harpenden's first ever padel courts open this august

Harpenden Town Council and local operator Padel Pass are working in partnership to open a two court padel venue in Rothamsted Park. The new padel courts are set to open in early August and will offer the world's fastest-growing sport to the local community. The new facility will compliment Rothamsted Park’s thriving sports facilities including its netball and tennis courts, multi use games area, football and cricket pitches and will now include two premium padel courts.

The padel courts will be fully floodlit, so play can continue into the evening with opening hours of 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. Players can book the courts two weeks prior to opening, from 18^th July. The courts are built for the whole community to enjoy and will not require a membership to play. Courts can be booked easily via the Playtomic app.

Harpenden Town Mayor, Cllr Kirsti Wenn said “Opening two high-quality padel courts in Harpenden is incredibly exciting. Padel is a really enjoyable and inclusive sport, accessible for all ages and abilities and a fun and social way to stay active. The courts allow the Town Council to continue its objective to improve health and wellbeing within Harpenden and we’re extremely proud to be able to work in partnership with local firm Padel Pass to do this.”

Padel Pass was founded by three brothers (Tom, Jack and George Howe) born and raised in Harpenden alongside close friend and Harpenden resident (Alex March).  Since founding Padel Pass in 2024, bringing padel to their hometown has been a huge goal for the team and after a successful start opening a facility in Luton last summer, that goal becomes a reality, this August.

A word From Padel Pass Co-Founder, Jack Howe “As a family-owned business with deep roots in Harpenden, we couldn't be prouder to bring padel to the park we grew up playing in. This venue is built for everyone in the town to enjoy and we’re thrilled to have worked with Harpenden Town Council to bring it to life in such an excellent location.”

How to get involved:

• Launch Event - Padel Pass will be celebrating the addition of padel to the park with a Summer Party on Saturday 15th August in which there’ll be free taster sessions for juniors and adults, mini tournaments and coaching demos. Whether you've never held a racket or you're already obsessed, this is one to put in the diary. To be notified when tickets become available visit: https://padelpass.co.uk/#subscribe
• Free Introduction to Padel Sessions - There are already free introduction to padel sessions available. Sign up here: https://padelpass.co.uk/free-intro-to-padel/
• Pre-Launch Packages – For those that would like to lock in some great value on court time, there are Pre-launch packages offering up to £120 of free court credit, available until 18th July only. Available here: padelpass.co.uk/product/harpenden-park-pre-launch-packages/

Read our press release in full here