Powerleague Liverpool is extending its site as part of its £850,000 investment
How the new padel courts will look
How the new padel courts will look
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More padel courts are coming to Liverpool with a popular football centre in the north of the city set to convert four pitches to make way. For years, thousands of amateur footballers have graced the all-weather pitches on Whittle Street in Kirkdale come rain or shine, day or night.
Previously known as the Pitz, Powerleague Liverpool is extending its site, as part of its £850,000 investment. Considered to be the fastest growing sport in the world, Padel is a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash, typically played in doubles with serves underhand.
Powerleague is converting one of its existing all weather surface pitches to accommodate four new courts complete with canopies, lighting and enclosure boards. Liverpool Council signed off on the proposals last month.
Work is expected to be completed in November. The courts will sit alongside the existing five-a-side pitches on the existing boundary of the land.
Padel has proved popular on Merseyside already, with three specialist courts installed at Liverpool Cricket Club in November 2023. The sport is gaining support among athletes, with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk an investor in the Game4Padel business while former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp spending the first months of his post Anfield career on the court.
Padel was invented in Mexico in 1969 with more than 700 courts springing up across the UK since 2019. Two of the five-a-side pitches in the centre of the facility at Powerleague have been deemed surplus to requirements and will be replaced to “meet growing demand in this locality” for padel tennis.
Powerleague in Kirkdale
Powerleague in Kirkdale
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The padel courts would be enclosed within clear reinforced glass panels around three metres tall with white mesh. A canopy that rises to approximately nine metres would provide an open-air shelter above the padel courts.
The project has been reduced since it was first submitted in February 2025.
At that point, Powerleague sought to install six new courts on the football centre footprint.
Padel FC was founded by Jurgen Klopp and his son Marc Klopp
Padel FC was founded by Jurgen Klopp and his son Marc Klopp(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
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John Gillespie, chief executive of Powerleague, said: “We’re continuously striving to provide the very best facilities and increased opportunities to play.
“Completed towards the end of this year, the new courts will make the sport more accessible to those in the local area and that is something we are committed to do.
“Whether you’re a first-time player or an experienced pro, padel has continued to be incredibly popular across the UK, thanks to its sociable nature and the community it has attracted.”