As a relatively brand-new enthusiast who has only been playing the sport for a little over six months, I’ve already observed and felt the marked differences between padel in the U.S. versus other parts of the world (in my case, Europe and SE Asia).
Just got back from the Milan Cortina Olympics and managed to play at seven different clubs and the ecosystem was so different compared to CONUS and SE Asia.
We may very well be at an inflection point for padel stateside but I think successful adoption in the next wave will require rethinking some of the playbook we’ve working with over the last, call it 6-8 years…
Great article, Hans — and I’m really loving this thread. I agree with the “circular challenge,” and David + Aris points really resonate.
One angle I’d add from my padel experiences over the last year: padel in the US won’t scale with a copy/paste club model. I say that as someone who first found padel in Cape Town as a curious newcomer (no racquet sports background), and has since visited 15+ clubs across the US.
Pop-up courts can definitely help with awareness and supply. But the biggest value is “proof of demand” and listening. Not just “how many people showed up once,” but:
• who shows up, and when
• who they come with
• what they’re looking for from a real third space
• what would make them come back every week
Coffee culture? Remote-work breaks? After-school parent hours? Weekend social crews?
Then the permanent club has to match that local rhythm and feel like it belongs in the neighborhood. I’ve seen the luxury version done well (Padel N9NE in San Diego). I’ve also walked into beautiful facilities that feel oddly empty off-peak. One of my favorite hidden gem examples is Padel Plant in Richmond, VA — it’s the kind of place you’d hang out on a Friday evening even if you weren’t playing.
If we build padel in the US around “weekly habit + third space,” density becomes a byproduct instead of a constant battle.
Would love to meet and connect further with you all.
Great points, Cleon. Listening and gathering player feedback is invaluable. Strong clubs will create that kind of dialog in person and in other channels. This obviously isn't unique to padel clubs, but in this early stage it's really meaningful for clubs looking to build their community and create programming that their players are looking for.
Great article. Hits many of the important factors to growth of padel in the US
I have watched pickleball grow over the last 20 years. Two factors that helped pickleball grow and evolve:
1. Availability of "temporary" courts to meet demand levels.
- outdoor (and some indoor) tennis courts
- indoor community centers - often wood floors
- parking lots, other level areas
In the early days chalk or painters tape was used to create temporary courts. Followed by temporary plastic lines. With solutions to lining courts in place the next accelerant was the introduction of the USAPA portable net system that provided a decent net, at an affordable cost, that could easily be thrown into the trunk of a car. These temporary courts provided no-cost/low-cost access to players.
Now pickleball could be played in any city - large or small - in the US. Not ideal conditions compared to todays facilities, but satisfactory for fun play among friends and family. This basically took out the egg (chicken?) in the chicken and egg quandary. People were introduced to the sport on these initial courts, discovered the joy that comes from playing recreational pickleball and were hooked. Rinse and repeat. The growth of this player base drove pressure on municipal parks departments to put down dedicated pickleball courts, or convert underused tennis courts into dedicated pickleball courts.
Most of the early temporary courts was in warm weather locations. Northern climes were generally limited to indoor wood floor locations with only limited availablity.
2. Ambassadors and evangelism
Early on, the USAPA developed their Ambassador Program, with 1000s of ambassadors who:
- evangelised the sport, helping new players learn and play
- scouted for, and lobbied for, new courts to address growing demand
- helped develop local pickleball clubs that provided community, structure and outreach
- assist with the growth of local pickleball tournaments, a factor often overlooked in the growth of pickleball
Padel will need to grow without these benefits.
- no real opportunities for "temporary" courts to grow the recreational player base
- few municipalities will build community padel courts (expensive to build and maintain)
- few, if any, courts will go into community centers
- most padel courts will be in private facilities with relatively high $ rates, limiting participation
- unlikely to create an Amassador group of any size
This all means that evangelizing to grow the player base will be significantly more costly than what pickleball has experienced. And potentially much slower.
All this simply means padel will need to find other paths to growth. The uptake of padel in other countries shows that it can be done. The question is what factors in the US will impact the growth level and how quickly will the sport be able to grow.
