Inside Sunderland's new True Padel club as popularity of sport surges

Following the success of True Padel in Durham, a sister site has been launched in Sunderland after a major transformation of the former Wickes Unit on Wessington Way.

The 24,000 sq. ft complex is now home to five doubles courts, two innovative singles courts and amenities, including a bar, showers, changing rooms and a heated sports lounge.

The club opened last week and it’s already proved popular, with the first weekend fully booked in advance.

Co-directors of True Padel, Adam and Alex Carr, say they’ve had a great response to the new Sunderland site.

Adam said: “So far it’s been really popular. We had a lot of people coming over from our Durham site, but over the past few days we’ve had a lot of new faces coming to try the sport out.”

For those who haven’t tried their hand at padel yet, it’s a cross between tennis and squash and is played in doubles format on a court one-third the size of a traditional tennis court.

In the UK, the sport continues to grow in popularity with an additional 250 padel courts built between 2022 and 2023 - an increase of 116% in 12 months.

Speaking about why there’s been such a surge in people playing the sport, Alex said: “It’s very inclusive. If you go to tennis, you really have to have the match making spot on in terms of skill level.

“But in padel, you can have older generations, a couple of kids. We see a lot of families that come down and you can get a rally going from 5,6,7 plus shots straight away.”

As well as a heated lounge, there’s a bar at the new site selling a range of snacks as well as hot, cold and alcoholic drinks.

Free parking for up to four hours is available for people using the venue by submitting their car registration at the entrance.

The sports venue, which is open to people of all skill levels, will also be announcing some free taster sessions, as well as social events and coaching sessions.

In the future, there’s potential to add on some outdoor courts at the site should demand prove to be as high as forecasted.

Off-peak prices (week days from 7am to 4pm) start from £7 for 30minutes on a single court and £10 for peak times (week days from 4pm to 10pm and weekends)

To have at go at True Padel yourself, you can make booking through the Playtomic website or by downloading the app.