Padel in Milton Keynes has a new home at Willen Lake. UK PADEL has opened a club there with four covered doubles courts and two outdoor singles courts, and around 400 players turned up over the opening weekend.
It came in the same week the group marked five years since its first courts opened at Holmer Green in Buckinghamshire.
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Heading to Willen Lake?
- New to the game? Our pick of the best padel rackets for beginners starts from budget options that are fine for your first few months.
- Want to compare venues? See every padel court in Milton Keynes with prices.
What the new padel Milton Keynes club has
The covered courts are the big draw. They mean you can keep playing through the winter, when outdoor courts get wet and slippery.
The two singles courts matter too. Singles courts are still rare in the UK, so if you have struggled to find three others for a game, this is worth a look. We keep a list of every singles padel court in the UK if you want to see what else is out there.
All six courts are also set up for adaptive padel. The club says it will run coaching, social sessions and competitions through the year.
UK PADEL built the club with The Parks Trust, the charity that looks after Willen Lake. Robert Wood, its Executive Director, said padel helps people get active and meet others, and that the courts are already becoming part of the local community.
Five years since Holmer Green
Nick Baker and Neil Percival opened the first UK PADEL courts at Holmer Green Sports Association in November 2021. It was one of the earliest padel clubs in Buckinghamshire, and the club says it is the oldest public access venue in the county that is still running.
To mark the anniversary, Holmer Green held an all day padel party for members, regulars and locals. Nick Baker, now the CEO, said that five years ago hardly anyone had heard of padel. He added that the aim is still the same: get people active, make friends and enjoy the sport.
The group now runs five venues. As well as Milton Keynes and Holmer Green, there are clubs at Stoke Poges and Princes Risborough, and a five court site at SeaSpace in Newquay, Cornwall. You can find the Buckinghamshire ones on our padel courts in Buckinghamshire page.
Where padel in Milton Keynes stands now
Willen Lake joins a decent line up. The Padel Vault has six indoor courts, Powerleague has courts at Walton High School, and there is outdoor padel at Padel MK in Stantonbury and at David Lloyd. For a town of its size, that is a lot of choice.
It fits the wider picture, too. Britain had about 150 padel courts in 2021. By October this year Padel Genie counted more than 3,000, and most of those have been built since the end of 2024. Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire Council is second in the UK for padel planning applications, according to the Padel Pulse report. So expect more openings nearby.
You can read the original announcement in New Business.
Playing outdoors this winter?
- Balls go flat faster in the cold. Our guide to the best padel balls in the UK covers the ones that last.
- Buying in bulk is usually cheaper per tube.
Top photo: Willen Lake by Brian Tomlinson on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
