ives Golf Club provides two outdoor padel courts roughly 12 miles from Cambridge, open daily with free floodlights. It is not a Cambridge-city venue, but it gives players west and north-west of the city another public pay-and-play option when Cambridge courts are full or the location is more convenient.
Court Price
Membership from £5 per month; pay-and-play is also available without joining.See the live Game4Padel booking page for current court rates.
Booking
Book through Game4PadelOpen daily, 7am–9pm.Coaching & Activities
Private lessons, group lessons and Americano-format tournaments are available – a useful option for social and competitive players alike.Membership
Not required for public booking.Membership from £5 per month is available for regular players.Rackets & Balls
Rackets can be hired from the golf club shop.Balls are not provided – bring your own.
Facilities
Two outdoor padel courts with floodlights free to use for all players.Outdoor availability may be affected by weather.
- Public pay-and-play option
- Free floodlit evening play
- Americano tournaments and coaching available
- Useful alternative when city courts are busy
- Low-cost £5/month membership option
- Approximately 12 miles from Cambridge
- Only two courts
- Fully outdoor
- Balls not provided – bring your own
Prices and booking at a glance
- Cheapest way to try padel: the University Sports Centre’s non-member “Learn to Padel” or “Open Padel” sessions at £5 per person, or PDL Padel United’s off-peak doubles at £5 per player (four players sharing a full court).
- Cheapest regular pay-and-play: PDL Padel United Cambridge, with off-peak doubles from £20 per court and no membership needed.
- Best value with university access: £28 per hour as a Cambridge Sport member, Padel member or current student, versus £36 per hour for non-members.
- Members-only: David Lloyd Cambridge, bundled into a Platinum membership, with no published stand-alone padel price.
- Not yet bookable: Court One Cambridge, currently waitlist-only.
Indoor versus outdoor padel in Cambridge
On the evidence checked as of 31 August 2026, every currently operating padel venue in and around Cambridge is outdoor: the University Sports Centre’s two courts, David Lloyd’s courts, PDL Padel United’s four courts, and St Ives Golf Club’s two courts. There is no verified operating indoor padel venue in the Cambridge area on that evidence. That is distinct from Court One Cambridge, which is specifically announced as an eight-court indoor facility for 2026 but has not yet opened. Anyone who specifically needs weatherproof, year-round play should check Court One’s official site for live updates before planning around it, or consider covered venues further afield in the meantime.Beginners, lessons and social play
The University Sports Centre’s “Learn to Padel” sessions are built specifically for newcomers, and its Monday “Open Padel” drop-ins are designed to match solo players or pairs with others rather than requiring a full four to arrive together. PDL Padel United also advertises coached sessions through its venue page, though specific dates and prices for these are best confirmed directly with the venue.David Lloyd’s coaching is available to members through its standard racquets programme, alongside social padel sessions, and is not typically open to non-members. St Ives Golf Club’s own page states it welcomes both members and visitors for padel; for current lesson availability there, check Game4Padel’s booking page.
A standard padel court measures 20m long by 10m wide and is enclosed by a combination of glass walls and mesh fencing. Unlike tennis, the walls remain part of play after the ball bounces, which is one of the biggest differences beginners notice. The court is divided by a central net, with service boxes on each side.Equipment and racket hire
Equipment availability varies by venue, based on what each official page states. At the University Sports Centre, racket hire is included in the court fee, and balls are sold separately at reception. At PDL Padel United Cambridge, the venue’s own page advertises racket and ball hire on-site. At David Lloyd Cambridge, the club’s page states members can borrow rackets and buy balls at reception.St Ives Golf Club’s own padel page confirms rackets are available to hire from the golf club, though current hire pricing should be checked on Game4Padel’s booking page rather than assumed. Court One Cambridge has not published an equipment policy, since it is not open.Players buying their first racket can compare the best padel rackets UK.Which Cambridge Padel Venue Is Best for You?
If cost and flexibility matter most, and you’re comfortable travelling to the edge of the city, PDL Padel United’s pay-and-play model with no membership requirement is the simplest starting point, particularly if the Orchard Park resident rate applies to you. If proximity to central Cambridge and public, no-membership access matter more, the University Sports Centre is the venue that satisfies both, with the added benefit of structured beginner sessions.If you already hold or are considering a David Lloyd Platinum membership for its wider facilities, padel there is an added amenity rather than a separate cost to weigh on its own – check directly with the club whether any non-member taster sessions exist if you want to try before committing to membership. Anyone specifically wanting indoor courts should treat Court One as a future option to watch rather than a current choice.- Beginner: the University Sports Centre’s £5 “Learn to Padel” or “Open Padel” sessions offer structured, low-cost first experiences with racket hire included.
- Budget-conscious, regular player: PDL Padel United Cambridge, with off-peak pay-and-play from £20 per court and no membership commitment, if the Orchard Park location works for you.