Those are great points, David. Pickle is indeed a low barrier to entry for courts and players. There was also conscious player recruiting as you noted.
The ease and low cost of temporary pickle courts really accelerated pickle growth, particularly during covid when people were looking for outdoor fun. Instant Court company is building temporary padel courts, and using a "sports court" surface instead of turf. It isn't a permanent solution, but good for pop-ups and exhibitions in prominent locations to promote padel. A lot of U.S. country clubs and tennis clubs are looking to test padel at their club to see what people think. Unfortunately, most country clubs have har-tru tennis courts which are not easily conducive to putting a padel court on top of. Many clubs are reluctant to spend $500k on a full scale multi-court padel project with the corresponding land or tennis courts you would need to utilize. In another few years there may be more pressure on clubs and municipalities to build padel courts. In the short term, I hope we can develop good solutions for padel courts on clay and/or other variable surfaces.
Loved this. The “trickle-down” dynamic is real given the types of most clubs currently being built in the US, but imo that model isn’t inevitable. In markets like Spain and Argentina (which I’ve seen firsthand), growth came from accessible, low-friction facilities built around play density (not performative exclusivity). I genuinely think the issue in the US is a cultural disconnect between what developers think players want and how the game actually scales. The blueprint is already there, but we still refuse to copy it. Rethink the model, and the trickle-down argument collapses. More on this soon…
Thanks, Aris. I agree with your premise. A difference between the US and Spain or Argentina is the cost structure - particularly in "tier I" US cities. Clubs are more expensive to date in the US because their (lease) costs are greater. As an example, and looking toward the future, padel court prices in Texas or the Midwest are generally half the price or less than prices in New York or LA. As it relates to "low-friction facilities built around play density"... we need a lot more "play density" in the US, which will come. High court utilization will facilitate more reasonable court prices.
Speaking of which, I have been meaning to introduce the two of you for awhile now but can't recall if I actually have yet... If not, Aris meet Hans and vice-versa. I think you guys will have plenty to talk about!
As a relatively brand-new enthusiast who has only been playing the sport for a little over six months, I’ve already observed and felt the marked differences between padel in the U.S. versus other parts of the world (in my case, Europe and SE Asia).
Just got back from the Milan Cortina Olympics and managed to play at seven different clubs and the ecosystem was so different compared to CONUS and SE Asia.
We may very well be at an inflection point for padel stateside but I think successful adoption in the next wave will require rethinking some of the playbook we’ve working with over the last, call it 6-8 years…
Great article, Hans — and I’m really loving this thread. I agree with the “circular challenge,” and David + Aris points really resonate.
One angle I’d add from my padel experiences over the last year: padel in the US won’t scale with a copy/paste club model. I say that as someone who first found padel in Cape Town as a curious newcomer (no racquet sports background), and has since visited 15+ clubs across the US.
Pop-up courts can definitely help with awareness and supply. But the biggest value is “proof of demand” and listening. Not just “how many people showed up once,” but:
• who shows up, and when
• who they come with
• what they’re looking for from a real third space
• what would make them come back every week
Coffee culture? Remote-work breaks? After-school parent hours? Weekend social crews?
Then the permanent club has to match that local rhythm and feel like it belongs in the neighborhood. I’ve seen the luxury version done well (Padel N9NE in San Diego). I’ve also walked into beautiful facilities that feel oddly empty off-peak. One of my favorite hidden gem examples is Padel Plant in Richmond, VA — it’s the kind of place you’d hang out on a Friday evening even if you weren’t playing.
If we build padel in the US around “weekly habit + third space,” density becomes a byproduct instead of a constant battle.
Would love to meet and connect further with you all.
Thanks for chiming in, Cleon, and great insights! Kinda almost smells like a guest article in the making... let me know, I'd love to make it happen!
Great points, Cleon. Listening and gathering player feedback is invaluable. Strong clubs will create that kind of dialog in person and in other channels. This obviously isn't unique to padel clubs, but in this early stage it's really meaningful for clubs looking to build their community and create programming that their players are looking for.
