Britain’s Costliest Racquet Craze Explained
Across the UK, padel has gone from a whisper to a roar. With courts springing up in health clubs, parks, and rooftop venues, and with celebrity investors and national governing bodies backing its rise, it’s little surprise that the sport now commands a firm presence on Britain’s recreational landscape.
But as its popularity grows, so too does the number of players left asking: Why is padel so expensive—especially compared to tennis?
Once seen as a gentler, more sociable sibling to the traditional racquet game, padel has gained a reputation for high costs. From court bookings to equipment, coaching and competition, the price tag attached to playing padel in 2025 is often significantly higher than its older cousin.
This article unpacks the underlying economics, infrastructure realities, and market forces behind padel’s steeper bill—and why, despite the cost, Britain remains hooked.
Court Costs: The Price of Popularity
Perhaps the most immediate and unavoidable difference in expense lies in the court hire. While tennis has been a staple of British sport for over a century—with public parks, schools, and private clubs providing a broad and accessible network—padel is still in its infancy in infrastructure terms.
According to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which governs both sports in Britain, there are currently:
Over 23,000 tennis courts in the UK
Just over 600 padel courts operational as of June 2025
This scarcity is fuelling higher prices. Padel courts are in demand, and many clubs are charging accordingly.
Current UK averages (as of June 2025):
Public tennis court hire: £5–£15 per hour
Private tennis club court hire: £15–£30 per hour
Padel court hire (private venue): £35–£60 per hour
Padel court hire (London rooftop/private gym): £50–£75 per hour
With bookings for doubles play—padel’s only format—often split between four players, the cost can be somewhat offset. But for regular enthusiasts, the price gap becomes clear. A twice-weekly padel habit can set players back £240+ per month, before racquets, shoes or coaching are considered.
The demand-supply mismatch is not merely anecdotal. According to Sport England’s Active Lives June 2025 dataset, 38% of frequent padel players cite cost as their biggest obstacle, compared to just 14% among tennis participants.
Infrastructure: Building a Box Is Costly
Why the difference? To begin with, the construction costs of padel courts are considerably higher than tennis equivalents.
A traditional outdoor tennis court, resurfaced with tarmac or synthetic clay, costs between £35,000 and £60,000 to install.
In contrast, a full padel court, surrounded by glass walls, synthetic turf and specialist lighting, ranges from £75,000 to £120,000, depending on whether it is covered, floodlit, or installed indoors.
Key factors pushing up padel court build prices:
Tempered glass walls (3–4 metres high) for rebounds
Steel mesh frames for structural support
Specialist turf compatible with padel ball bounce
Drainage systems and maintenance of closed court environments
Import costs: many padel court components are still sourced from Spain or Italy
Operators such as Game4Padel, Padel4All and David Lloyd Clubs have invested heavily in turnkey solutions, often importing entire prefabricated courts from Europe. This has led to slower rollouts, regional gaps, and higher breakeven costs—passed on to players through session pricing.
Membership Models: Tennis Is Still More Public
Another key differentiator is the model of access. Tennis in Britain benefits from decades of public funding and council infrastructure. Local authorities often subsidise or partner with LTA programmes to keep courts open to the public.
Padel, by contrast, remains largely privatised.
In 2025:
92% of padel courts in the UK are run by private or semi-private operators
Only 8% are publicly owned or free to use
41% of padel courts are located within premium gyms, clubs or exclusive developments
Even where padel is offered in public facilities, session prices remain above tennis due to demand and upkeep. Some leisure centres now offer padel court hire for £25–£30 per hour—but availability is often restricted to off-peak times or secondary locations.
Tennis’s integration with schools, municipal parks and low-income areas has given it an edge in accessibility. Padel, while growing fast, has yet to build that grassroots base.
Equipment: The Hidden Premium
Padel racquets, unlike tennis rackets, are solid-faced and perforated, made typically from fibreglass, carbon fibre or hybrid composites. Because of their construction, the average padel racquet:
Has a shorter lifespan than a tennis racket (12–18 months of regular play)
Costs more per unit than beginner tennis rackets
Requires more frequent replacement among advanced players
Current retail prices in the UK (2025):
Entry-level padel racquet: £80–£120
Mid-range: £130–£180
High-performance/pro models: £200–£300
By contrast, a quality tennis racket ranges from £70–£150 and can last years with restringing. Moreover, padel racquets cannot be restrung and must be replaced when the internal foam loses its elasticity or the face develops micro-cracks.
Padel balls are also more expensive per session. A standard three-pack retails for £6–£9, but loses bounce faster than tennis balls due to lower internal pressure. Regular players replace balls every 3–4 matches, whereas tennis balls are often used longer or rotated for practice.
