Ray Algar interview: UK Padel Report author spots opportunities for growth amid elitist concerns

The first UK Padel Report, due to be published on 8 April, has investigated the emergence and growth of padel in the country, which is viewed as one of the sport’s most important emerging markets globally. The report has found that padel is much more established at present in affluent areas in Britain compared to less well-off parts of the country, adding to concerns about unaffordability and a perception of an elitist sport. In an interview with Padel Business Magazine, the report’s author Ray Algar shares some of the key findings, discusses padel’s key challenges and opportunities in the UK, and explores what the sport can learn from the fitness industry. 

The UK padel market is in many ways at a pivotal stage of its development. A rapidly growing number of players are taking up the sport, and governing body the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has set a target of increasing the number of padel courts in the country to 1,000 and growing the number of annual players to 400,000 by the end of 2026.

Yet questions are intensifying about whether padel in Britain is elitist, unaffordable for many, and struggling to attract participants across much of the country. 

A new report due to launch on 8 April, extracts of which have been seen by Padel Business Magazine, is set to deliver a series of findings which may provide cause for concern across the UK padel industry. 

Analysis in the first UK Padel Report has found that padel venues are currently 6.5 times more prevalent in England’s most affluent neighbourhoods than in its most deprived areas (see graph below). 

The analysis uses the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), a government measure that ranks neighbourhoods based on factors such as income, health, education and housing to identify areas of relative deprivation. Decile one represents the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in England, while decile ten represents the most affluent 10%, highlighting the socio-economic divide.

The report is to be published by Oxygen Consulting, which provides strategic business insight, research and advisory services to the global health, fitness and well-being industry. 

Ray Algar, the company’s founder and author of the report, says that while the analysis “may initially seem challenging, it represents a compelling opportunity to broaden padel’s geographic footprint.” 

He believes padel can learn lessons from the growth in the popularity of gyms across the UK over the past decade. 

“The evolution of the fitness industry, driven by affordable operators like PureGym and The Gym Group, illustrates how strategic, counter-intuitive thinking can transform perceived barriers into a substantial vein of new customers,” he says. 

“For padel, embracing alternative operating models such as new funding streams and novel co-location partnerships offer a route to broadening the sport's appeal and embedding it into both high and lower income neighbourhoods.” 

He adds: “Transforming underutilised community spaces into accessible venues can support community cohesion while generating much-needed revenue for councils.” 

Price differences highlight different approaches among padel operators 

Elements of the approach endorsed by Algar are already being taken by operators such as Soul Padel, which is based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. It opened its first sites last June in partnership with Decathlon, with outdoor courts adjacent to the sports apparel brand’s stores in Stockport and also Glasgow, Scotland. Court bookings are priced at just £6 per person at off-peak times and £9 per person at peak times. 

By comparison, Algar notes that his local indoor padel centre – The Padel Hub near Crawley, West Sussex in the south of England – charges £80 per hour for a peak-time court or up to £229 per month for membership — nearly ten times the monthly fee at PureGym. 

“Operators argue that these prices reflect high rents charged by landlords, which raises the question: how can padel infrastructure evolve to balance commercial viability with affordability?,” says Algar. “One potential solution lies in re-evaluating court choices. Can outdoor uncovered courts be a scalable and more cost-effective foundation for growing padel across the UK?” 

With a significantly colder climate than Spain, for instance – where the overwhelming majority of courts are outdoors – many operators in the UK, especially those looking to run premium facilities, are reluctant to open outdoor courts, but nevertheless the question may prove central to how padel develops in Britain and whether it can attract more players from less affluent areas. 

Opportunities among lapsed racquet sports players and young people 

Beyond the types of facilities being built, Algar believes there are other significant opportunities for padel in the UK which can help drive continued growth in the coming years. 

“With national participation in several established racquet sports currently flat or declining, padel presents an exciting chance to revitalise these players,” he observes. 

“One finding from our research is that padel is re-engaging lapsed racquet sports players – people who have stepped away from tennis, table tennis, squash or badminton. This is an excellent outcome in facilitating more people to integrate exercise into their lives.” 

He adds that encouraging more young people to play padel also represents a major opportunity. 

“There is significant potential to incorporate padel into schools, colleges and universities,” he says, and points to the National Universities Padel League (NUPL), which currently has ten participating universities, as demonstrating “a strong demand for the sport” among young people. 

Algar adds that to fully capitalise on the potential among universities, “ideally this requires on-campus courts.” 

At present, most UK universities with padel teams or clubs are using external facilities, with only the University of Cambridge and Plymouth Marjon University having their own permanent courts on site at present. However, earlier this month, Soul Padel opened two new temporary courts on campus at Loughborough University, and a growing number of universities are looking at how to embed padel into their sports offering.

Why attracting initial participants is insufficient for sustainable growth 

The UK Padel Report also shares some warning signs for padel operators who are currently riding the boom in the sport’s popularity but may face challenges in the future. 

Algar believes the development of the gym industry again provides valuable insights. “Gyms have excelled at recruiting new members but have historically faced significant retention challenges, with typical 12-month retention rates around just 52%,” he says. “This highlights a crucial lesson for padel: attracting initial participants is insufficient for sustainable growth.” 

He adds: “Over time, gyms have shifted from merely providing high-quality equipment to adopting a more psychological approach, learning to understand why members are there and what outcomes they seek, such as health, fitness goals, sports performance or social connection. 

“Without this consumer insight, gyms risk becoming commoditised, competing solely on price. For padel to avoid similar pitfalls, operators should prioritise creating meaningful, engaging experiences that consistently align with players’ evolving motivations. This is why we asked 30 questions in our player survey to comprehensively understand a person’s motivation for playing padel.” 

Recognising the long-term value of expanding access to padel 

Algar says the report “should spark a broader conversation about balancing social impact with financial returns in UK padel.” 

He explains that it “emphasises that while current infrastructure limitations present opportunities for premium pricing, there is considerable risk in framing padel as exclusive and inaccessible.”

He adds: “The report urges operators, investors and other stakeholders to recognise the long-term value of growth strategies that actively expand access to padel across various socio-economic groups, generations and communities, ensuring the sport benefits the broadest possible audience.”

It is a topic he feels passionate about, and explains that his interest in padel “aligns closely with my professional journey”, which spans over two decades as a strategic adviser and researcher in the global sport, fitness and well-being economy. 

“My core mission has been identifying innovative, scalable and socially impactful opportunities that encourage more people to become physically active and enhance community well-being. As a lifelong racquet sports player with a background in sports psychology, I was immediately captivated by padel and wanted to understand the ‘recipe’ propelling its growth.” 

Measuring padel’s impact on physical health and social cohesion 

Algar reveals that following the publication of the UK Padel Report, “my focus will shift toward actively driving inclusive and sustainable padel development across the UK.” 

To achieve this, he is collaborating with Espalier Ventures, the family investment office of the educational entrepreneur Andrew Colin. 

“Our business purpose is to create affordable, accessible and sustainable padel venues that cultivate community, joy and well-being,” says Algar. “We will be collaborating with local authorities, educational institutions and sports clubs to embed padel deeply within public health initiatives. 

“By measuring padel’s impact on physical health and social cohesion, we aim to objectively demonstrate the sport's broader benefits. Our structured approach — Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Promote and Measure — ensures that every facility is developed strategically, funded responsibly and operated sustainably. 

“I invite organisations, co-investors, landowners and community stakeholders who are passionate about making padel genuinely inclusive to contact me and explore opportunities for collaboration.”

·       The UK Padel Report will be published in London on 8 April. For further details or to contact Ray Algar, visit https://oxygen-consulting.co.uk

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