Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and Ireland is quickly embracing the game. New courts are appearing across the country, more people are picking up a racket for the first time, and Padel is developing into a genuine mainstream sport. But there is one issue that Ireland must address if Padel is to reach its full potential: the cost of playing. In Spain, the spiritual home of European Padel and one of the world’s most developed padel markets, it is common to find opportunities to play for approximately €4 to €6 per person per hour. With thousands of courts and enormous participation levels, Padel has become an accessible everyday activity for families, friends, students and players of all ages.
Ireland is a very different market and Irish court prices vary significantly depending on location, facilities and whether players book at peak or off-peak times. Published Irish pricing guides show court hire reaching approximately €60 per court per hour, particularly for indoor and peak-time play. Some premium bookings can be even higher.
For a sport aiming to attract young people, families, schools and entire communities, affordability matters and that is why Padel 100 is taking a different approach. The Padel 100 philosophy is simple: make Padel accessible to as many people as possible. Across its network, Padel 100 offers dedicated FREE HOURS, with its current published programme providing free court time at various times each week. No membership fee or minimum spend is required for those court bookings. Outside designated free periods, Padel 100’s model fixes court rates at €30 per court per hour. Because Padel is normally played as doubles, that €30 court cost can be divided between four players. That works out at just €7.50 per person for an hour of padel.
Some indoor facilities with up to eight courts have spent, and are spending up to €2.5m on fitout and installation for that campus. That is often in addition to annual rent of (and this varies county by county) up to €150,000 per annum, or mortgage payments of a similar amount if they own the building. With repayments on these costs and the costs of running the facility, it is easy to see why charging €60 per hour for court hire is an absolute necessity. However, based on occupancy levels, competition from others, and the fact that morning hours are often difficult to sell, the Irish market needs to ensure it doesn’t build non-viable Padel campuses.
This is important because the future of padel in Ireland should not simply be about constructing more courts. It should be about ensuring that ordinary people can afford to use them. Ireland has an opportunity to create a Padel culture where children can discover the sport through their schools, communities can access local courts, families can play together and newcomers can try padel without facing a significant financial barrier. Padel 100’s combination of FREE HOURS and affordable paid court time is designed to help achieve exactly that. Spain has demonstrated what happens when Padel becomes accessible to everyone. Now Ireland has the opportunity to do the same and Padel 100’s approach is all about making padel accessible, affordable and available throughout Ireland.
