There are venues that add pickleball to their timetable. And then there are venues that let it change them.

Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre is firmly in the second category. What started as a trial on a couple of underused mini tennis courts has grown into one of the most significant pickleball destinations in Wales: hosting national tournaments, developing the next generation of players, and becoming a genuine hub for a sport that is moving fast across the country.

A venue rebuilt for a new era

The Centre has been part of Welsh tennis since 1990. As the largest indoor tennis centre in Wales, it has long served as the main hub for the sport across the north of the country, a landmark facility in a region that takes its racquet sports seriously.

But the building that reopened in January 2025 was a different proposition from the one that closed six months earlier.

A £2.5 million transformation, funded through the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund, Sport Wales, and Wrexham County Borough gave the Centre a complete overhaul. Seven indoor tennis courts. Five outdoor tennis courts. Three brand-new fully covered padel courts. A renovated reception, upgraded changing rooms, and a refreshed café area.

The feedback was immediate and enthusiastic. Players who had visited before barely recognised it. Players who had never been before arrived and understood straight away why it had earned its reputation.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, almost by accident, pickleball found its moment.

The trial that changed everything

When the Centre noticed that the mini tennis courts weren't seeing the same activity as the rest of the facility, the decision was made to trial pickleball on them.

What followed was some of the fastest growth the venue had ever witnessed.

Both courts filled up. Day after day, consistently, without the slow build that new sports programmes usually require. A new group of players arrived, people who hadn't previously been part of the Centre's community, and quickly established themselves as a genuine presence within it. The energy was different. The uptake was different. It was clear almost immediately that something significant was happening.

The Centre responded by committing properly. One of the seven indoor tennis courts was repurposed to create two additional dedicated pickleball courts, taking the total to four. A full coaching programme was established. Events were organised. The sport was no longer a trial, it was a permanent, central part of what Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre offers.

Kim McCall – Regional Director North East Wales

The coaching programme at the Centre is led by Kim McCall, a Pickleball England-certified coach, Regional Director for North East Wales on the Pickleball Wales board, and someone whose route into the sport is worth knowing about.

Kim represented Wales at tennis before earning a scholarship at an American university. From there she moved into politics, working at the Houses of Parliament, before transitioning into the charity sector where she focused on policy and legislation, shaping national policy through advocacy and stakeholder engagement at the highest level. She has chaired the Board of Trustees at Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre itself and sits on several other not-for-profit trustee boards.

She caught the pickleball bug in 2025. Since then, she has built one of the most active coaching programmes in Wales, plays as much as she can, and does all of this while caring for her eight-year-old daughter.

It's a background that brings genuine credibility to everything she delivers on court, and a reminder that pickleball has a remarkable ability to find people who throw themselves into it completely.

The offer is comprehensive. Private lessons are available for individuals or small groups of up to four players, with sessions built around each player's specific needs, whether that's technique, strategy, or tactical development. Prices start from £20 per hour, with equipment provided if needed.

Group coaching runs across a range of abilities, from beginners finding their feet to more competitive players developing their game. Sessions start from £5 per hour and are bookable through the Centre's website.

Beyond the regular programme, Kim delivers sessions for schools and community groups, bringing pickleball to young people and new audiences across the region, with all equipment provided. Corporate sessions are also available for teams of up to sixteen players.

 

Events that put Wales on the map

The moment the Centre's relationship with pickleball moved to a different level came in August, when it hosted the Franklin Pickleball Event, a full weekend of competitive play that brought twenty-seven courts into the venue alongside sponsorship from Skechers and Franklin Sports.

For many in Wrexham, it was an eye-opener. The scale of the event, the quality of the competition, and the appetite among players across Wales demonstrated not just how popular pickleball had become locally, but how seriously the sport was being taken nationally.

Since then, the Centre has hosted the Welsh Pickleball Nationals, and is set to host the Welsh Pickleball Open, which takes place from the 26th to the 30th of August.

 

The Welsh Nationals: a sport on the rise

The most recent Welsh Nationals, held at the Centre, offered a clear sense of where Welsh pickleball stands right now, and the direction it's heading.

Participation rose by around 30 percent compared to the previous year. New faces arrived. Younger players stepped onto the courts alongside experienced ones. The depth across categories continues to improve in ways that those close to the sport find genuinely encouraging.

The standout performance of the weekend came in the Men's 15+ 4.0+ singles, where Ben Stucbury, a Pembrokeshire-based tennis coach, delivered a display of composure and touch that caught everyone's attention. Coming from a game down to defeat defending champion Scott Mayo in the final, Stucbury showed the kind of resilience and precision that marks a player arriving on the scene rather than just participating in it.

The doubles on Saturday brought different qualities to the fore: experience, partnership, and the kind of tactical awareness that develops through consistent competitive play. The 15+ 3.5+ women's doubles gave a glimpse of what's coming, with Kim McCall and Leah McDaniel producing a performance that underlined the quality that is developing within the Welsh game.

Behind all of it were the organisers, volunteers, and the national governing body Pickleball Wales, working long hours before the courts opened to make the event possible. No Hollywood backing. Just genuine commitment to building something that lasts.

Planning your visit

The Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 10pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 8pm.

Court hire is £6 per hour, a fixed rate throughout the day, with no peak or off-peak variation. Courts can be booked up to two weeks in advance through the Centre's website, head to court booking and select the pickleball tab to see availability across all four courts.

Paddle hire is available at £2.50 per racket. Head Championship indoor pickleballs are available to buy at £8 for a pack of three.

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Pickleball Wales: building the game across a nation

Behind the tournaments, the rankings, and the growing competitive calendar in Wales is Pickleball Wales, a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to growing the sport across the country at every level.

Founded by chairman Paul Byron, who has driven the push for Sport Wales to officially recognise pickleball as a sport, Pickleball Wales is building the infrastructure that makes events like the Welsh Nationals and the Welsh Open possible. Regional directors cover North East Wales, North Wales, Anglesey, South East Wales, and South Wales. A structure that reflects genuine ambition to develop the sport in every corner of the country, not just in the cities.

The people involved tell the story well. Scott Mayo, Welsh international player and Pre-Europeans gold medallist is Regional Director for South Wales. Joel Baker represented Wales at the European Championships in Rome in 2025. Richard Welsford has been playing pickleball for eleven years and brings decades of experience to his role as Treasurer. Katherine Knowles, Regional Director for Anglesey and North Wales, is focused on reaching younger generations. Matthew Hazlehurst, covering South East Wales, speaks about pickleball with the kind of conviction that comes from experiencing its impact personally.

Membership is free for individual players and clubs alike. If you're based in Wales and want to be part of what's being built, registering takes minutes.

Find out more and register at Pickleball Wales

The Welsh Pickleball Open

The Welsh Pickleball Open runs from 26th to 30th August and is a DUPR registered event open to players across a wide range of ages and abilities.

Divisions include men's and women's singles, men's, women's and mixed doubles, age categories from 15+ through to 70+, skill levels from 3.0 to 4.5+, a junior event for players aged 8 to 14, and a wheelchair event.

 

More than a tennis centre

Wrexham is a town with momentum right now. There is a belief here across sport, across the community, that things are moving forward and that bigger things are possible.

The Tennis & Padel Centre reflects that. What began as atrial on two quiet courts has grown into a national tournament venue, a coaching hub, and one of the most important addresses in Welsh pickleball.

It didn't happen by accident. It happened because the Centre saw something worth backing and backed it properly.

Find Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre on The Pickleball Directory and plan your visit, or secure your place at the Welsh Pickleball Open while entries are still available.

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