Padel participation trebled in 2024 as explosive growth continues

The number of people who played padel at least once more than trebled in 2024, according to figures from the LTA, the sport’s national governing body. More than 400,000 adults and juniors took the court at least once during last year, up from 129,000 in 2023. The figure has grown exponentially – in 2019 just 15,000 people played at least once, but by 2021 the number had grown to 89,000.

Meanwhile, latest data from Sport England’ Active Lives survey – which tracks the number of adults who play twice monthly – shows that the number of regular players has doubled in a year, from 23,000 in 2022-23 to 51,000 in 2023-24. The growth in demand is mirrored by a rapidly expanding infrastructure, with 893 padel courts now available across 300 venues across Britain.

According to the LTA, it has invested more than £6 million in the growth of padel across Britain, including £4.5 million towards the development of 80 courts at 42 venues – which it says represents approximately 10% of all padel courts nationwide.

The LTA says that, according to its data, awareness of padel among adults reached 43% of the population (approximately 23 million individuals) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a significant increase from 23% (12 million) during the same period in the previous year. The LTA has also launched a dedicated padel website ([ltapadel.org.uk](https://ltapadel.org.uk/)).