Game4Padel, the UK’s leading operator of padel clubs, will be opening the three new padel courts at Withdean Sports Complex, in partnership with Freedom Leisure and Brighton & Hove City Council in February 2026.
These will be the first covered courts in the area and are expected to be hugely popular with the existing Withdean community and beyond, as demand for padel far exceeds supply in Brighton & Hove.
Game4Padel previously operated a single, temporary court at Withdean until May 2024 which ran at an average of 90% occupancy, and the company also operates the highly successful padel and tennis facilities at Hove Beach Park (which were at 97% occupancy throughout the Summer). Game4Padel has a further 26 venues around the UK.
The new padel courts at Withdean have a state-of-the-art canopy flown in from Europe, to allow play all year round, and will be floodlit. There will also be a shop on site, selling and hiring rackets and balls. The padel courts will add to the existing facilities at Withdean which include new 3G football pitches, squash, tennis, gym and an athletics track.
Plans for a new community swimming pool have also been approved with work due to start in the spring.
Commenting on the new courts at Withdean, Game4Padel CEO Michael Gradon said: “I know the padel community at Withdean have been eagerly anticipating the opening date, so I’m delighted to be able to update them on the launch. With these new facilities and the courts at Hove Beach Park which we also operate, Brighton & Hove is fast becoming a centre of excellence for padel.”
Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet Member for Sport, Recreation and Libraries said:
“It’s great news that these three new covered courts will be opening early in the new year, helping to meet the huge demand for padel in the city.
“It also marks another step forward in our commitment to improve sporting facilities and opportunities for residents across the city, helping them to stay active and healthy.”
Game4Padel is the UK’s leading padel operator, with venues across the country in locations including Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Brighton, Penarth, Warrington, Preston, Hertfordshire, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Hull, Dundee, Staffordshire and Cambridgeshire among others.
There are also many new venues in the pipeline with a number opening soon. Game4Padel also operates overseas venues in Spain and Australia, where it has recently opened its third Melbourne club.
Game4Padel provides a full-service padel solution — from feasibility and planning consent to construction, funding, management, coaching, and maintenance. It covers all capital costs and lifetime upkeep in return for a share of revenue. The company partners with sports clubs, universities, local authorities and commercial sites to grow the game nationwide through court installations, coaching programmes, events, and school engagement. Game4Padel also offers a franchising model, giving interested parties the chance to join its growing network and providing them with full, comprehensive support from its experienced team.
Game4Padel’s investors and ambassadors include Sir Andy Murray, Virgil van Dijk, Aitch, Jamie Vardy, Thomas Frank, Dominic Calvert Lewin, Tammy Abraham, Jamie Murray, Annabel Croft, Andrew Castle, and Jonathan Davies. The Chairman Jim McMahon is a founder at West Coast Capital and until recently was Chairman of Motherwell Football Club, and Chief Executive, Michael Gradon, is a former FTSE 100 board director and former long-standing Commercial & Finance Chair of the Wimbledon Championships.
