British padel had plenty to shout about this week. Catherine Rose and Aimee Gibson reached another semi-final abroad, the Pro Am Padel Tour returned with a new broadcast deal, and two more clubs opened their doors, including what is now Birmingham’s biggest padel venue. Here is your UK round-up for 20 to 26 July 2026.
British Players on Tour
Catherine Rose and Aimee Gibson, Britain’s leading women’s pair, went deep at the FIP Silver Mimosa Open in Porto. They opened with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win over the Para sisters in the round of 16, then came through the quarter-finals to reach the last four. Their run ended on Sunday against the higher-seeded Agustina Valenzuela and Lea Godallier, who took the semi-final 6-2, 6-2. It was another encouraging week for a pair who have spent much of 2026 hovering around the world top 100, and it sets them up nicely for a home Premier Padel debut next month (more on that below).
Pro Am Padel Tour Returns
The Pro Am Padel Tour opened its fourth season at Pure Padel Stockport on Wednesday 22 July, and it arrived with a new broadcast partner. talkSPORT streamed the event live on its YouTube channel, giving the UK’s celebrity padel circuit its biggest audience yet. On court, Team Goode, captained by former England rugby international and Saracens legend Alex Goode, beat Team Simpson to claim the first spot in October’s Grand Final. The format pairs sporting names and TV faces with elite padel pros, and this year’s tour is backed by CUPRA UK. It is exactly the kind of mainstream exposure the British game has been chasing.
Clubs and Courts
Two new venues came online this week. In Cambridgeshire, Pulse Padel opened three outdoor floodlit courts at the Blue Diamond garden centre in Wyton, just outside Huntingdon, on 22 July. The courts run from 7am to 11pm on weekdays and were approved with anti-vibration bushings fitted between them to cut impact noise for nearby residents.
Then on Saturday 26 July, Core Padel opened what is now Birmingham’s largest padel centre at Hay Hall in Tyseley. The indoor facility packs in five doubles courts and a dedicated singles court, plus a cafe, bar, pro shop and viewing gallery, all built for year-round play. If you are heading down for a first hit, it is worth reading our guide to the best padel shoes for UK courts before you go, as indoor surfaces reward proper grip.
Grassroots and the Growth Question
Not every story this week was about opening day. Estates Gazette ran a detailed piece on padel’s planning problems, noting that the sport is now treated as a main town centre use under national planning rules. In practice that means many out-of-centre court proposals face the Sequential Test, which can add cost and delay before a spade hits the ground. Noise remains the other sticking point, with recent objections and nuisance rulings around the country keeping some councils cautious. It is a useful reminder that the boom has a bureaucratic side, and it helps explain why so many new operators, Core Padel among them, are choosing enclosed indoor sites where sound is far easier to control.
The Week Ahead
All eyes now turn to London. In August the capital hosts Britain’s first ever Premier Padel event, a P1 at Olympia London, and it is a genuine milestone for the sport here. Catherine Rose and Aimee Gibson have been handed a main-draw wildcard as a pair, and Christian Medina Murphy also takes a main-draw place, so home fans will have plenty of British interest to follow. If the Porto form holds, Rose and Gibson could make it a fortnight to remember. Thinking about upgrading your kit before the new season? Our best padel rackets guide is a good place to start.
Sources
- The Padel Paper: Pro Am Padel Tour 2026 opens in Stockport
- Padel Tonic: Rose and Gibson win in the round of 16, Porto
- Padel Tonic: Valenzuela and Godallier beat Gibson and Rose in the Porto semi-final
- Padel Underground: Padel in Huntingdon, a new venue opens
- TheBusinessDesk: Birmingham’s biggest-yet padel centre set to open in Tyseley
- Estates Gazette: Padel’s planning problems
- The Padel Paper: GB stars given wildcards for London Premier Padel P1
