Tennis icon Judy Murray officially opened three new indoor padel courts at Glasgow Club Scotstoun, joined by padel coach John Byrne and some of Scotland’s top players.

Alliance Leisure worked in partnership with Glasgow Life to convert two of Scotstoun’s eight indoor tennis courts into three state-of-the-art padel courts, creating a high-quality indoor facility that will broaden the venue’s racquet sports offer. The development was delivered via the UK Leisure Framework, alongside supplier partners Sports Labs and DOE Sport.

Played in more than 150 countries by over 35 million people worldwide, padel is widely regarded as fun, sociable and easy to pick up. The sport blends elements of tennis and squash, uses the tennis scoring system, and is typically played as doubles on a court around a third the size of a tennis court, enclosed by glass and mesh fencing to keep the ball in play longer.

Importantly, six indoor tennis courts remain at Glasgow Club Scotstoun, allowing the venue to continue delivering performance and competition programmes, community coaching and social tennis for all ages and abilities, alongside regional, national and international activity.

Jonny Curley, Director for Scotland at Alliance Leisure, said: “The growth of padel in Scotland is at a very exciting stage. It is great to see Glasgow Life at the forefront of providing an affordable padel provision for Glasgow. The addition of three premium indoor courts will help to service the growing demand for this exciting new sport, both strengthening existing communities and building new communities at the centre. Scotstoun is one of Scotland’s leading sport and leisure destinations and is already a leading rackets sports facility with its comprehensive Tennis, Badminton and Squash provision. Adding padel will only further enhance the offering for racket sports.”

Alan Milner, Head of Sport at Glasgow Life, comments: “Glasgow Club Scotstoun’s new indoor padel courts will give people of all ages and abilities an opportunity to play one of the fastest-growing sports in the world all year round. This investment will help more people get active, develop the venue’s overall offer, and ensure Scotstoun remains a flagship location for sport in Glasgow and Scotland where padel and tennis can flourish side by side.”

A programme of activity will be available for a wide range of abilities and ages, including beginner, intermediate and advanced coaching, social play sessions, and fast-paced Americano events, where players compete individually, rotate partners, and play short rounds. Players will also be able to hire padel racquets on site, making it easy for newcomers to play without buying equipment.

Find out more about how Alliance Leisure work here