The U.S. crossed the threshold of having 1,000 padel courts in early 2026. But back in 2020, there were fewer than 50. That’s a whole category, built from scratch, in just five years. The operators who move now are the ones who’ll own the market once it matures.
If you’re on the fence about padel, or you’ve already added courts but aren’t sure how to fill them, this article’s for you.
The Case for Adding Courts
Padel courts in the U.S. grew roughly 45 percent in less than a year, with Florida, Texas, California, and New York absorbing most of it. The Playtomic 2026 Global Padel Report (the one most cited in sports studies), calls the U.S. a “diamond in the rough.” Demand is already outpacing supply, and it won’t stay like that forever.
According to the U.S. Padel Association, there will be 30,000 courts and 10 million padel players by 2030. And even if that number lands soft, the direction is still clear. Pickleball built its identity as accessible and mass-market. Padel tends to attract more affluent 25 to 50-year-olds, and increasingly it’s becoming an upscale social and lifestyle offering, not just another recreational sportDifferent customers, different play.
For facility owners, that opens up a few paths:
Convert underused space. Most tennis courts sit dead during off-peak hours. Convert one to two or three into padel courts (expect $50,000 to $200,000 per court, glass walls included) and that dead time now turns into paid time.
Diversify your revenue mix. Padel courts typically rent for $30 to $80 an hour, and early data suggests players book more often than tennis players (once they’re hooked on the sport). Doubles and social play tends to bring people back for more.
Differentiate from a crowded pickleball market. Pickleball courts are everywhere. Padel courts still aren’t, especially outside Florida and the Sun Belt, so being early gives you a real edge.
Already Have Courts? Here’s How to Grow the Program
Building the courts is the easy part. But filling them consistently is where most operators stall out. Here’s a few things move the needle:
Make the sport accessible to newcomers. Most people walking up to a padel court for the first time don’t know the rules, the scoring, or how to even hold the paddle. Things like free intro clinics, bring-a-friend nights, and a quick start guide posted courtside can fix that fast. Players who understand the game the first time are the ones who show up again and again.
Bring in rating and matchmaking tools. Players want to know how good they are and who they should be playing. Things like DUPR and WPR are both expanding into padel, and clubs that plug in early give players a reason to keep logging matches there instead of somewhere else. Pair that with a matchmaking tool and you’ll solve the number one reason casual players disappear: they’ve got nobody to play with.
Program for the social side too. Padel’s glass walled courts are built for spectators and hangouts. Round robins, mixed doubles nights, a bar or lounge near the courts, all of it turns a single booking into a fun, active evening out. If you treat padel solely as a pure booking product and you’re missing half the reason people show up: fun.
Get discovered by people who are looking for it. Padel still has an awareness problem in most U.S. markets, and the players who want to try it often don’t know where to look. If your courts don’t show up where they’re searching, you don’t exist
Cross promote to the players you already have. If you run tennis or pickleball courts, you’ve already got a base of players who show up regularly. These are your easiest padel converts. Doing things like hosting a demo day, having a punch card that covers a free first hour, or just a staff member pointing it out at check-in can turn existing traffic into a second revenue stream without spending on outside marketing.
Where CourtsApp Fits In:
CourtsApp lists your padel courts alongside tennis, pickleball, and every other racquet sport on the platform, so players searching for padel courts near you find your facility instead of scrolling through generic, useless results. Listing is free and CourtsApp only gets paid when your courts book. So whether you’re planning your first padel build out, or trying to keep the courts you already have full, CourtsApp is the fastest way to get in front of the players who are ready to play.
Ready to get your padel courts in front of more players? List your facility on CourtsApp and start turning searches into bookings.
