Padel Court Funding: LTA Loans, Government Money and Operator Deals in 2026

Last updated October 2026

The main funding route for padel courts is the LTA Facility Loan Scheme: 5% fixed interest, open all year, with covered courts given priority. It is only for properly constituted not-for-profit bodies; individuals and companies limited by shares cannot apply. On top of that, £3 million of UK Government money is earmarked for covered padel and tennis facilities in 2026/27. Councils have mostly used their own capital or an operator who builds and runs the courts. Commercial operators fund their own builds.

Who you are decides which route is open, so start with the row that matches you.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Padel court funding routes in the UK by type of applicant, 2026

Route	Who it suits	What is known	Source
LTA Facility Loan Scheme	Not-for-profit clubs and bodies	5% fixed; discretionary 50% cut in the most deprived areas; covered courts prioritised	LTA, read 17 Oct 2026
Government covered-facility money	Projects building covered courts	£3 million in 2026/27, likely funding three projects	LTA Padel news, 15 May 2026
Council capital	Councils with their own sites	Hounslow committed £950,000 for six courts	Hounslow Council, Jan 2026
Developer and operator deal	Councils and landowners	An operator builds and runs the courts on council land	Sefton, Coventry, Colchester
Own capital or investors	Companies and private owners	No LTA loan; commercial finance	LTA exclusions

Loan amounts and terms are not published on the LTA page, so we do not state them. Ask the LTA directly before you build them into a budget.

Who can get an LTA loan for padel courts?

Properly constituted, not-for-profit bodies that are inclusive and accessible, have security of tenure on the site, and will register with the LTA once the courts are complete. Individuals and companies limited by shares are excluded.

The LTA also asks applicants to show:

• a sustainability plan for the facility
• a sinking fund for future repairs and resurfacing
• at least three quotes, from SAPCA-registered contractors where possible

A members’ club or leisure trust that meets those tests can apply. A private padel business set up as a company limited by shares cannot, and nor can a homeowner. Check your organisation’s legal form early, because it decides the whole funding plan.

How much does the LTA loan cost?

The interest rate is 5% fixed. For venues in the most deprived areas, Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles 1 to 4, the LTA may cut that by 50% at its discretion, which would make it 2.5%.

The LTA’s page does not publish loan amounts or repayment terms. Some third-party sites quote figures, but we have not been able to confirm them from the LTA, so we leave them out. The scheme is open all year, so there is no single deadline to aim for.

Why do covered padel courts get funding priority?

Because the LTA wants year-round play. Its loan scheme prioritises covered courts, and the government’s £3 million for 2026/27 is aimed at covered padel and tennis facilities.

Covered courts also cost much more to build. On LTA 2025 figures, a canopy over one court is about £95,000 ex VAT and fees, on top of about £71,000 for the court and base. For four courts the canopy line is £316,000. A funding route that favours cover can make the difference between an open court and a covered one. Every canopy needs planning approval, so the funding bid and the planning application usually run side by side. See our padel court canopy page.

What is the government’s £3 million for covered courts?

A commitment of £3 million in 2026/27 for covered padel and tennis facilities, announced in May 2026 and reported by LTA Padel, which said it is likely to fund three projects.

That is a small pot, and with about three projects expected, a scheme with its costs and planning route already worked out is better placed than an early idea. The LTA has also reported talks with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about 40 Community Covered Tennis, Padel and Multi-sport Hubs. Those are plans, not confirmed funding, so do not budget on them.

How have councils paid for padel courts?

Mostly in one of three ways: their own capital, an operator who builds and runs the courts, or land leased to a developer.

Council	Approach	Detail
Hounslow	Own capital	£950,000 for six courts on former tennis courts; £1.4m additional income projected over four years; run by Lampton Leisure
South Ribble	Own investment	Agreed investment in three courts at South Ribble Tennis Centre (Apr 2026); amount not published
Sefton	Developer and operator tender	Tender to convert tennis courts at Victoria Park, Coronation Park and Duke Street Park (Jan 2025)
Coventry	Land lease	Land at War Memorial Park and Longford Park leased to a developer who builds and runs the courts (Oct 2025)
Colchester	Private funding	Five courts at Leisure World funded by Padel United UK
Cardiff	Operator deal	Six open courts at Llandaff Bowling Green with Padeltastic, with Cardiff Council involved (approved Jun 2024)

For a council, the choice is about risk and control. Funding the build yourself keeps the income, as Hounslow projects. A lease or operator deal moves the build cost and trading risk to the operator. Our padel courts for councils and schools page covers procurement and community use.