Great article. Hits many of the important factors to growth of padel in the US
I have watched pickleball grow over the last 20 years. Two factors that helped pickleball grow and evolve:
1. Availability of "temporary" courts to meet demand levels.
- outdoor (and some indoor) tennis courts
- indoor community centers - often wood floors
- parking lots, other level areas
In the early days chalk or painters tape was used to create temporary courts. Followed by temporary plastic lines. With solutions to lining courts in place the next accelerant was the introduction of the USAPA portable net system that provided a decent net, at an affordable cost, that could easily be thrown into the trunk of a car. These temporary courts provided no-cost/low-cost access to players.
Now pickleball could be played in any city - large or small - in the US. Not ideal conditions compared to todays facilities, but satisfactory for fun play among friends and family. This basically took out the egg (chicken?) in the chicken and egg quandary. People were introduced to the sport on these initial courts, discovered the joy that comes from playing recreational pickleball and were hooked. Rinse and repeat. The growth of this player base drove pressure on municipal parks departments to put down dedicated pickleball courts, or convert underused tennis courts into dedicated pickleball courts.
Most of the early temporary courts was in warm weather locations. Northern climes were generally limited to indoor wood floor locations with only limited availablity.
2. Ambassadors and evangelism
Early on, the USAPA developed their Ambassador Program, with 1000s of ambassadors who:
- evangelised the sport, helping new players learn and play
- scouted for, and lobbied for, new courts to address growing demand
- helped develop local pickleball clubs that provided community, structure and outreach
- assist with the growth of local pickleball tournaments, a factor often overlooked in the growth of pickleball
Padel will need to grow without these benefits.
- no real opportunities for "temporary" courts to grow the recreational player base
- few municipalities will build community padel courts (expensive to build and maintain)
- few, if any, courts will go into community centers
- most padel courts will be in private facilities with relatively high $ rates, limiting participation
- unlikely to create an Amassador group of any size
This all means that evangelizing to grow the player base will be significantly more costly than what pickleball has experienced. And potentially much slower.
All this simply means padel will need to find other paths to growth. The uptake of padel in other countries shows that it can be done. The question is what factors in the US will impact the growth level and how quickly will the sport be able to grow.
Great insights, David! Thanks for reading.
Those are great points, David. Pickle is indeed a low barrier to entry for courts and players. There was also conscious player recruiting as you noted.
The ease and low cost of temporary pickle courts really accelerated pickle growth, particularly during covid when people were looking for outdoor fun. Instant Court company is building temporary padel courts, and using a "sports court" surface instead of turf. It isn't a permanent solution, but good for pop-ups and exhibitions in prominent locations to promote padel. A lot of U.S. country clubs and tennis clubs are looking to test padel at their club to see what people think. Unfortunately, most country clubs have har-tru tennis courts which are not easily conducive to putting a padel court on top of. Many clubs are reluctant to spend $500k on a full scale multi-court padel project with the corresponding land or tennis courts you would need to utilize. In another few years there may be more pressure on clubs and municipalities to build padel courts. In the short term, I hope we can develop good solutions for padel courts on clay and/or other variable surfaces.
Loved this. The “trickle-down” dynamic is real given the types of most clubs currently being built in the US, but imo that model isn’t inevitable. In markets like Spain and Argentina (which I’ve seen firsthand), growth came from accessible, low-friction facilities built around play density (not performative exclusivity). I genuinely think the issue in the US is a cultural disconnect between what developers think players want and how the game actually scales. The blueprint is already there, but we still refuse to copy it. Rethink the model, and the trickle-down argument collapses. More on this soon…
Thanks, Aris. I agree with your premise. A difference between the US and Spain or Argentina is the cost structure - particularly in "tier I" US cities. Clubs are more expensive to date in the US because their (lease) costs are greater. As an example, and looking toward the future, padel court prices in Texas or the Midwest are generally half the price or less than prices in New York or LA. As it relates to "low-friction facilities built around play density"... we need a lot more "play density" in the US, which will come. High court utilization will facilitate more reasonable court prices.
Speaking of which, I have been meaning to introduce the two of you for awhile now but can't recall if I actually have yet... If not, Aris meet Hans and vice-versa. I think you guys will have plenty to talk about!