2. Table of contents
INTRODUCTION
PART 01
PART 02
PART 03
PART 04
The new and competitive side of things
Padel discussions
Demographics
Survey
Conclusion
3
6-11
12-14
15-18
19-20
4. 4
“The reports of my
death are greatly
exaggerated”
It’s fair to say that the Swedish padel market has
been through it all during its relatively short but
intensive existence. A sport that has seen the num-
ber of players and venues growing at an unheard-of
pace - backed by footballing stars, entrepreneurs,
and risk capitalists.
The recent year is a testament that the sport is going
through a transition and slowly finding its footing,
and maturing. A natural evolution for any sport that
aims to be sustainable and “be in it” for the long term.
Within this new era of the sport, we’ve noticed how
important organized play such as leagues, activities,
and tournaments has become. Factors now seen as one
of the main drivers for the maturing padel market - as
venues try to build a community for their player base.
This report breaks down the development of padel
leagues, activities, and tournaments in Sweden, looks
at how the interest has developed, who’s competing
and why, and what players want more of in the future.
The analysis is built on online conversations, search
behavior, booking data, and survey data from active
padel players.
5. 5
5
Drastic increase of players
and competitions in Sweden
Sweden is the most established padel market in Northern
Europe, serving as a trendsetter and leading example of
how the padel market can transform from an enthusiastic
to a mature and sustainable market.
Looking at numbers from players in padel tournaments
and league plays in Sweden, the data is clear - the number
of licensed players, players in organized competitive plays,
and the number of leagues have all increased between
50 to 100 percent during the last two years.
The number of female leagues or tournaments increased from
2021 to 2022 and is now 20% more common than male ones.
However, male players are still greater in numbers as their
leagues and tournaments are often bigger than female ones.
2021
Players in leagues in Sweden
Leagues in Sweden
2022
Open for all Female Male Undefined*
Open for all Female Male Undefined*
*Includes corporate/friends/other types of tournaments where
participants and setups are not defined.
2021 2022
55%
46%
6. Padel discussions
What are padel players searching for
and talking about online?
COURTSIDE INSIGHTS – PART 01
6
7. 7
Activities
on the rise
We’vesaiditbefore,andwe’llsayitagain-theSwedish
padel landscape is starting to find its footing, or-
ganize itself and become a more structured sport as
of late. During its peak, the most common booking
type was spare time bookings, as curious onlookers
were starting to find their way to the courts.
Even though activities were something that prac-
titioners turned to frequently, we can see that its
popularity has soared as of late, both in terms of par-
ticipants and searches. Between 2020 and 2022, the
searches for Americanos increased by 96%. What we
can also see is that this correlates with the number
of activities being played, as they tripled between
2021 and 2022, suggesting that practitioners and
venues are starting to embrace these changes.
96%
Increase of searches
for Americano
between 2020-2022
1085%
Increase of searches
for Mexicano
between 2020-2022
Includes additional words like “padel americano rules”, “americano padel
schedule”, and similar.
Number of Google searches
Americano Mexicano “Padel tournament/
series”
50.000
37.500
25.000
12.500
0
2022
2021
2020
8. 8
What people are talking
about in Facebook Groups
Americano and tournaments are the most discussed competi-
tion forms in Facebook groups overall.
Discussions on upcoming americanos, tournaments or league
plays are active within the community.
Common conversations also include what people think of var-
ious arenas, what kind of padel apps are available and sugges-
tions on how to set up a tournament.
•
•
•
DISCUSSIONS
Competition
45%
14%
5%
2%
33% Americano 45%
Tournament 33%
League 14%
Mexicano 5%
AW 2%
9. 9
Activities
When are people playing?
To enable a high number of participants, it’s of great
importance for venues to familiarize themselves
with their player base, its habits - and more spe-
cifically, at what time they want to be on the court.
Looking into the numbers, during 2021 half of all
activities were played between 08.00-13.00. This is
a figure that might not come as a surprise, with
people working from home due to the pandemic.
During 2022, however, we can see a clear change in
behavior. In recent times, more and more activities
are being played between 16.00-22.00. One of the
reasons for this could be that people are starting
to work from the office more frequently with the
restrictions being lifted earlier in 2022.
Which day of the week is the activity booked?
What time of day is the activity booked?
Monday
00-06 06-08 11-13 13-16 16-22
20%
40%
15%
30%
10%
20%
5%
10%
0%
0%
Wednesday
08-11
Friday Sunday
22-00
2021 2022
2021 2022
10. 8 players
32%
Participants
What is the magic number?
Activities is a way for venues to offer a variety of
formats to their players separate from the usual
spare time booking. By doing this they can engage
with their players and give them a chance to play
against opponents they normally don’t. But what is
the “magic number” when it comes to the number
of participants? Looking into the data, the pattern
becomes vividly clear on what players prefer.
10
16 players
9%
12 players
16%
11. 11
Key takeaways
1 2
The interest in Americanos is high, as the searches for
the popular competition format have increased by a
staggering 96% between 2020-2022. The reason behind
its popularity is probably because the format was
already well-established within the community at
the cusp of the padel boom.
Meanwhile, the figures are a testament that the market
and its conditions have changed - entered a new phase.
This evolution also applies to the players, who are now
looking for more organized ways to practice the sport,
something that emphasizes the importance for ven-
ues to find more and new ways of attracting players.
