What to consider when building a padel court

If you are thinking about building new padel courts or maybe even a padel club, it is important to make relevant considerations about the project before you start. In this article, we will guide you step by step through what you should consider if you are planning to build one or more padel courts.

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First, we'll look at how much it costs to build a padel court and we'll go through the most important aspects to consider when setting a budget for your construction project. Next, we emphasize the importance of building permits, and we look at essential aspects of padel courts such as space requirements, ceiling height and court lighting. Finally, we discuss the maintenance of paddle tennis courts, as well as an underestimated but nonetheless extremely important area: considerations on the best booking software for your padel courts.

What does it cost to build a padel court?

The price of a padel court varies a lot, but an estimate is around '20-25,000. The cost of building new padel courts depends on whether you're building from scratch, whether it's indoors or outdoors, and whether you have special requirements for facilities around the court. You can dive deeper into the prices of the individual components of a padel court in this post, where we look at the costs of a padel court.

1) Budget for the construction of a padel court

From the very beginning, it's responsible to draw up a budget for your padel courts so that you have a financial framework for the project. A budget helps to give you an overview of the construction costs, so you avoid unpleasant surprises in the later stages of the project.

When creating a budget for building padel courts, you can consider the following questions, among others:

• What capital do I have available?
• What are the costs of the individual parts of the project, including the foundations, the components of the court, skilled labor and equipment rental for the necessary equipment?
• Is there room for contingencies? And what pitfalls could these pose?
• Financing: when does the investment need to be recouped?

The budget can be included as part of an overall business plan.

2) Building permits 

If you haven't obtained the necessary building permits, this can be a show-stopper for the project. The construction of the padel courts can be delayed or completely rejected if the permits and any changes to the area's local plan are not in order. In other words, taking care of the above is an essential part of the preparation before you start building the padel tennis courts.

In addition to having the building permits and licences in place, you should also consider the distance to the neighbors when building padel courts. A good relationship with the neighbors is clearly desirable so that you, the users of the court and the neighbors do not experience inconveniences such as noise from the courts.

How much space do you need for a padel court?

A standard padel court is 20 meters long and 10 meters wide. There should be at least half a meter more on all sides and preferably even more to improve the playing experience.

If you are building singles courts for padel, you can make do with a court that is 20 meters long and 6 meters wide plus the additional half meter on all sides.

Choosing the right location of the court

When building outdoor padel courts, it is advisable to consider where the wind comes from and how the sun's rays fall during the day. It makes a difference whether the court is positioned south/north (recommended) or east/west. Wind and weather greatly affect outdoor padel, so if you are able to locate the court sheltered from the wind, this is a great advantage.

Avoid water on the court with a good drainage

Implementing an effective drain in the court is also worth considering. After a heavy rainfall, water can be left on the surface of the court surface and if the water is not drained away, the artificial grass turf is unplayable.

Finally, surrounding trees can also be taken into account when choosing the best location to build a padel court. Avoid building the court right next to trees, where fallen leaves and branches risk making the court slippery.

Installing padel courts in multi-purpose venues

If you are building padel courts in an existing center, which may already house other sports, you should also consider how the padel courts interact with the venus's other activities.

And of course, it is also worth looking at whether it is easy to get a parking space and get to and from the courts by public transport.

3) Installing padel courts

When building padel courts, it's always a good idea to work with specialists who have done it before. In addition to the players on your local market, there are specialized teams in e.g. Spain that do nothing else but build padel courts. Regardless of who is in charge of installing your padel courts, you should be planning tasks such as renting a scaffolding and a lift with the suppliers in advance so that no time is wasted waiting for one of these items when the work team is ready.

How high should a padel court ceiling be?

If you're building indoors or with a cover, it's important to build to the right height - otherwise you risk players preferring other padel tennis centers with sufficiently high ceilings. It is simply essential that the padel court has the right ceiling height so that players can make a proper lob.

The ceiling of a padel court should be at least 6 meters high, but building higher is recommended. A height of 9-12 meters is preferable as it significantly improves the playing experience. If there are two courts next to each other and one has 6 meters to the ceiling and the other 12 meters to the ceiling, you will always choose the court with 12 meters to the ceiling because you can use the lob much more efficiently.

Beware of the acoustics on your courts

If you are building a covered padel court, we recommend that you consider possible noise and echoes on the courts. If the court is fully covered and the sounds from players and equipment cannot escape, it can resound in the hall and the acoustics can become problematic.

Padel court lighting

The right lighting conditions on and around the padel court are of great importance. Players should not feel that they have floodlights shining on their eyes and are blinded when looking upwards. On the other hand, it should also not be so dark that the ball disappears from your view. 

4) Facilities around the courts

In addition to the padel courts themselves, there are various options to enhance the overall experience for the players. If you want to attract the best players, or are thinking of organizing padel tournaments, factors such as audience seating and sufficient space for players to run outside the court to return a smash are key considerations to take into account.

Likewise, the environment around the padel courts is important. A café or lounge area by the courts where people can buy food and drinks can help to create an atmosphere and encourage people to stay longer in the center.

For players, changing and shower facilities are also always nice to have. If you get straight into your car with sweaty clothes after your padel match and drive home, you risk getting cold. Here, good changing rooms and bathing facilities are an essential service for your users, as they contribute to both the sanitation and the social aspect of the paddle sport.

5) Maintenance of padel courts

Once your courts are completed, you should expect regular maintenance work to be carried out on them. This is partly to maintain a good playing experience for users and partly to optimize the lifespan of the courts.

