As padel continues its meteoric rise in popularity across the UK, operators and developers are facing new challenges and opportunities around court design, player comfort, and creating welcoming social spaces that work in all weather conditions.
At East Grinstead Padel , one of Sussex’s fastest-growing centres, Director of Padel Duncan Maclay has seen first-hand how the sport’s accessibility and social appeal can transform facilities into thriving community hubs.
Working with Galebreaker, the club installed mesh wind-reduction screens to protect its viewing and social space – helping improve comfort while preserving the open, inviting social environment that makes padel so appealing.
History of East Grinstead Padel
East Grinstead Padel has its roots in East Grinstead Sports Club, founded in the 1950s around the East Grinstead Hockey Club, a renowned and successful club in English hockey. Dennis Leman, a key figure in the club’s early days, bought the site and, alongside local supporters, built the first hockey pitches.
His son, Richard Leman, who captained the GB men’s hockey team to Olympic gold in Seoul 1988, later took on its leadership.
By the early 2000s, increasing developer interest in the 37-acre site put the club’s future at risk. To safeguard its future, the club converted into a charity. Duncan explains:
“The club was run as a private company until the early 2000s when financial headwinds started closing in.
“A site like this, on the edge of a big town became very appealing to developers. At that point, they decided to turn it into a charity to protect it as an asset and ensure its future as a community hub.”
Despite being a popular sport, hockey remains difficult to monetise and over time, the club expanded to include other sports. In 2019, Richard Leman, now acting as Trustee of the club, explored padel as a way to revitalise the site.
The club converted two of its nine netball courts into four covered padel courts. The demand was immediate, with memberships selling out in minutes. Today, the centre boasts 1,200 active members, a WhatsApp community of over 5,500 registered users and regularly operates at a 100% capacity rate,
As a charity, the club could focus on accessibility, offering padel at affordable rates, with court prices starting from just £5/hour. This model enabled the club to serve a wide demographic, welcoming members from all walks of life.
“Working as a charity, where profit isn’t the primary driver, allows us to price this centre at the right level for everyone.
“I feel a real responsibility to knock down the image of padel as an exclusive sport,” says Duncan.
Joining the mix as part of a multi-sport community
In 2024, the sport’s governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), reported over 400,000 adults and juniors playing padel, three times higher than figures from 2023. Meanwhile, the number of UK courts reached 893, across 300 venues in 2025.
East Grinstead Padel sits within a multi-sport environment, offering a range of activities, including hockey, tennis, squash, pickleball, badminton, netball, cricket, and football. This allows it to serve a broader community of players, and it is important the venue operates as a year-round destination, says Duncan.
“We’re one big sporting family. Padel fits seamlessly into this mix, and it helps position the venue as a place where people can come to play, watch, socialise and try different activities in one place.”
For Duncan, the appeal of padel lies in its accessibility.
“Padel is easy to pick up but incredibly rewarding as you improve – and it’s very addictive!
“It’s a bit like a puzzle: understanding positioning, anticipating the ball off the glass and learning how to work with your partner.”
As with many padel centres, the challenge at East Grinstead wasn’t attracting players, it was ensuring the venue could thrive year-round in the UK climate.
The Challenge: Weather exposure in social spaces
Duncan believes successful padel centres must offer more than just court space. Creating social areas, encouraging people to stay, watch and interact is key to increasing dwell time and building a sustainable club.
At East Grinstead, the club’s viewing and social area beside court one proved extremely popular for this purpose, encouraging spectators to stay after matches and engage with the community. The area includes:
- A viewing space for spectators
- A fire pit and social seating areas
- Integration with the club’s wider food and beverage offering
However, the weather quickly became a challenge and the social areas were under-utilised.
Duncan explains: “It was perfect for summer, but in winter, the prevailing wind and rain would just blow straight through; people didn’t want to stay and watch.”
The club needed a solution that could reduce adverse weather impacts without closing off the open feel of the space. To address this, Duncan sought advice from the club’s canopy supplier, Fordingbridge, who recommended Galebreaker.
“Galebreaker came down quickly, understood the problem right away and got to work,” Duncan recalls.
The Solution: Galebreaker Roll-Down Mesh Weather Screens
East Grinstead Padel commissioned Galebreaker to install roll-down mesh weather screens via a Maxidoor Pro Manual Door on the open sides of the covered viewing area beside court one.
These weather protection screens reduce wind and rain, maintaining airflow and visibility to create a more comfortable environment for players and spectators.
“It’s not about sealing the space completely,” Duncan says. “But it takes enough of the edge off the weather to make people comfortable staying there.”
The Maxidoor Pro manual doors offer operational flexibility. Beyond weather protection, the screens can be raised or lowered to create a semi-enclosed zone for corporate events and private bookings, helping the club generate additional revenue.
“The screens allow us to create a bit of privacy around court one. We can make it feel like a semi-enclosed area for events, while the other courts remain open,” explains Duncan.
Key Benefits of the Installation
- Improved comfort for spectators during adverse weather
- Increased dwell time, encouraging players to stay, socialise, and enjoy hospitality
- Flexible event spaces for corporate bookings and private events
- Visual consistency with existing structures
“If nothing else, it shows people we care about their experience,” Duncan adds. “It elevates the overall appearance of the court area, especially with the matching green.”
Why mesh screens work well for padel venues
Galebreaker’s mesh wind screens and doors offer practical advantages over solid barriers:
- Reduce wind speeds without restricting airflow
- Protect against driving rain while maintaining visibility
- Allow for flexible deployment, keeping the space open and airy
- Preserve the aesthetic and functional design of the venue
- Come in a range of lightweight, fire retardant, UV-stabilised, rot proof and tear-resistant fabrics
Explore Galebreaker’s weather protection screens
The future of Padel and lessons for new operators
Padel’s growth shows little sign of slowing and Duncan believes the sport will become an Olympic event within the next decade.
With healthy participation and multiple routes to market, many developers are exploring opportunities to build courts. Duncan offers some key advice:
“Outdoor courts lose 40% of playtime to weather. Investing in covered courts and choosing locations with strong catchment areas is essential for year-round bookings.”
“The best venues need active management and community engagement. Those that succeed will be offering something more than just the sport.
“Using dedicated apps and WhatsApp to match players, fill games and create a social experience is key. Building a welcoming venue with good food and drink on offer will compel people to stay after the game, increasing dwell time and additional spend,” he adds.
Talk to us about your installation
For East Grinstead Padel, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment, on and off court, is central to their philosophy and success. Galebreaker has proved the perfect solution for optimising year-round padel playability.
“I wouldn’t look at anyone else for this kind of thing. If you can meet challenges head-on, you can turn them into profitable opportunities, and I believe Galebreaker’s R&D will lead them to address even more challenges like ours.”
-Duncan Maclay, Director of Padel, East Grinstead Padel
Looking for the perfect solution to protect your padel court?
Contact us to discuss your requirements
