Padel Nova, on Rivermead Drive in Westlea, has created three indoor panoramic padel courts alongside a café and bar, social areas, games facilities and space where players can work or meet before and after games.
Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander visited the independently run club this week, meeting the team behind the venue and trying out some of its facilities for herself.
The visit comes as padel continues its dramatic rise across Britain. Figures from the Lawn Tennis Association show the number of adults and juniors playing the sport has grown from just 15,000 in 2019 to more than one million in 2026, with 1,825 courts now operating across 551 venues.
Padel Nova’s owners believe Swindon has plenty of room to participate in that growth. Business owner Chris Pomphrey said the opportunity became difficult to ignore as the sport began appearing seemingly everywhere.
He said:
“I wanted to open a padel club as at the time there was not another padel facility in Swindon. So thought if we don’t move quickly other padel operators would see swindon as an ideal location for this fast growing sport in the UK”
But the story behind Padel Nova began not on a sports court, but inside a food business. Part of the building was previously used by N&B Foods, with owner Nilesh Chavda explaining that spare warehouse space prompted conversations about whether it could be put to better use. He said:
“We’ve always had a bit of extra space that we felt we could use better.
“Padel seemed to be something that everywhere we looked was getting more and more popular. People talked about it.
“It was just through conversation that, well, why don’t we look at potentially using the space to put in our own padel courts?”
Rather than immediately fitting out the warehouse, the businessmen travelled around the country researching other padel clubs and looking at the elements they believed worked, as well as those they wanted to do differently in Swindon.
The result is a venue which its owners say has been deliberately designed as much around the social experience as the sport itself. Nilesh said:
“I think the biggest thing for us is community. We’re local, we’re from Swindon.
“We wanted to create a space that gives that sort of community feel.
“So you come in and play padel, but it’s not just playing the padel. Come off court, you can have a coffee, have a beer.”
He said the club was also attracting people who had moved to Swindon for work and did not necessarily already have a network of friends to play with. Rather than requiring players to organise their own group of four, social sessions and events allow individuals to sign up and be matched with other players. Nilesh added:
“We get a lot of people coming in here who have moved to Swindon.
“They can join events where, even though you need four on the court, we set up events which enable you to come in and join in with another three or another seven or eight.”
That focus on the experience beyond simply hiring a court is reflected throughout the club. Padel Nova currently advertises heated social areas, a bar and café, remote working spaces, pool, darts, table tennis, changing facilities and a viewing area alongside its three courts.
It also operates on both a membership and pay-and-play basis. Chris said the team was particularly keen to make the sport accessible to people who might otherwise assume a modern racket club was not aimed at them. He said:
“One thing when you go into a padel club you’ll see is 80 or 90% males playing, 40 to 60 [years old].
“We’re very passionate about junior coaching and ladies’ coaching, and people that just want to get into the sport.
“Hence our strapline, Play, Connect, Belong.
“Just come down and have a go. It’s fun. It’s not intense. It’s a really nice vibe.”
Club manager and coach Dave Morris said complete beginners could start playing with relatively little experience, including those who arrived without anybody else to play with. He said:
“Padel is one of those sports, if you’ve never played it before, you can easily jump onto a court.
“You can join onto a public game, you can join onto a social session and you can come and join.”
He also highlighted the accessibility of the venue’s courts. Dave added:
“It’s not just for a certain stereotype. We’ve got wheelchair accessible courts here at Padel Nova, so even if you’re a wheelchair user, you can still jump on the court and play padel as well.”
Padel is normally played by four people on an enclosed court smaller than a conventional tennis court, with the surrounding glass walls forming part of the game. Its combination of relatively quick rallies, doubles play and accessibility to beginners has helped fuel its rapid expansion.
Heidi Alexander said she had not known what to expect before entering the converted warehouse. She said:
“I just think it’s such a brilliant facility.
“To be honest, I had no idea what it was going to be like when I walked in, and it’s just this really high-quality venue.
“You’ve got people that come along, book courts, do a little bit of exercise. It’s really social as well, and it’s on people’s doorstep in West Swindon.
“It used to be an old warehouse, and you walk in and it just is fantastic here.”
She said facilities combining exercise with a strong social element could be particularly attractive as working patterns have changed. Heidi added:
“As people are working from home a bit more, perhaps people want to get out, see some other people, do a little bit of exercise.
“I just think it’s great for Swindon.”
She said the relaxed atmosphere was part of the appeal of the venue and believed padel could provide another accessible way of encouraging people to become more active.
Padel Nova is open on Rivermead Drive, Westlea, with coaching, social sessions and court bookings available for both new and experienced players.
