Italy’s Lombardy region reaches 1,320 padel courts – up 157% in three years

New figures from the International Padel Federation (FIP) show that in Milan alone, there are now 479 courts, up 103% since 2021.

Author

Jonathan Dyson
December 06, 2024

New data from the International Padel Federation (FIP) has highlighted the rapid growth in padel in Italy’s Lombardy region over the past three years.

The figures from the FIP Research & Data Analysis Department, released just before the start of this week’s Milano Premier Padel, show that three years ago there were 513 courts in Lombardy, and that the number has since risen by 157% to 1,320 as at December 2024. 

The growth compares to an increase across Italy as a whole over the same period of 110%. 

Of the courts in Lombardy, 75% are now indoors. In the province of Milan alone, there are now 479 courts, up 103% since 2021, of which 400 are indoors (84%).

The FIP said there are now 1.5 million players across Italy, who play on nearly 10,000 courts.

Lombardy is the second-largest region for padel in Italy, trailing only Lazio. However, when it comes to active players, Lombardy takes the top spot, with around 400,000 regular players – 180,000 of them in Milan alone – playing one or more times a week.

Within Lombardy, padel is also increasingly popular beyond Milan. After the regional capital comes Brescia, with 198 courts and 66 facilities, followed by Bergamo (134 courts, 42 facilities). Next are Varese (121/36), Como (82/24), Pavia (72/36), Monza and Brianza (69/27), Mantova (54/22), Cremona (39/16), Lodi (35/12), Lecco (31/12), and Sondrio (6/4).

The FIP has attributed much of the growth in Lombardy to the Milano Premier Padel – now in its third edition. Image credit: Premier Padel.

Overall, padel is played in 270 towns across Lombardy, with the province of Milan leading (52 towns), followed by Brescia (45), and Bergamo and Varese (27 each).

On average, facilities in Lombardy have more courts than the national average: 3.2 courts per club compared to the Italian average of 2.7. In Milan, the average is even higher at 4 courts per club.

The FIP has attributed much of the growth in Lombardy to the Milano Premier Padel – now in its third edition. “The formula is easy to understand: when a big event like the Milano Premier Padel happens, more people want to play,” it said.

The federation added that the popularity of Spaniard Arturo Coello and Argentine Agustin Tapia, the best duo on the professional circuit and world no. 1 pair, are also having an impact. “Fans call it the ‘Coello-Tapia Effect’,” the FIP said.

The body also referred to previous comments from its president Luigi Carraro: “If you give people the chance to watch the best players in the world, everything else just follows”.