The dust has barely settled on Northern Ireland’s landmark NI Open, and British padel is already looking ahead to August’s historic London Premier Padel P1. This week brought the conclusion of Aimee Gibson’s emotional comeback in Belfast, two more court openings for a UK scene that shows no sign of slowing, and the first-ever event dedicated to Britain’s padel coaches. Here’s your UK round-up for the week ending Sunday 12 July 2026.
Gibson’s comeback ends in the quarter-finals
We told you last week about Aimee Gibson’s emotional return to competitive padel after five months out with a torn calf muscle. The 34-year-old and British no.1 partner Catherine Rose opened their account at the FIP Silver R3 Bullpadel Cup – NI Open in Moira in style, beating Alba Payeras Soler and Anna Zuka 6-0, 6-1. It proved to be as far as the comeback would carry them: Spain’s Anna Ortiz Gasco and Ana Dominguez Gracia edged out Rose and Gibson 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 in a tight quarter-final to end the British pair’s run at a tournament billed as the strongest field ever assembled on Irish soil.
It’s a solid marker for Gibson to build from as she and Rose now turn their attention to a run of FIP events designed to sharpen form before their home wildcard at the London P1 in August – more on that below.
Two more clubs open their doors
The UK’s padel building boom continued this month with two fresh openings. In Liverpool, Ignite Padel unveiled its new Hunts Cross centre – eleven indoor courts across more than 34,000 sq ft, complete with a licensed bar, a coffee shop showing Sky Sports and TNT Sports, and a pro shop stocking rackets, balls and clothing. It’s the latest step in Ignite’s expansion into what it bills as the city’s biggest padel operator, and adds to a Liverpool scene already buzzing after last week’s Club Mona announcement.
Down south, Maidstone Padel Courts opened at the town’s YMCA on Melrose Close, bringing three new outdoor courts, coaching and events to Kent. If you’re picking up a racket for the first time at a new local club, our best padel rackets guide is a good place to start working out what suits your game.
First-ever Clash of the Coaches announced for London
Away from the pro game, World Padel Network confirmed the UK’s first dedicated tournament for padel coaches. Clash of the Coaches will bring more than 40 coaches from across Britain and Europe together at Racketeer in London on Friday 7 August – timed to coincide with London P1 week – competing in mixed teams, organised in partnership with Fast4Padel co-owner Nico Benitez. It’s a small but telling sign of how the coaching community, often the unsung backbone of grassroots growth, is being given its own moment in the spotlight as the sport professionalises in Britain.
The week ahead
All roads still lead to Olympia and the first Premier Padel P1 ever staged in Britain, running 3–9 August. Catherine Rose and Aimee Gibson, Christian Medina Murphy and the rest of the British wildcard contingent have a run of FIP tournaments to come first as they sharpen up for the week that will put UK padel on the sport’s biggest stage. Further out, mark 4 November in the diary: the Vitality UK Padel Convention returns to The Padel Club at Gloucester Quays, with more than 50 exhibitors and upwards of 1,250 attendees expected at what organisers are calling the UK industry’s biggest gathering yet. We’ll have full details closer to the time.
Sources
- Padel Tonic – Rose and Gibson make light work of Payeras Soler and Zuka in Belfast
- Padel Tonic – Ortiz Gasco and Dominguez Gracia survive Rose and Gibson in Belfast
- Tennis Tonic – Ignite Padel expands with Hunts Cross centre
- Pulse Padel – Maidstone Padel Courts
- The Padel Paper – Padel’s first Clash of the Coaches to take place in London
- The Padel Directory – UK Padel Convention returns for 2026
