Padel's Surge in popularity from Standing Start proves sport has entered Britain's mainstream

A new Playtomic announcement highlights the UK as “the world’s most social padel nation” with the highest ratio of ‘Open Matches’ to regular bookings anywhere worldwide. Playtomic also confirms that the UK has become the World’s No.5 Padel Market (by number of games played).

Playtomic data shows that the majority of the world’s top 10 earning clubs are now located in the UK. The country’s rich racquet sports heritage continues into the padel era, with club revenue takings for court bookings, events, classes, lessons, and tournaments now third worldwide, behind only Spain and Italy.

“This is a collective success story, for stakeholders and passionate players,” says Playtomic Co-Founder. “Britain’s moment on the world padel stage has arrived – with some of the best performance metrics worldwide, all the signs tell us, this is just the start.”

Playtomic has unveiled remarkable data that highlights the UK has officially become “the world’s most social padel nation”. New figures reveal that the UK has the highest ratio of Open Matches to regular bookings of any nation (Open Matches are where Playtomic users can connect with – and book to compete against – players of a similar level).

Remarkably, the data also confirms that the UK has become the World’s No.5 padel market by number of games played, placing the racquet sport-passionate nation alongside already established padel powerhouses Spain and Italy, from what was essentially “a standing start five years ago”. Driven by a surge in court bookings, open matches, lessons, events, and tournaments, the new data highlights the true arrival of the UK as a serious player on the global padel stage.

The past 12 months have seen extraordinary growth, with six of the top 10 revenue-generating padel clubs worldwide now located in the UK. In addition, the number of monthly active Playtomic users in the UK has risen sharply from 35,000 to 156,000, with 80% of clubs in the country now using Playtomic.

There are now 40,000 new players stepping on court every month at Playtomic-powered clubs in the UK

Participation levels have seen a significant increase since the beginning on 2025 where 25,000 new players took to the courts in January – with participation accelerating in both urban centres and newly developed regional clubs.

Playtomic now powers 8 out of 10 clubs in the UK, helping them manage their facilities, grow player communities, and monetise the sport through software tools tailored for padel – while providing clubs with the most accurate data available to support growth. With over 840 courts across 275 clubs, the UK’s padel infrastructure is expanding at a remarkable pace, up 300 percent in market size year-on-year.

These previously unseen statistics reflect both a shift in lifestyle habits and the role Playtomic’s technology has played in meeting and accelerating demand. Clubs across the UK are leveraging the platform to offer popular social formats like mix-ins, coaching clinics, events, and open play sessions, welcoming a wave of new players into the sport.

Pablo Carro, Co-Founder of Playtomic, said: “Our data shows that the UK is now the most social padel nation worldwide, with the highest ratio of open matches to regular bookings seen anywhere".

Playtomic Investor, Rafael Nadal (left) and Pablo Carro, COO and Co-Founder Playtomic.

"We’ve long known about the UK’s historical appetite for racquet sports, but what this new information tells us is that padel is not only the fastest growing sport, but has officially landed as a mainstream sport in Britain.”

“The enthusiasm from players and club owners alike to build a coordinated padel community is a collective success story. Britain’s moment on the world padel stage has arrived – and best of all, all the signs tell us, this is just the start. Alongside the players and clubs, we are proud to be providing the backbone for Britain’s insatiable appetite for padel.”