Is a padel club profitable?
It depends on how many courts really fit in your building and how many hours you sell. These are the sums for a padel club business plan, in dollars: the occupancy you need to break even and how many years it takes to pay back, by building size.
The assumptions
4 courts in a 15,000 sq ft warehouse (the courts come from our layout with minimum rules). Three figures have a published source; the others are our assumptions, marked as such: replace them with yours.
| Assumption | Value | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Price per court per hour | $40 | Padel Browser, How much does padel cost in the US (June 8, 2026): a padel court rents for $20–$60 per hour in most of the US, with weeknights and weekend mornings costing more. The $40 default is our assumption, in the middle of that range. |
| Opening hours per day | 15 | Assumption: use your own. |
| Days open per year | 360 | Assumption: use your own. |
| Occupancy (% of all opening hours) | 35 % | Assumption: use your own. |
| Rent | $10 per m² a month (about $11.15 per sq ft a year) | CBRE, Q3 2026 U.S. Industrial & Logistics Market Report (Q3 2026): a U.S. industrial average net asking rent of $11.16 per sq ft. CBRE does not state the period on the page; U.S. industrial rents are usually quoted per year, so we read it as about $10 per m² a month. |
| Staff, for 4 courts | $15,000 a month | Assumption: use your own. |
| Energy, insurance, maintenance and the rest, for 4 courts | $5,000 a month | Assumption: use your own. |
| Cost per court, installed | $40,000 | Padel Browser, How much does it cost to build a padel court (June 16, 2026): a typical mid-range outdoor court at $35,000–$45,000 (the publisher's estimate); the default is the middle, $40,000. |
| Fit-out, locker rooms, design and permits | $300,000 | Assumption: use your own. |
Try it with your own figures
Pick a typical warehouse (the courts come from our layouts) or enter your own numbers. Floor area and rent are in square metres: 1,000 sq ft is about 93 m².
- Revenue
- $302,400
- Annual costs
- $406,440
- Revenue per court per month
- $6,300
- Investment
- $460,000
- Payback period
- Never, with these figures
The same sums at other occupancy levels
| Occupancy | Annual revenue | Annual result | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 % | $129,600 | -$276,840 | — |
| 20 % | $172,800 | -$233,640 | — |
| 25 % | $216,000 | -$190,440 | — |
| 30 % | $259,200 | -$147,240 | — |
| 40 % | $345,600 | -$60,840 | — |
| 50 % | $432,000 | $25,560 | 18.0 |
| 60 % | $518,400 | $111,960 | 4.1 |
The result
| Annual revenue | $302,400 |
|---|---|
| Annual costs | $406,440 |
| Annual result, before tax and depreciation | −$104,040 |
| Break-even occupancy | 47 % |
| Revenue per court per month | $6,300 |
| Investment | $460,000 |
| Payback | Never, with these figures |
The same sums at other occupancy levels
| Occupancy | Annual revenue | Annual result | Payback (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 % | $129,600 | −$276,840 | — |
| 20 % | $172,800 | −$233,640 | — |
| 25 % | $216,000 | −$190,440 | — |
| 30 % | $259,200 | −$147,240 | — |
| 40 % | $345,600 | −$60,840 | — |
| 50 % | $432,000 | $25,560 | 18.0 |
| 60 % | $518,400 | $111,960 | 4.1 |
How it is worked out: revenue = courts × hours a day × days × occupancy × price per hour. Costs = (rent per m² × floor area + staff + other costs) × 12. Break-even occupancy = annual costs ÷ revenue at 100 % occupancy. Payback = investment ÷ annual result.
The occupancy each building needs to break even
With the courts that fit in each building (clear span, 26 ft clear height), $40 per court hour, 15 hours a day, $10 per m² a month in rent, and $15,000 for staff and $5,000 for other costs a month for every 4 courts:
| Building | Courts | Annual costs | Break-even occupancy | Result at 35 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 sq ft | 3 | $350,880 | 54 % | −$124,080 |
| 15,000 sq ft | 4 | $406,440 | 47 % | −$104,040 |
| 20,000 sq ft | 4 | $462,360 | 54 % | −$159,960 |
| 25,000 sq ft | 6 | $638,160 | 49 % | −$184,560 |
| 30,000 sq ft | 9 | $873,720 | 45 % | −$193,320 |
| 40,000 sq ft | 12 | $1,166,400 | 45 % | −$259,200 |
| 60,000 sq ft | 20 | $1,869,120 | 43 % | −$357,120 |
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 dimensions in the planner.
What drives profitability
- Occupancy: the biggest lever. Here it counts across all opening hours, not just prime time. The default of 35 % is our assumption: we found no published US occupancy figure we could verify, so it is the number to test hardest. Weekday daytime hours are what separate a club that makes money from one that does not; coaching, leagues and corporate bookings fill them.
- The number of courts: the front desk, locker 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. Rents vary a lot between metro areas: use the asking rent of the building you are looking at.
- Price per hour: prime time and off-peak, members and guests. The same directory guide says weeknights and weekend mornings can run 30–50 % more than weekday daytime.
- What is not a court: café, pro 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 stay open. With the assumptions on this page, a 4-court club in 15,000 sq ft has to sell 47 % 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 the front desk weigh more per court. What changes the sums is knowing how many really fit: run your building through the planner before you sign a lease.
How much does a padel court earn?
It depends on price and occupancy. A 2026 US directory guide puts court rental at $20–$60 per hour in most of the country. At $40 an hour, 15 hours a day and 35 % occupancy, one court brings in about $6,300 a month.
How long does it take to pay back a padel club?
It is the investment (courts, fit-out, design and permits) 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: Padel Browser, How much does padel cost in the US (June 8, 2026); CBRE, Q3 2026 U.S. Industrial & Logistics Market Report (October 23, 2026); Padel Browser, How much does it cost to build a padel court (June 16, 2026). Hours, days, occupancy, staff, other costs and fit-out are assumptions. Build costs in padel court cost; the whole route in how to open a padel club.
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