Has the LTA funded padel before?

Yes, at scale. The LTA and the LTA Tennis Foundation had invested more than £6 million in padel by February 2025, of which £4.5 million developed 80 courts at 42 venues.

Two examples the LTA has published:

• Esher Tennis and Padel used the Facility Loan Scheme to build two floodlit padel courts from a macadam court and practice wall, alongside new floodlit tennis courts. Membership rose to around 1,100, almost three times what it had been.
• Aberdeen Tennis Centre built two padel courts in 2023 with an interest-free LTA loan to Sport Aberdeen, according to LTA news from 31 May 2023. That was a separate arrangement from the 5% Facility Loan Scheme, whose rate comes from the LTA’s current loan scheme page; the 2023 article gives no loan amount.

Can Sport England fund padel courts?

We have found no Sport England padel funding programme, and its Facility Cost Guidance for Q4 2025 has no padel lines. Sport England’s role in padel is mainly as a statutory consultee on planning applications that affect playing fields.

If your scheme takes up playing field land or replaces tennis courts, expect Sport England to ask for evidence of local need and of underuse. At Henfield it raised no objection and noted the LTA’s support for more covered courts. Read how to convert a tennis court to padel for how that case is made.

What if we are a company or a private owner?

You will need your own capital, investors or commercial finance, because the LTA loan excludes individuals and companies limited by shares. That covers most commercial padel operators and every home court.

A council deal is the other route for operators. Councils in Coventry and Sefton have offered land or courts to operators who fund the build. If you are weighing up the numbers, our padel club business plan guide sets out build and running costs against published payback claims.

What do funders need from you?

A costed scheme they can trust: an itemised quote, a site that can get planning permission, and a plan to keep the courts in good repair.

For an LTA application, that means:

• Three quotes. The LTA asks for at least three, from SAPCA-registered contractors where possible. Ours will be one of them, itemised so it compares line by line.
• A sinking fund. The LTA recommends £1,500 per court per year for surface, lamps and columns.
• Security of tenure. A lease or ownership that outlasts the loan.
• LTA registration on completion.

A refusal is also a funding risk, because money committed to a scheme that cannot get permission is wasted. Our padel court planning permission service handles pre-application advice and the application, with noise and lighting reports from our consultants, so your bid can show the planning route.

How we help with a funding bid

We give you the costed build that every funding route needs.

• a priced breakdown showing the base, courts, lights, any canopy and the planning reports one by one
• a layout drawing and programme for the bid
• planning advice early, so the scheme you fund is one that can be approved

Padel Court Build is a SustainPlan Ltd service; our planning consultants and installers prepare the itemised quotes lenders ask for. If you are a club, see our padel club build page for costs and phasing.

Sources

• LTA Facility Loan Scheme: lta.org.uk quick access loan scheme page (read 17 Oct 2026)
• Esher Tennis and Padel: LTA case study (read 17 Oct 2026)
• Aberdeen Tennis Centre: LTA news, 31 May 2023
• LTA padel investment and DCMS hubs: LTA Padel news, 17 Jul 2025
• Government £3 million: LTA Padel news, 15 May 2026
• Canopy and court costs, sinking fund: LTA Padel Court Construction Guidance Note 2025
• SAPCA and three quotes: LTA guidance note 2025
• Hounslow: hounslow.gov.uk news 10159; South Ribble: southribble.gov.uk news 96, 1 Apr 2026; Sefton: sefton.gov.uk news, 17 Jan 2025; Coventry: Hello Rayo, 2 Oct 2025; Colchester: Colchester City Council news, 2024; Cardiff: The Cardiffian, 28 Jan 2025
• Sport England: Facility Cost Guidance Q4 2025; NJL Consulting; Horsham DC report DC/23/1177