12. COURTSIDE INSIGHTS – PART 02
12
Demographics
Who drives the conversations
on padel competitions?
13. 13
Demographics
Online conversations
The majority of those discussing amateur
padel competitions online were adults. Com-
petition forms such as Americano, series, and
tournaments were mentioned by adults while
almost only tournaments were mentioned by
the younger players.
Twice as many men as women discussed am-
ateur padel competitions. Americano was the
most discussed competition form for both
men and women, however, men also brought
up series and Mexicano whereas those forms
were seldom seen amongst women.
Males primarily discussed the competition,
availability, and products concerning the tour-
nament or league play. Women also discussed
these things but also talked about social
activities to a wider extent.
Age of those discussing amateur padel competitions
<20 +20 +30 +40 +50 >60
50%
25%
0%
Demographics
Male 66%
Female 34%
34%
66%
14. 14
Key takeaways
1 2
Looking into the data, it becomes vividly clear that
the majority of practitioners discussing amateur padel
competitions are between 30-49 years old. This number
not only confirms the interest in tournaments amongst
its biggest target audience but also showcases its po-
tential for growth amongst the youth. As padel evolves,
the younger generation is getting more involved in the
sport, creating a big opportunity for venues to create a
new audience through tournaments. At the end of the
day, it’s all about creating activities suitable for all types
of practitioners.
The data also tells a story about the potential of try-
ing to involve more women practitioners within
the competitive landscape. As of now, twice as
many men are discussing amateur padel competi-
tions online. A number that begs the question, how
can venues work to get more women involved in the
sport, especially within its amateur tournaments?
15. COURTSIDE INSIGHTS – PART 03
Survey
Who’s playing, what’s important and what could
improve competitive playing even more?
15
16. 16
Player opinions
Driving forces to play in
tournaments and leagues
The respondents are experienced padel players.
88% play tournaments or or in a league. The
remaining 12% play padel regularly.
The respondents are 58% male and 42% female.
Almost all are between 20-50, with a few below 20.
Most of the respondents live in a metropolitan suburb.
To find out more about why people play padel tourna-
ments and leagues, we conducted a survey with focus
on competition. Who’s playing, what’s important and
what could improve competitive playing even more?
•
•
•
•
17. 17
The thrill of
competition
For some, it’s about beating the top players at the
club or within the region, for others, it’s all about
challenging themselves or getting a chance to meet
new players. Whatever the reason, competitions have
a way of engaging and igniting people - just like
any other sport, the padel market is no exception.
Almost 50% of the respondents in our survey
stated that their interest in tournaments or leagues
has increased during the last year.
How has your interest for tournaments or
leagues developed from 2021 to 2022?
Increased
50%
Decreased
12%
The same
38%
50%
12%
38%
18. A level playing field
Information needed
Seeing that padel is a fairly young sport - attracting
most of its current practitioners during its peak
- it’s no surprise that one of the main drivers
to play in tournaments and leagues is the possibility
to face opponents at the same level.
Looking into the data. Opponents at the same level,
Exercise, and Competitive nerve are the main drivers
for people to attend leagues and tournaments.
Almost 20% claim that the lack of information re-
garding tournaments/leagues is an aspect that keeps
players from competing in padel. These numbers can
work as a reminder for venues to actively communi-
cate and inform their player base. Especially during
a time when competition is more fierce than ever.
18
Accordingtosurvey,themostimportantthings
for players in tournaments and leagues are:
Opponents at the same level
Exercise
Competitive nerve
≈20%
Of surveyed players don’t know
where to find tournaments/leagues
20. 20
Some final words
The Swedish padel landscape has started to find it’s
footing, matured and become more structured - with
tournaments, leagues and activities working as the
maindriverofchange.Somethingthatbecomesvividly
clear as online searches for more organized play
has increased significantly during the past year.
In line with this, more venues are starting to adapt
to the new player needs, and look for ways to acti-
vate their community - suggesting that this is only
the beginning of a new era for the sport.
1 The importance of offering players tailored
activities, giving them the chance to develop
their game against players at the same level
through tournaments such as an Americano.
2 Organized play attracts players from all different
age groups, creating an opportunity to market
activities towards a broader target group.
3 With lockdowns and restrictions not being
enforced anymore, people are returning to
the office. Something that emphasizes the
importance of having activities and leagues
played during the evenings.
4 More venues are now competing for the same
number of players. Try and find out what
makes your players tick, is it a well-organized
league play or a variation of activities?
Talk with your players and get a sense of
why they come to your venue.
Four key take aways
21. #
P
L
A
Y
M
O
R
E
We exist to empower people in
racket sports through user-friendly tech
MATCHi’s booking platform helps clubs administer less and connects
venues with players through its marketplace.
Founded in 2012, MATCHi was created to facilitate the growth of racket sports
and has in recent years grown to become one of the world’s largest companies
in the segment. With 2600+ venues in 30+ countries, over 2 million players, and
close to 120 employees spread out across the globe - MATCHi’s vision is to be
the go-to platform for the global racket sports community.
This market report is conducted together with Whispr Group. The purpose of
the report is to analyze and explain the trends and developments of padel.
Sources: Online conversations, search data, data from MATCHi and surveys.
Time period online conversations: January 2020 - December 2022.
Time period padel statistics: January 2020 - December 2022.
