UK Padel Statistics 2026: Players, Courts & Growth Data

Last updated: April 2026. Sources: LTA, Playtomic, Searchland, World Padel Network, FIP. This page is updated regularly as new data is released. If you have data to contribute or correct, get in touch.

PadelStop maintains this page as the UK's most comprehensive independent reference for padel participation, infrastructure, and growth statistics. Every figure is sourced and dated. Journalists, researchers, and operators are welcome to cite this page — please link back when you do.

Headline Numbers (End of 2025)

Participation Growth: The Timeline

The scale of padel's growth in Britain since 2019 is without parallel in British sport. From a niche activity with a handful of courts to the fifth-largest padel market in the world in under seven years.

Players more than doubled between 2024 and 2025 alone. Courts more than doubled from 529 to 1,130 on the Playtomic platform between January and December 2025 — a 113% increase in a single calendar year.

Playtomic Platform Data (2025)

Playtomic holds approximately 80% market share of UK padel court bookings, making its data the most representative single measure of participation trends available.

Source: The Padel Paper / Playtomic, February 2026

The UK now ranks as the most social padel nation in the world on the Playtomic platform — measured by the proportion of Open Matches (where players join games with strangers of similar ability) relative to total bookings.

Infrastructure: Courts by Region

London and the South East alone account for nearly 300 courts — almost 20% of the national total — reflecting the sport's concentration in affluent, tennis-literate urban areas. More than half of all UK padel courts are covered or indoor, supporting year-round play in the British climate.

Top UK Cities by Padel Activity

Based on Playtomic booking volumes, the top UK padel cities in 2025 were:

1. London — by far the largest market by player numbers and bookings
2. Manchester
3. Bristol
4. Leeds
5. Derby

Source: The Padel Paper / Playtomic, February 2026

Planning Applications & Development Pipeline

Planning application data from Searchland provides a leading indicator of future court supply — applications filed today become courts within 12–24 months.

Source: Searchland, July 2025

Searchland has identified nearly 17,000 potential development sites across the UK suitable for padel courts — including 16,851 underutilised sports sites and 15,742 commercial properties ready for conversion. London leads with 1,086 identified sites, followed by Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, and Manchester.

Search Interest

Source: World Padel Network, July 2025

Search behaviour has shifted from informational ("what is padel?") to local discovery and commercial intent ("padel courts near me", specific club names, equipment searches). This signals a maturing market moving from curiosity to participation.

LTA Investment & Governance

• The LTA has invested £6 million+ in padel infrastructure, including a £4.5 million commitment to build 80 new courts at tennis venues across the UK
• The LTA is the national governing body for padel in Great Britain
• Padel courts are now present in every region of Great Britain
• The LTA hosted its first FIP Promise junior international events in Britain in 2025 — in Stratford, Bristol, and Chiswick
• The 2025 LTA performance competition calendar included 4 FIP international events, 11 British Tour Grade 1 tournaments, and 15 British Tour Grade 2 tournaments across England, Scotland, Wales, and the Channel Islands
• The LTA has a three-year streaming partnership with Padel-TV for all Grade 1 British Tour and domestic FIP events from April 2025

Source: LTA Padel, 2025–2026

Major Operators: UK Court Footprint

Investment & Commercial Data

• Playtomic raised $70 million (€65m) in March 2025 — the largest single investment in padel technology infrastructure globally. Valuation: approximately €250 million. Additional crowdfunding via Crowdcube raised €5.2m+ by February 2026.
• R3 Sport (UK-based sports investor, backed padel and pickleball) was acquired by VVV Sports, listed on the UK's Aquis Exchange, in November 2025
• Six of the world's top 10 revenue-generating padel clubs are based in the UK — Source: Playtomic
• The global padel court construction market was valued at $0.46 billion in 2025, projected to reach $1 billion by 2035 (CAGR 8.1%)

Global Context

Premier Padel in Britain

• Premier Padel P1 London — 3–9 August 2026 — the first Premier Padel tour event ever staged in Great Britain. A P1 designation is the second-highest tier on the global circuit.
• The 2026 Premier Padel calendar expands to 26 events across 18 countries, up from 24 events in 2025

About This Page

PadelStop compiles and maintains this statistics page as a free, independent resource for the UK padel community. Data is sourced from primary reports published by the LTA, Playtomic, Searchland, the World Padel Network, FIP, and other verified sources. We note the publication date of each source and update figures as new data is released.

If you are a journalist or researcher citing these statistics, please link to this page as the source. If you have data corrections, newer figures, or primary data to contribute, please contact us.

Next scheduled update: When the LTA releases its mid-2026 participation figures (expected Q3 2026).