What to consider before building a padel club

For the past few months, we've started organizing webinars (you can watch them in full on our YouTube channel) and have drawn some very interesting conclusions with our guests.

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From our commercial team, Mario Scade serves as the Country Manager for the United States at MejorSet and previously as one of the first pioneers installing padel courts in San Diego; Hernán Auguste, as a padel world champion and Chief Padel Officer of LeDap as well as overseeing part of MejorSet's international expansion; and we've had guests like Ana, CEO of PadelBox, a company distributing MejorSet padel courts in the United States, as well as Patricio Misitrano, co-founder of Sport Haus, a club recently opened in Connecticut. The objective is clear: to understand what works and why.

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In early , the consulting firm Deloitte published an optimistic forecast stating that by , there will be around 85,000 padel courts worldwide, more than double the current 40,000.

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Indeed, forecasts for the United States suggest that they will surpass 20,000 padel courts by .

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Now, what is the most important thing to know when opening a padel club? How do you make it a profitable padel club? Are padel clubs even profitable, or is it a trend that leads to ruin?

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To understand the answer, which can sometimes seem ambiguous - as the importance of factors will vary depending on the region and country - let's start with the essentials:

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1. Control your rent (space rental or mortgage).

2. Proper club layout if there are more racket sports involved.

3. Understand padel as a social sport: restaurant or bar.

4. Having good coaches and trainers is vital.

5. Reservation availability and monetization.

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1. Control your rent: Location is important, but not at the expense of your business.

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The most important point to consider when setting up a padel club is the costs, but although often the installation and accumulation of courts, permits, etc., are the main concerns, the monthly cost is sometimes taken for granted, and it gradually becomes more significant.

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This is the secret of clubs that are particularly successful in the United States, such as Sport Haus. At MejorSet, we recommend having a business plan where this is one of the main aspects to review: Invest in the quality of your court, equipment, and facilities to ensure success, maintaining a clear low cost of rent or mortgage.

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In the United States, many clubs are starting to be located in uncommon or less central places but are performing very well. Connecticut, Texas, San Diego... These are just a few of the cities that are beginning to invest.

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2. Proper distribution of padel courts in a club with more racket sports

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Many clubs in the United States are opening with a variety of sports: pickleball, squash, and tennis along padel. A mix of racket sports in one space, which instead of competing, coexist healthily.

But the sound of pickleball racket or padel racket hits can indeed be very loud depending on the material, and it can be very annoying after a while of playing, so proper court distribution is very important.

• Place good curtains that can absorb sound
• Music in the club can be a positive aspect because it puts people in a good mood and also muffles some of the sounds
• Use the padel courts as dividers, with the walls blocking the sound. If we follow the example of Sport Haus, which has never had complaints about noise from any of the parties, the padel courts are facing the pickleball courts (not beside them), so the sound doesn't enter the padel court.

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3. Understanding padel as a social sport: restaurant or bar

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Those who know the origins of padel (Mexico) and understand the functioning of the countries where it has succeeded (Argentina, Spain...), will see a clear pattern: countries where socializing is common and going out is enjoyed.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from fortune.

Therefore, it must be clear that padel is one of the sports where the famous "fourth set" is having a drink after playing.

Therefore, as cross-selling and especially to make people feel connected to the place where they are going to play, we recommend having an area for eating or simply for having a drink.

As Ana, CEO of PadelBox, mentioned in our webinar, "When you have made friends, it is not just about the game itself, but about spending a good time with them. Location stops mattering, and practically the price as it is a leisure activity."

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Clubs where padel has a purely court reservation business have lower profits.

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4. Having good coaches or trainers is vital

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Patricio Misitrano, co-founder of the racket sports club Sport Haus in Connecticut, United States, mentioned that the best technique to spread the word was to offer a discount to those who came from playing other racket sports and were federated.

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And padel is indeed a very easy sport to learn, but it also has that magnetism that makes those who enjoy the sport want to come back regularly. This is a good source of extra income, but it also obliges the club to have good coaches so that the club's level can be from basic to advanced, and people are willing to pay more for more advanced classes.

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An interesting fact presented by Playtomic in Europe is that 1 in 3 people take padel classes.

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5. Reservation availability and monetization

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The aspect most valued by the player community, according to the Monitor Deloitte report of , is that 43% of the respondents prioritized court availability.

This can be summarized as: the more hours your club is available, the better.

Having a clear schedule of when classes are held, which courts are available to reserve, and clearly defining the pricing strategy is the key step for your club to be a success.

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We hope to have brought some clarity to the most important aspects when building a padel club. If you want to know how much it costs to build a padel court in the United States, what type of court to buy for your project, or have more technical questions, do not hesitate to contact MejorSet's commercial team.

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In general, strip foundations and reinforced concrete slabs must be resistant to frost action according to local regulations to avoid any damage, and based on this it should be deep enough.  

Foundations requires in most cases a Building permit. In any case, we recommend talking with an architect or a local building company for the best advice.

The regulation and the duration of the application for the building application can vary by region and it is important that you follow exactly the rules. Depending on the country, state or city, this takes from a few weeks to a few months. This is why we recommend that you submit your application to the local authorities at an early stage so that you do not miss the season.

Who should build the foundation? 
The most cost-efficient way for building a foundation is liaising with a local building company in your neighbourhood that stays even close to your organization. Building a foundation is not rocket-science. We help with the foundation plans. As part of our service you can also put us in touch with the building company as well, so we can help to make sure that everything is well aligned with our system.

It is important to ensure that the foundation is properly constructed and installed, as it will affect the overall performance and longevity of the Padel Court. Therefore, it is recommended to hire a professional contractor  to ensure the proper installation of the foundation.

See also the video &#;The installation process&#;. We recommend watching the video.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

More information see the post &#;Ground works for Padel Courts&#;. 

For more information, please visit building a padel court.