Sheffield’s always been a proud sporting city. Football, snooker, climbing, running up very steep hills for fun – if there’s a way to turn exercise into an obsession, chances are we’ve already embraced it.
So perhaps it was only a matter of time before padel took off here too.
Over the last year or so, the sport – a gloriously addictive hybrid of tennis and squash played on enclosed courts – has exploded across the UK, with courts popping up everywhere from industrial warehouses to local leisure centres. And now, joining Sheffield’s growing padel movement is Uno Padel Club, a brand-new indoor venue in Darnall that’s already generating a serious buzz.
Walk through the doors and you’ll find four pristine full-size courts, a café area humming with post-match chatter and a constant backdrop of laughter, squeaking trainers and the sharp thwack of balls ricocheting around the venue.
“It’s been just over five weeks now since we first opened the doors,” co-owner Kamran tells Exposed when we visit the venue. “And the reaction’s been really, really positive.”
Part of that reaction comes down to timing. Until recently, the local padel scene had a problem familiar to anyone trying to get a booking at peak times – there simply weren’t enough courts and bookings had to be made weeks in advance.
Now, with new clubs like Uno Padel Club opening across the city, that bottleneck is starting to ease and a whole new wave of players are getting involved. In fact, surveys suggest around 860,000 people across Britain played padel in 2025 alone – more than double the figure from 2024 – and participation is expected to rise sharply again by the end of this year.
“I’d say about half of the people who come to our place are completely new or beginners,” he says. “The other half are more seasoned players. We’ve even had a few Sheffield sporting favourites like Billy Sharp and Dominic Iorfa coming down for a game recently.”
That mix feels central to what Uno is trying to build. While the facilities on offer are of a high standard, it’s somewhere designed for people to give something new a go without feeling like they need years of experience first.
“Padel is a very inclusive sport,” says Kamran. “The first time I played, I turned up on my own and ended up playing with a 67-year-old retiree, an 18-year-old university student and someone who worked from home and had come in for a game. We all came from completely different walks of life, but we had an amazing time together.”
That accessibility is a huge part of why the sport’s booming. Unlike tennis, which can take months of practice before rallies become enjoyable, padel offers instant gratification. You can rock up having never held a racket before and still have a genuinely good feel for it within 20 minutes.
“I’d never played tennis,” adds Kamran. “I’d played squash four or five times and never really played badminton, but I still found padel easy to pick up. You don’t need to be technically gifted or unbelievably fit; anyone can book a court and dive straight in.”
Uno are leaning heavily into that beginner-friendly approach too. Intro sessions offer coaching and a low-pressure introduction to the game, or you can simply opt for a quick explainer before you play with friends, while social events encourage strangers to jump into matches together.
“Last night we had a beginner social here,” explains Kamran. “We had 20 players – women and men, young and old, from different backgrounds. They come here, meet new people, play with different partners and they’re all there to have an introduction to a new sport and feel part of something socially.”
At a time when so much of life is lived online, the team behind Uno believe that social side might be just as important as the sport itself.
“One of the reasons why it was really important for us to open a padel club was because, as humans, we need that social aspect. Covid took a lot of that away from us, and I think we’ve seen a real push towards healthy pursuits that provide a sense of connection.”
Alongside the courts, there’s coffee, seating areas, workstations, free Wi-Fi, showers and a thriving community WhatsApp group – the idea being that people can stick around before or after games rather than immediately heading home.
A huge amount of thought has also gone into the playing experience itself. The courts use the same turf as professional LTA competitions and the venue’s high ceilings are a deliberate design choice.
Then there’s the AI camera system, which sounds incredibly futuristic but has proved hugely popular with players. Simply scan a QR code before matches and you’ll receive automatically edited highlight reels and detailed stats afterwards.
“It’ll analyse your whole game,” explains Kamran. “How many shots you played, how many mistakes you made, what type of shots you played… it’s just crazy. It’s great to track your progress or just relive some great moments from the game.”
Still, for all the tech and sleek presentation, Uno’s biggest selling point comes back to one key word – community.
The club’s owners originally met through charity work, specifically a project in Gambia focused on education and healthcare. Kamran says that sense of bringing people together sits right at the heart of the business, even influencing the name itself.
“Spain are the world leaders in padel, and our whole ethos is about inclusivity and getting people to come together. When you come together, you play together as one.”
Hence: Uno.
And if the sport’s current trajectory continues, this could just be the beginning. Kamran believes the UK is still nowhere near peak padel yet, and he’s not alone. In fact, recent industry data suggests the country could require an additional 3,000 courts by 2028 to keep up with demand.
Safe to say, the padel revolution has well and truly arrived. And for anyone still on the fence, his message is simple.
“Just come and have some fun. We’ll briefly talk you through the rules if needed and you can get going, and then hopefully you’ll quickly see what all the hype is about.”