Add in specialist shoes—required to prevent slipping on padel turf—and the kit bag quickly becomes a costly affair.
Coaching Costs: In High Demand, Short Supply
Britain’s padel coaching structure is still catching up to its explosive demand. The LTA has made strides in certifying new instructors—growing from fewer than 100 in 2021 to over 450 accredited padel coaches by mid-2025—but the shortage remains acute.
Consequently, coaching is priced at a premium. As of June 2025:
One-to-one padel coaching session: £45–£75 per hour
Group sessions (4–6 players): £15–£30 per player, per hour
Junior coaching: £10–£18 per session (rare outside London and Southeast)
By comparison, tennis coaching is more competitive, widely available through schools and council schemes, and supported by long-standing LTA grants. Padel, as a commercial sport, relies more on private instructors and franchised academies.
The result? Aspiring padel players may need to pay more, travel further, or wait longer to access quality coaching.
Tournament Entry and Travel: An Emerging Cost Curve
As the UK develops its padel competition structure, costs associated with tournament play are also beginning to rise.
While amateur tennis players often benefit from LTA-supported grassroots events in their local region, padel tournaments are fewer, less centralised, and more commercially operated.
Typical entry fees in 2025:
Club-level padel tournament: £25–£35 per player
Regional ranking event: £40–£60 per player
National circuit tournaments: £75+ plus accommodation/travel costs
With most events held in large metropolitan areas (London, Manchester, Leeds), rural or regional players face extra expenses for participation. The lack of standardised competitive tiers also means that progression routes are fragmented, further discouraging mass entry.
By contrast, tennis boasts a multi-tiered system of events, including Mini Tennis, County Circuits, and LTA Youth Series, much of which remains partially subsidised for under-18s.
Demand Spike = Premium Positioning
There’s another reason padel is more expensive than tennis in 2025: it can be. Padel is still novel. It is still seen as fashionable. And that popularity allows clubs to charge more.
In marketing terms, padel has been framed as:
A lifestyle sport, associated with premium health clubs and social play
A fast-learning game, ideal for adults in midlife or late career
A technique-light, tactic-heavy experience, which invites return visits and repeat bookings
These attributes have helped padel secure a pricing structure closer to boutique fitness than community sport. Indeed, some clubs are now offering annual padel memberships priced between £800 and £1,500, inclusive of bookings and coaching credits.
While efforts are underway to broaden access—especially through LTA’s Padel Schools initiative and pilot public installations in Birmingham, Nottingham and Sheffield—the sport’s current cost base reflects its semi-exclusive positioning.
Is Tennis at Risk of Being Undercut—or Uplifted?
Interestingly, padel’s rise may be sharpening interest in tennis too. According to LTA participation data released in May 2025, adult recreational tennis saw a 6% year-on-year increase in weekly players, partly attributed to padel’s visibility. Cross-sport engagement—where players participate in both—is up 24% since 2023.
However, tennis’s more affordable nature could work as both a pull and a shield. Its legacy of low-cost coaching schemes, accessible kit, and national infrastructure means it remains a viable alternative for players deterred by padel’s expense.
But the two sports may not need to compete. Their differences—format, pace, price point—mean they can co-exist. And for clubs that offer both, the presence of padel courts is often drawing more footfall and membership interest overall.
Can Padel Become Cheaper?
It’s likely—but not imminent. Key developments that could reduce padel costs in the UK include:
Wider adoption of modular court construction (cheaper flat-pack models)
Domestic manufacturing of court components (currently limited)
More public-sector adoption of padel facilities
Standardisation of coaching accreditation to broaden instructor base
Import duty reductions on specialist turf and racquet materials post-trade agreements
Still, these developments require coordination, funding, and regulatory support. For now, padel in Britain remains a premium experience—and its pricing reflects that.
Conclusion: Worth the Price of Admission?
So, why is padel more expensive than tennis? The answer lies in infrastructure scarcity, costly court construction, specialist equipment, a premium coaching market, and a demand curve that still exceeds supply.
But the higher costs don’t appear to be putting Britain off. In 2025, Sport England estimates over 190,000 people are playing padel regularly—up from 28,000 in 2019. That trajectory, despite the expense, is a clear indicator of demand.
Padel may cost more. But for thousands across the UK, the blend of strategy, sociability and satisfaction is well worth the fee. As the sport matures, prices may stabilise. Until then, expect to pay a little extra for one of Britain’s fastest-growing racquet obsessions.
Financial Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content, market conditions may change, and unforeseen risks may arise. The author and publisher of this article do not accept liability for any losses or damages arising directly or indirectly from the use of the information contained herein.
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