For the past year, the sports industry has been searching for “the next pickleball.” Increasingly, the answer has been padel.
From The Wall Street Journal to Bloomberg, CNBC, and countless industry publications, the headlines all point in the same direction: investment is accelerating, clubs are opening, and enthusiasm is building around a sport many believe is poised for breakout growth.
The momentum is undeniable. But comparing padel to pickleball only tells half the story.
The forces that fueled pickleball’s rise are not the same forces that will shape padel’s future. The two sports face very different realities when it comes to growth.
Pickleball spread at remarkable speed because it was relatively inexpensive to build. Existing tennis courts could be converted. Portable nets could be rolled into public parks. Municipalities, schools, and clubs could add courts quickly and affordably, creating an explosion of places to play.
Padel is different.
Every court is purpose-built. The glass walls aren’t just part of the aesthetic. They’re part of the game. Specialized surfaces, fencing, lighting, and construction make every new court a significant investment. Growth is accelerating, but it will follow a different path.
That makes access to play even more valuable. And it also makes the player experience even more important.
The easier it is to discover a club, find an available court, book a match, invite friends, and get on court, the more often people play. Every unnecessary step between hearing about padel and actually experiencing it slows the sport’s momentum.
Padel has reached an exciting point in its evolution. Awareness is growing quickly, and the sport has developed a level of enthusiasm that feels almost cult-like among players. The next opportunity is making participation just as accessible.
Every improvement that shortens the path from curiosity to court helps the sport grow. That means making it easier to discover nearby facilities, see real-time availability, book a match, invite friends, and get on court. Every unnecessary step between hearing about padel and actually experiencing it creates one more opportunity for someone to walk away.
The same opportunity exists across the entire racquet sports industry. As participation grows, so do players’ expectations. Whether someone wants to play tennis, pickleball, padel, squash, badminton, or table tennis, finding a court should feel as effortless as booking a restaurant, reserving a hotel, or buying concert tickets.
We’re already seeing encouraging examples of what’s possible. At Pickleball America, players who arrive for pickleball are increasingly discovering padel for the first time, exposing a new audience to one of the world’s fastest-growing racquet sports. In New York City, SPORTIME Randall’s Island recently completed a $55 million expansion of its 260,000-square-foot flagship racquet sports campus, adding dedicated padel courts alongside one of the country’s premier tennis destinations. Together, these facilities demonstrate what the next phase of growth looks like: introducing new players to the sport while making it easier to find a court and get on it.
In short: Every improvement that shortens the path from curiosity to court helps the sport grow.
The hype has already arrived. Now comes the work of turning curiosity into lifelong players.
