Why padel clubs are opening across Australia

People search "padel Australia" for all sorts of reasons: the national body, the tournaments, where to play. This page pulls together the growth figures that have been published, says who published them, and explains what seems to be driving it.

How many padel courts are there in Australia?

The 2026 and 2027 figures are forecasts. Padel Australia's own Find a Court page listed 36 venues when I checked in November 2026, but some newer clubs were missing from it.

How many padel clubs are there in Australia?

• 2023: five clubs, according to Boss Hunting in July 2026.
• Mid 2026: 33 clubs, with ten in Sydney and nine in Melbourne, according to the same article.
• August 2026: "nine venues total in Australia" when Padel Australia's game expansion development manager, Ardian Fazilu, started in his role, and "more than 30 venues and counting" by then, he told The Weekend Edition.

For this site I confirmed 39 open venues in November 2026 across the capital cities, the Central Coast, the Sunshine Coast and the Mornington Peninsula, listed in my where to play section.

How many people play padel in Australia?

Padel Australia said in December 2025 that more than 90,000 Australians had played padel, a 50% increase on the previous year. In August 2026, Mr Fazilu told The Weekend Edition there were "around 100,000 players playing here in Australia", and that competitive players had grown 100% in a year, with a 111% increase in female competitors.

For global context, the International Padel Federation's World Padel Report 2026 says there are more than 40 million active players and more than 91,200 courts worldwide. Playtomic's Global Padel Report 2026, which counts differently, puts the figure at 19.4 million players and 58,300 courts. The two are not directly comparable.

Why is padel growing so fast in Australia?

There is no single official explanation, but the published material points to several factors.

It is easy to start

The underarm serve, the small court and the walls mean beginners can rally in their first session. Most venues hire rackets, and intro classes are cheap or free at some clubs. My beginner's guide explains why.

It is social by design

Padel is always played as doubles, so four people share every booking. Socials, Americano and Mexicano events, and open matches through booking apps make it easy to find a game without a regular group.

Courts fit where tennis courts will not

The playing area is 20 m by 10 m, smaller than a tennis court, and courts can go into warehouses or onto existing tennis courts. Campbelltown council in South Australia, for example, consulted on converting two tennis courts into three padel courts. See padel court dimensions.

Operators see a business case

Padel Australia runs a Padel Investment Program to encourage new venues. Its page cites 40% year-on-year growth in courts over three years, 85% average occupancy in peak hours, and a $75 average peak-hour court hire yield. Those are its own figures. Australian builders publish court prices from around $60,000 per court. See what a padel court costs.

Support from tennis

Padel Australia describes itself as the sport's governing body in Australia and a member of the International Padel Federation, and works alongside Tennis Australia. In December 2025 it said the Australian Sports Commission had officially recognised padel as a sport, and that more than 60 coaches had qualified through an internationally recognised coaching course.

Big events

In January 2026 Melbourne hosted the first two events of the CUPRA FIP Tour: the Melbourne Padel Open at iPadel in Reservoir and the Australian Padel Open at Game4Padel Docklands. In August 2026 The Padel Invitational was played on a temporary court on the Northern Broadwalk of the Sydney Opera House, with Pat Rafter and Casey Dellacqua among the Australian names involved.

Where are new padel clubs opening?

South East Queensland has the biggest pipeline. The Weekend Edition reported in August 2026 that more than ten clubs were expected to open across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast within six months. Perth has at least half a dozen clubs announced, and Adelaide, Newcastle and Canberra have projects in planning. My city pages list each one with its source:

• Perth
• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
• Adelaide
• Canberra
• Newcastle

Is Australia big in padel compared with other countries?

Not yet. The Weekend Edition, citing the FIP's World Padel Report, said Oceania represents only 0.3% of the world's padel-playing population. Australia finished 12th at the 2024 FIP Seniors World Padel Championships, according to the same article. The growth is fast because the starting point was small.

Will the padel boom last?

Nobody can say for sure, and I will not pretend to. The forecasts above come from Padel Australia, which promotes the sport. What I can say is that venues kept opening through 2026 and operators are investing in multi-court indoor clubs. I will keep this page updated as new figures are published.