USPA's Juan Arraya: America can have largest community of padel players in world by 2030

Juan Arraya, the new chair of the United States Padel Association (USPA)’s competition committee, has said he believes the US will have more padel players than any other country within the next five years as the sport’s growth in America continues to accelerate.

Arraya, who took on the role at the USPA in February, is a veteran of racquet sports, having played padel, tennis, pickleball and platform tennis professionally. Today he is the co-owner and general manager of The Sports Haus, a padel, pickleball and golf facility in Norwalk, Connecticut set up in January 2023.

In an interview with Padel Business Magazine he said: “With my experience as both a player and an organiser, I am eager to contribute to the growth of padel in the US through the USPA.”

When asked about his vision for the growth and development of padel in the US, Arraya expressed confidence that it will become a world leader by 2030. 

“I personally see the USA being the largest community of players in the world in five years,” he declared. “We have the potential and by using the resources we have we can 100% achieve this. The USPA board of directors is very passionate about the game and one great thing about it is that we all have the same goal.” 

In its first annual report, released in January, the USPA revealed that its individual membership, comprising players and coaches, grew by 10% to 1,917 in 2024.

The rise followed a huge jump from 394 members in 2022 to 1,742 in 2023, and an increase from 163 members back in 2020, representing a compound annual growth rate of 85% over the past four years. 

Globally, Spain has the highest number of padel players at present, with the number of player licenses issued by the Spanish Padel Federation (FEP) reaching a new record of 109,040 in 2024, up 8% compared to 2023.

According to the International Padel Federation (FIP)’s first World Padel Report, published last year, there were an estimated 5.5 million amateur players in Spain as at April 2024.

In the US, the number of amateur players surpassed 100,000 in 2024, according to the USPA. While the sport is growing rapidly in the States, it still faces strong competition from pickleball, which is played by an estimated 5 million people in the country.

In his role at the USPA, Arraya will oversee the equitable administration of USPA competitions and the maintenance of national rankings. 

Arraya admits growing padel to its full potential nationwide will take time, and said the biggest challenge in establishing a national tour is the country’s sheer size.  

“Travelling from coast to coast is not only time-consuming but also expensive, and not all players can afford it,” he said. “In Europe, each federation organises its own events, but they don’t face the same logistical hurdles we do.” 

Despite the daunting task, Arraya believes the size of the US also creates opportunities for growth, innovation and success. 

Alongside the rapid increase in the number of padel players, he points to substantial increases in the number and scale of padel sponsorship deals in the US over the past year, and said this will help bring extra capital to build more clubs and attract more players. 

He added that he wants to create a more organised competition structure by unifying the way tournaments are run nationwide.

“My personal goal is to standardise tournament operations and create a solid structure,” he said. “That aspect has been missing. I truly believe that US padel needs a clear path, with all tournament directors following the same rules. Things have been a bit chaotic in the past, and we’re working to change that.” 

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