- Existing or prospective David Lloyd member: padel there comes bundled with Platinum membership rather than as a separate spend – worth checking directly whether a taster session is available before joining specifically for padel.
- Social player looking to meet others: the University Sports Centre’s Monday Open Padel nights are designed to match up solo bookers and pairs.
- Anyone wanting indoor, weatherproof courts: no venue in the Cambridge area currently operates one. Court One Cambridge is the venue to watch for 2026, but treat it as unconfirmed until it has a live booking system.
Nearby Cambridgeshire: St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club
For readers happy to travel further, St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club, on Needingworth Road roughly 12 miles north-west of central Cambridge, operates two outdoor courts run through Game4Padel. Cambridgeshire’s county tennis body describes it as the first publicly bookable padel courts in Cambridgeshire, and it remains open to non-members, with both member and visitor rates available. For current prices, opening hours and equipment hire costs, check Game4Padel’s live booking page directly rather than relying on older listings, since these details are best confirmed at the point of booking.Check availability and book on Game4PadelWhat to Bring to a Cambridge Padel Court
For a first session, bring comfortable sportswear, water and non-marking court shoes suitable for artificial turf. Racket access varies by venue: the University Sports Centre includes racket hire in its court fee, PDL Padel United advertises equipment hire, and David Lloyd says members can borrow rackets and buy balls at reception. Check the venue before travelling if you need equipment.Players buying their first kit may also find Padel Gameplan’s best padel rackets UK, best padel shoes UK, padel starter kit UK and padel rules UK guides useful.
More UK Padel City Guides
Planning to play elsewhere? Compare Padel Gameplan’s guides to padel in Brighton, padel in Coventry, padel in Derby and padel in Sheffield.Frequently Asked Questions
Is there indoor padel in Cambridge?Not currently, on the evidence checked. Every operating venue in this guide – the University Sports Centre, David Lloyd, PDL Padel United and St Ives Golf Club – has outdoor courts only. Court One Cambridge is announced as an indoor venue for 2026 but has not yet opened.Is Court One Cambridge open?No, not as of 31 August 2026. It is taking founding-member waitlist sign-ups and states it is “opening 2026,” but it has not published a confirmed opening date, address, pricing or live booking system. Check courtonepadel.com for current status before assuming it’s bookable.Do I need to be a member to play padel in Cambridge?Not necessarily. The University of Cambridge Sports Centre and PDL Padel United Cambridge are both open to the public without membership, though the university charges non-members a higher hourly rate. David Lloyd Cambridge requires Platinum membership.How much does padel cost in Cambridge?It varies by venue and time. Off-peak doubles at PDL Padel United start from £20 per court (around £5 per player for four); the University Sports Centre charges £28 per hour for members and students, or £36 per hour for non-members. David Lloyd doesn’t publish a separate padel rate, since access is included within membership.Can beginners play padel in Cambridge?Yes. The University Sports Centre runs a dedicated “Learn to Padel” session and Monday drop-ins aimed at newcomers, and PDL Padel United offers coached sessions. In the UK the sport is usually just called padel, though you may see it referred to as padel tennis, particularly by newer players unfamiliar with the name.Where can I play padel in Cambridge?The University of Cambridge Sports Centre is on Philippa Fawcett Drive in West Cambridge (CB3 0AS); David Lloyd Cambridge is at Coldham’s Business Park off Coldhams Lane (CB1 3LH), both within the city. PDL Padel United is at Orchard Park (CB24 9PP), just outside the city boundary. Court One Cambridge is described as roughly three miles from the city centre, with no exact address yet published.Can non-members book at the University of Cambridge Sports Centre?Yes. Non-members can book padel courts up to seven days in advance at £36 per hour, compared with £28 per hour and 14 days’ advance booking for members, Padel members and current students.What time do Cambridge padel courts open and close? Opening hours vary by venue and are not standardised across Cambridge. Each operator publishes its own booking window through its app or site – check CamUniSport, the David Lloyd Clubs app, or MATCHi directly for the current hours at the venue you’re considering.
Is there parking at Cambridge’s padel venues? Parking availability differs by location, and central Cambridge has limited on-street parking in general. Confirm parking or cycle-storage options directly with each venue before travelling, particularly for the University Sports Centre and David Lloyd, which sit within the city.
Can children play padel in Cambridge? Junior and family padel provision is not consistently confirmed across every venue in this guide. Some UK padel operators run junior coaching or family sessions alongside adult programming; check directly with the venue for age-appropriate sessions before booking.
Sources
- University of Cambridge Sports Centre -Padel
- David Lloyd Clubs – Padel courts in Cambridge
- David Lloyd Clubs – Cambridge racquets facilities
- Padel United UK – Cambridge Padel Club
- Court One Cambridge – official site
- Cambridgeshire Tennis – padel venue listings
- St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club – Padel
- Game4Padel – St Ives Golf Club booking page
This guide uses official venue and operator sources, separates operating facilities from announced projects, and states when prices or access rules may change. Learn more about us →
