Engineering excellence meets community impact: Building the East Glos padel courts

The UK padel market is booming, but constructing courts that deliver consistent, high-performance play requires more than enthusiasm.  It demands technical expertise, robust project management, and integrated infrastructure solutions. The East Glos Club in Cheltenham provides a compelling case study, showcasing how specialist construction techniques and a dedicated team underpin successful sports facilities, which bring the community together.

Meeting growing demand

East Glos Club, a historic racquets facility in the Southwest, commissioned Carrick Construction, part of STRI Group, to build four additional outdoor padel courts, three doubles and a singles court (the first in the county), meeting growing community interest. The project focused on durability, maintenance efficiency, and environmental sustainability. The build needed to integrate with existing facilities, support heavy usage, and comply with LTA and SAPCA guidelines.

Groundworks and subgrade engineering

The foundation of any sports surface is the ground it sits on. For East Glos, Carrick Construction implemented precise groundworks that exemplify trade best practice:

• Site assessment and surveying: Geotechnical investigations determined soil composition, load-bearing capacity, and natural drainage characteristics.
• Subgrade preparation: Excavation and laser-graded formation ensured level tolerances within millimetres across the full court footprint.
• Stabilisation layers: Engineered aggregate sub-base layers were compacted to specification, providing structural integrity for the infrastructure.
• Perimeter works: Concrete kerbing and edge restraints provided long-term support for courts, fencing, and access pathways.

Due to the location of the new courts, surface water was identified as a potential issue. To address this, support from The Environmental Protection Group (part of STRI Group) was brought in to design a soakaway system that connected to the site’s drainage network, directing excess groundwater safely away.  This level of detail is critical to ensure surface flatness, durability, and predictable water runoff, factors often underestimated in recreational builds but essential for high-traffic, high-performance courts.

Building more than just courts

Beyond the technical achievement, the East Glos padel development delivers measurable social value. Sport is a proven catalyst for wellbeing, inclusion, and community cohesion, and padel is uniquely accessible. The smaller court size, slower ball speed, and sociable format make it suitable for all ages and abilities, attracting players who might never have joined a traditional racquets club.

By investing in high-quality, publicly accessible courts, East Glos has widened participation in Cheltenham. Membership has grown, casual “pay and play” sessions have increased, and the facility now attracts families, juniors, and new community groups. This expansion of access supports local health agendas and aligns with Sport England’s goals for active, inclusive spaces.

From a construction perspective, this demonstrates the wider value of sports infrastructure investment. Projects like these stimulate local economies, generate employment through design and build, and leave a lasting legacy, spaces that encourage activity, social connection, and pride in place.

In many ways, the success of East Glos isn’t measured purely in engineering precision, but in participation rates and community engagement, outcomes made possible through careful design, robust delivery, and a shared vision between client and contractor.

Performance outcomes

Since opening, East Glos’s padel courts have demonstrated the value of technically sound construction. High utilisation rates, minimal surface downtime, and positive player feedback highlight how quality engineering supports operational success.

The technical capabilities that facilitated this expansion include:

• Advanced groundworks and civil engineering expertise for multi-court layouts
• Drainage and irrigation integration to maintain surfaces under heavy use
• Design and build coordination to align structural, mechanical, and electrical disciplines
• Sustainable material and operational planning for long-term facility performance

Carrick Construction’s approach demonstrates that attention to these technical factors is not optional, it is the foundation for operationally successful, durable, and scalable sports infrastructure.

For trade professionals in sports construction, the East Glos padel courts offer a compelling case study. Success is achieved not just by meeting surface specifications, but through precision engineering, integrated drainage, and holistic design-build management.

Darren Morris, Club Manager at East Glos said, “Carrick Construction recently completed the installation of four padel courts, social space and grounds work for the Club, which were opened in July.  Working with Pro Padel courts and project manager Richard Savory, the quote provided was extremely competitive, but also the timescales offered were what the Club needed due to pressure on the current courts.

The team provided good communication with the Club throughout, including regular meetings and showing flexibility with the project as and when required as it developed, including additional fencing and adding a soil bund.  The inhouse expertise of irrigation, testing and engineering allowed for a smooth process and adaptation when required.

The completed project is in keeping with the high standards that the Club strives for, with lots of positive feedback from the membership with the standard of the job completed”.

Carrick Construction continues to set benchmarks for sports infrastructure, combining civil engineering expertise, surface knowledge, and sustainability practices to deliver high-performance, long-lasting facilities.

For clubs, developers, and governing bodies looking to expand, upgrade, or build new facilities, the lesson is clear to partner with technically capable specialists to ensure the project is delivered efficiently, to specification, and built to last.

Thanks to all the companies involved in bringing this project to life:  Raise Partnership Ltd, Zesta Planning Ltd, PRO padel courts, White Horse Steel Installations Ltd and Slatter Electrical Ltd.