For the past few months, we've started organizing webinars (you can watch them in full on our YouTube channel) and have drawn some very interesting conclusions with our guests.
From our commercial team, Mario Scade serves as the Country Manager for the United States at MejorSet and previously as one of the first pioneers installing padel courts in San Diego; Hernán Auguste, as a padel world champion and Chief Padel Officer of LeDap as well as overseeing part of MejorSet's international expansion; and we've had guests like Ana, CEO of PadelBox, a company distributing MejorSet padel courts in the United States, as well as Patricio Misitrano, co-founder of Sport Haus, a club recently opened in Connecticut. The objective is clear: to understand what works and why.
In early 2023, the consulting firm Deloitte published an optimistic forecast stating that by 2026, there will be around 85,000 padel courts worldwide, more than double the current 40,000.
Indeed, forecasts for the United States suggest that they will surpass 20,000 padel courts by 2030.
To understand the answer, which can sometimes seem ambiguous - as the importance of factors will vary depending on the region and country - let's start with the essentials:
1. Control your rent (space rental or mortgage).
2. Proper club layout if there are more racket sports involved.
3. Understand padel as a social sport: restaurant or bar.
4. Having good coaches and trainers is vital.
5. Reservation availability and monetization.
The most important point to consider when setting up a padel club is the costs, but although often the installation and accumulation of courts, permits, etc., are the main concerns, the monthly cost is sometimes taken for granted, and it gradually becomes more significant.
This is the secret of clubs that are particularly successful in the United States, such as Sport Haus. At MejorSet, we recommend having a business plan where this is one of the main aspects to review: Invest in the quality of your court, equipment, and facilities to ensure success, maintaining a clear low cost of rent or mortgage.
In the United States, many clubs are starting to be located in uncommon or less central places but are performing very well. Connecticut, Texas, San Diego... These are just a few of the cities that are beginning to invest.
Many clubs in the United States are opening with a variety of sports: pickleball, squash, and tennis along padel. A mix of racket sports in one space, which instead of competing, coexist healthily.
But the sound of pickleball racket or padel racket hits can indeed be very loud depending on the material, and it can be very annoying after a while of playing, so proper court distribution is very important.
Those who know the origins of padel (Mexico) and understand the functioning of the countries where it has succeeded (Argentina, Spain...), will see a clear pattern: countries where socializing is common and going out is enjoyed.
Therefore, it must be clear that padel is one of the sports where the famous "fourth set" is having a drink after playing.
Therefore, as cross-selling and especially to make people feel connected to the place where they are going to play, we recommend having an area for eating or simply for having a drink.
As Ana, CEO of PadelBox, mentioned in our webinar, "When you have made friends, it is not just about the game itself, but about spending a good time with them. Location stops mattering, and practically the price as it is a leisure activity."
Clubs where padel has a purely court reservation business have lower profits.
Patricio Misitrano, co-founder of the racket sports club Sport Haus in Connecticut, United States, mentioned that the best technique to spread the word was to offer a discount to those who came from playing other racket sports and were federated.
And padel is indeed a very easy sport to learn, but it also has that magnetism that makes those who enjoy the sport want to come back regularly. This is a good source of extra income, but it also obliges the club to have good coaches so that the club's level can be from basic to advanced, and people are willing to pay more for more advanced classes.
An interesting fact presented by Playtomic in Europe is that 1 in 3 people take padel classes.
The aspect most valued by the player community, according to the Monitor Deloitte report of 2023, is that 43% of the respondents prioritized court availability.
This can be summarized as: the more hours your club is available, the better.
Having a clear schedule of when classes are held, which courts are available to reserve, and clearly defining the pricing strategy is the key step for your club to be a success.
We hope to have brought some clarity to the most important aspects when building a padel club. If you want to know how much it costs to build a padel court in the United States, what type of court to buy for your project, or have more technical questions, do not hesitate to contact MejorSet's commercial team.
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