Is a padel club profitable?
It depends on how many courts really fit in your building and how many hours you sell. Enter your own figures: the calculator tells you the occupancy you need to break even and how many years it takes to pay back. Free, no sign-up.
Your club, with your figures
Pick a typical building (the courts come from our layouts with the LTA clearances) or enter your own. Each assumption says where it comes from; the ones without a source, replace with yours.
- Revenue
- £345,600
- Annual costs
- £280,789
- Revenue per court per month
- £7,200
- Investment
- £328,000
- Payback period
- 5.1 years
The same sums at other occupancy levels
| Occupancy | Annual revenue | Annual result | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 % | £103,680 | -£177,109 | — |
| 20 % | £138,240 | -£142,549 | — |
| 25 % | £172,800 | -£107,989 | — |
| 30 % | £207,360 | -£73,429 | — |
| 40 % | £276,480 | -£4,309 | — |
| 50 % | £345,600 | £64,811 | 5.1 |
| 60 % | £414,720 | £133,931 | 2.4 |
The occupancy each building needs to break even
With the courts that fit in each building (clear span, 8 m clear height), £32 per court hour, 15 hours a day, £9.3 per m² a month in rent, and £8,000 for staff and £2,500 for other costs a month for every 4 courts:
| Building | Courts | Annual costs | Break-even occupancy | Result at 50 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 sq ft | 2 | £229,118 | 66 % | −£56,318 |
| 15,000 sq ft | 4 | £280,789 | 41 % | £64,811 |
| 20,000 sq ft | 4 | £332,795 | 48 % | £12,805 |
| 25,000 sq ft | 6 | £447,689 | 43 % | £70,711 |
| 30,000 sq ft | 8 | £562,360 | 41 % | £128,840 |
| 40,000 sq ft | 12 | £793,152 | 38 % | £243,648 |
| 60,000 sq ft | 16 | £1,126,282 | 41 % | £256,118 |
The shape of the building changes the sums as much as its size: with the same floor area a court more or less can fit, and every court you lose is rent you pay without selling it. So the first number to have is the number of courts, in your real building: by building size or, better, with your own measurements in the planner.
What drives profitability
- Occupancy: the biggest lever. Here it counts across all opening hours, not just peak time. British clubs report 85 % at peak; the default of 50 % across the day assumes off-peak hours sell far less, and it is the figure to test hardest. Mornings and early afternoons are what separate a club that makes money from one that does not. Coaching, leagues and corporate bookings fill off-peak hours.
- The number of courts: reception, changing rooms and staff spread better over more courts. In the same building, a layout that fits one more court changes the result.
- Rent: paid per square foot of building, not per court. A large, poorly used building is expensive.
- Price per hour: peak and off-peak, members and visitors. The default here is a blended £32 against a £42 peak median.
- What is not a court: café, shop, coaching and events. This calculation leaves them out: they add revenue, and they have their own costs.
Frequently asked questions
Is a padel club profitable?
It can be, but not because padel is popular: it comes down to the occupancy you reach with the courts that fit in your building, against what it costs to keep it open. With the assumptions on this page, a 4-court club in 15,000 sq ft has to sell 41 % of its opening hours to cover its running costs, before paying back the build.
How many courts does a padel club need to be profitable?
There is no magic number. With fewer courts, rent, staff and reception weigh more per court. What changes the sums is knowing how many really fit: in a medium-sized building it is roughly one court per 3,300 to 5,000 sq ft, not per 2,000.
How much does a padel court earn?
It depends on price and occupancy. The 2026 UK Padel Report puts the median peak-time price at £42 per court hour among the largest operators; off-peak is cheaper. The calculator gives you revenue per court per month with your own figures.
How long does it take to pay back a padel club?
It is the investment (courts, fit-out, design and consents) divided by the annual result. With good occupancy it is a few years; with low occupancy it never pays back. That is why the break-even occupancy is the first number to look at.
An indicative calculation, before tax, depreciation and financing: it does not replace a business plan. Sources for the assumptions: The Padel Paper, on the 2026 UK Padel Report by Oxygen Consulting, June 2026 (a median peak-time price of £42 per court hour among the nine largest UK operators; off-peak is cheaper, so the default here is a blended £32); Savills, May 2025 (average quoting rents of £10.35 per sq ft a year for secondary industrial space and £12.55 for prime (£10.35 per sq ft a year is about £9.30 per m² a month)); Playtomic Global Padel Report 2026, as reported by Padel Addict, May 2026 (85 % average occupancy at peak time in British clubs; across all opening hours it is much lower); LTA Padel, 2025 (four courts with lighting for £128,000 (£32,000 each); outdoors, the ring beam, base and drainage add £140,000). Staff, other costs and fit-out are assumptions. Build costs in padel court cost in the UK; courts in a typical building in 15,000 sq ft.
Start with the courts that really fit.
Draw your building with its columns, doors and height. Free, no sign-up; if you like, up to 3 quotes on your plan at the end.