Edinburgh Curveballs Spond Club
Weekly squash, tennis & padel for everyone — rackets provided, socials included, LGBTQ+ friendly.
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About
If you’re wandering down the Pleasance and fancy a game that’s more about laughs than lobs, Edinburgh Curveballs is exactly the kind of find you hope for. This weekly social club runs squash, tennis, and padel sessions at venues all over town, with rackets provided and coaching tips on hand so you can turn up with zero experience and still have a blast. The vibe is brilliantly inclusive — it’s LGBTQ+ friendly through and through, and there’s a genuine pay-what-you-can policy if money’s tight (sessions range from free for unwaged to £7.50). After the games, the socials spill into the Auld Hoose or Dean clubhouse for drinks, making it as much a community as a sports club. Booking’s easy via their Spond group, and the cheap yearly membership (just £15, or less if you join mid-year) quickly pays for itself in session discounts.
Community Group
Edinburgh Curveballs is a weekly social squash, tennis, and padel club welcoming players of all abilities, with a diverse membership including LGBTQ+ individuals and friends. Coaching is available, and sessions are free for those who cannot afford them.
Sports Club
Edinburgh Curveballs is a social squash, tennis and padel club welcoming players of all ability levels, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals and allies, offering friendly games and social events.
Padel
Edinburgh Curveballs offers padel tennis sessions at various venues across Edinburgh, welcoming players of all abilities with coaching tips and social events after each session.
Squash
Edinburgh Curveballs provides squash sessions at various venues across Edinburgh, welcoming beginners and intermediate players with coaching tips and racquets available.
Tennis
Edinburgh Curveballs is a social tennis club that plays at various venues in Edinburgh.
Full Description
Edinburgh Curveballs is a weekly social sports club based at the Centre for Sport and Exercise, 46 Pleasance, Edinburgh (EH8 9TJ). The club welcomes players of any ability — from absolute beginners to seasoned pros — for fun and friendly games, with optional socials afterwards. Founded with a strong inclusive ethos, it promotes a diverse membership for LGBTQ+ people and friends. The club offers three sports: squash, tennis, and padel, played at various venues across Edinburgh. Rackets are provided for all sessions, and coaching tips are available to help improve your game — hand-eye coordination not required! The club also organises tournaments: the 2026 OpenSquash Tournament on Saturday 13th June 2026 and the 2026 OpenPadel Tournament on Sunday 14th June 2026, both with tickets already on sale. Membership for 2026 costs £15 for the full year, with a pro-rata discount of £1 for each month that has fully elapsed if you join mid-year. For example, joining mid-May costs £11. Membership gives at least £2 discount per event, so it pays for itself after just eight sessions. To become a member, you join the Spond group, fill out a membership form, and pay the fee. Session costs vary from £2 to £7.50, but the club has a pay-what-you-can policy: sessions are free if it would otherwise be unaffordable, and free for unwaged participants. There is no requirement to be a member to attend — non-members pay higher session fees. The club’s chair is Jonathan MacBride, who can be contacted at jonathan@edinburghcurveballs.co.uk. After each session, the club meets for social drinks — at venues like the Auld Hoose pub or the clubhouse at Dean Tennis and Squash Club — making it a highly social community. The club is listed on LEAP Sports Scotland and is affiliated with them. Online booking is available via the Spond group, and the club maintains a website, Instagram, and Facebook page.