What next for padel’s global growth? Key talking points at Padel World Summit

The second edition of the Padel World Summit provided a broad international perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the sport as it enters its next stage of development. Padel Business Magazine editor Jonathan Dyson reports from Barcelona.

There was a distinctly international feel to the second edition of the Padel World Summit, held on 27-29 May in Barcelona.

Among the 6,062 visitors, there was strong representation from the UK, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and the US, as well as Spain, according to organisers International Padel Cluster (CIP) and Fira de Barcelona.

There were also a number of attendees, speakers and exhibitors from Scandinavia, the Middle East and Asia. The organisers said that of the attendees, 40% were international, from 80 countries.

In all, the event featured 120 exhibitors from 22 countries, and 100 speakers. The startup area, Innovation Arena, showcased 20 emerging companies and several presentations, while, according to the organisers, the networking space Investor & Business Forum recorded more than 275 business meetings.

Padel’s potential to continue its explosive growth worldwide was a recurring theme during the Padel Global Conference held as part of the event.

At a panel session titled ‘Breaking the Borders – Scaling the professional circuit to unlock padel’s full global reach’, Rob Mitchell, commercial director of Premier Padel, reflected on the professional tour’s international expansion, moving into several new locations this year.

The Premier Padel 2025 season includes 24 tournaments across 16 countries, with new locations including Miami as the tour launched into the US for the first time, as well as Buenos Aires, Cancun and Germany.

Mitchell highlighted the demand for new hosting venues to join the tour in future years, remarking that “there are ten different countries a week calling us at Premier Padel”.

Overcoming challenges to growth

How padel club operators can establish the sport in relatively new parts of the world was the focus of a session titled ‘Next stop: the World – Taking padel global. What it takes to succeed in emerging regions.’

Spanish padel legend Willy Lahoz, who has been tasked with helping to grow the sport in South Africa by Johannesburg-based club Balwin Sport, assessed the development of padel in the country and Africa as a whole.

He pointed to rapid growth, but observed that, as with many other parts of the world, “padel is largely played by affluent people.” He added that developing the sport in black and Muslim communities in South Africa was proving “challenging”.

The difficulties in ensuring padel is accessible and affordable across different parts of the world was a key discussion point during the session. 

Jeevan Gill, COO of UK operator PadelStars, said one way her firm is addressing this is by providing free court time for children, “removing the hurdles to people picking up a racquet for the first time. Because once they do that they want to play it.”

She added that the challenges around the development of padel in the UK were compounded by the country’s planning regulations, which she said are “hindering growth”, revealing that PadelStars has been waiting for some planning decisions for over a year. “Finding a decent location is hard,” she said.

Value of multi-use offering 

Playtomic co-founder Pablo Carro stressed the value of providing different experiences within a padel club. “This sport is multi-facility,” he said,” adding that “most successful clubs are premium – not exclusive.”

He noted there are many examples of such multi-use clubs in the US, in particular in Miami, but acknowledged that there are different models elsewhere, with some operators in the UK partnering with local councils to make padel accessible.

The advantages of offering padel alongside other activities were also underlined in a session titled ‘From clubs to communities – Unlocking the power of belonging to drive growth and loyalty within clubs.’

Sebastian Gordon, co-founder of UK and Denmark operator Rocket Padel, revealed that padel itself accounts for 60% of the company’s revenue, with the other 40% coming from spas and other income streams. 

He said Rocket Padel was always looking at new ways to drive a sense of community among its players. “We do a lot of socials and activations to engage people,” he said, adding that it is currently looking at club v club matches, for instance, as a way to generate more interest. 

He added that it is “important for clubs and booking platforms to work together to provide a good experience.” 

Rise of padel tourism

The global potential of padel was also highlighted during a session titled ‘Courts with a view – Turning padel venues into travel destinations with purpose and passion.’ 

Session moderator Philip Pereira noted that “tourism is a gateway for padel to enter new markets – it’s how the sport originated.”

Patricia Frost, founder and director of The Padel Travel Club, a UK-based firm established in 2023 which creates bespoke padel holidays to destinations in Spain, Portugal and elsewhere, said its trips were increasingly in demand, in particular from young people.

The company offers experiences for solo travellers, private groups and official club trips. “Padel tourism is in its infancy but it is growing,” Frost said, noting that padel holidays tend to attract a younger age demographic compared with other sports holidays such as golf or cycling, explaining that padel players view it “as a social experience”. 

She added that solo trips in particular were “taking off” as more young people opt for ‘competitive socialising’ as an alternative to just meeting to eat or drink, as reflected in the growing popularity of playing padel when going on a date. 

The shift highlights the greater desire among young people for healthier lifestyles and new ways to be active, as outlined in the first UK Padel Report launched in April.

Another firm specialised in padel tourism is Weebora, an online platform for booking padel travel experiences set up in May 2024. The Milan-based company is the official travel partner of the International Padel Federation (FIP) and several Premier Padel events, including the finals in Barcelona and the P1s in Milan, Madrid, Malaga and Miami.

Weebora director Fabio Zecchini explained that several trips offered by the firm combine different padel experiences, for instance playing in a morning and then watching a professional tournament in the afternoon.

He stressed that “coaching is an important part of padel tourism”, adding that for trips to destinations such as Mauritius or the Maldives the company will in effect take a padel academy to a tourist destination due to a lack of local coaches.

Further international expansion 

While the sport faces a variety of challenges, the potential for padel to experience continued rapid growth globally was made clear at the Padel World Summit.

It is anticipated there will be a further increase in the number of attendees and breadth of countries represented at next year's event, which will return to Fira de Barcelona on 26-28 May 2026.

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