Wiping glass walls and cleaning artificial turfs

Important maintenance tasks for a padel court include regular wiping of the glass walls and sweeping of the artificial turf of the court surface. If the glass is greasy, it is not inviting to players, and the bounce of the ball can also change if the surface is not uniform.

Both the glass walls and the court surface should also be given an annual health check to prevent major damage.

It is of great importance for the performance of the surface that the sand is properly and evenly distributed. Otherwise, you run the risk of the ball bouncing unevenly on the artificial turf. In addition, you should also periodically check that there are no sharp objects such as screws or bolts protruding from glass walls or the surface.

The height of the padel court net

The net of a standard padel court is 10 meters long, and 0.88 meters high in the middle and 0.92 meters at the sides. When maintaining your padel tennis courts, you should also make sure that the nets on your courts are always the correct height and that they have the optimal tension.

6) Court booking software for padel clubs

This is a point that can be easily underestimated but is of vital importance. To choose the best booking system for your padel courts. When your new, state-of-the-art courts are ready and waiting to be put into use, it's crucial that it's easy and user-friendly for people to book them. Whether the courts are intended for use in a commercial padel center or in a padel club, managing bookings and users is an absolute key point. Choosing the best system for managing padel courts can generate increased revenue, less administration and, most importantly, satisfied users.

Today, there are a number of digital booking systems for padel, each with different strengths and weaknesses. In the following, we have recommended our considerations when choosing a digital membership system for your padel center.

What should a padel club management software include?

The best online booking systems support the operations and revenue from your courts. It should be easy to book courts, and the user should immediately after a booking receive a booking confirmation with a password to the center and info about the conditions for cancellation. Learn more about what it costs to book a padel court in this article.

Besides court booking, there are other important areas in the administration and management of your paddle courts. Below we have compiled a brief overview of the most important considerations when choosing a booking platform for padel:

Website for your padel center

Your padel center's website is in many cases the user's first impression of your club. The website should be appealing and visitors should be able to quickly find the information they are looking for.

Signing up for coaching lessons

If you offer practice sessions to your users, it should be possible to see an overview of the available training classes and what level they are aimed at. If the user can sign up and pay at the same time directly on the website, it will reduce the administration considerably. Similarly, it will be a huge advantage for the club's coaches if they can see who has signed up for the individual classes, so they can plan the lessons well in advance.

Drop Ins and social activities

Organizing come-and-play activities such as Drop In and Americano is also worth choosing a management system that can handle. Although these types of events are typically free in padel clubs, it's nice for the organizers to keep track of registrations so that the number of participants matches the number of courts. A platform developed specifically for padel might even have a waiting list feature, where the next person on the waiting list automatically takes over the spot in case someone who has already signed up cancels.

Memberships and subscriptions

If you offer memberships or subscriptions for your padel club, it is important that the chosen management software supports the types of memberships you want. Here it is important to consider, among other things, whether the system supports:

• Types of memberships: Senior, junior, passive, families and guests
• Automatic renewal of memberships and payments
• Duration: Annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly
• Booking rights: Number of active bookings, booking ahead, refund in case of cancellation, etc.

Joining and leaving members

In this area, a lot of time can be saved on administration if members can sign up and leave the club themselves, without you having to do it for them. Therefore, it can make sense to go for a membership management software where the user creates a profile and buys a subscription (or just books their court if it is purely pay'n'play). Similarly, it will reduce time spent on membership management if the person can cancel his or her membership and stop the membership fee payment without having to correspond with the padel club. This kind of self-service among users fits in well with the current trend of efficient workflows and quick execution.

Communication with members and guests

In today's fragmented media landscape, people are used to seeking information on different channels. The same is most likely true for your padel center; Some users look for information on your club's website, some read your newsletters via , others visit your Facebook page or other social media, while still others seek personal contact with staff and volunteers at the padel courts. Having a club management system that supports smooth communications with both members and guests will save you a lot of time, so consider in advance how the communication around your padel courts should take place. It's an investment that will be well worth it. 

Although padel is a very similar sport to tennis, the regulations surrounding it are different, especially regarding the dimensions of the padel court.

If you're looking to install a padel tennis court at your school or sports centre, our guide to padel court dimensions can help you gain an understanding of the necessary measurements and regulations to ensure a proper playing surface for your members or students.

Padel Tennis Court Key Dimensions

As with any sport, there are certain dimensions decided by the sport's governing body that need to be adhered to if you want your court to be used for tournament games or as a training space for serious athletes.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have an in-depth PDF about padel court data, but here are the key dimensions your padel tennis court needs to adhere to.

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Playable Court Dimensions

The International Padel Federation (FIP) defines the playable area of a padel court. Official measurements and dimensions are 20 meters in length and 10 meters in width.

This design creates a rectangular space perfectly tailored for fast-paced rallies, emphasising both speed and strategy in the sport.

This specific padel court size ensures players have enough room to manoeuvre and execute a wide range of shots, making the game both challenging and enjoyable.

For more information, please visit What Type of Authorization Do I Need From the City Council to Build a Cricket and Padel Court?.

Courts that don't adhere to FIP dimensions can still be played on by casual players, but they aren't useful for serious training and cannot be used for competitive matches.

Surrounding Enclosure & Rebound Wall Dimensions

The rebound walls ' an integral part of the game ' are required to meet specific guidelines to maintain uniformity across competitive play.

According to the specifications set by FIP, the perimeter side walls must be a minimum of 3 meters in height for the first 4 meters adjacent to the net and can descend to a minimum height of 2 meters for the remaining length of the court.

The back walls should consistently stand at 3 meters high.

This structure facilitates the unique rebounds and bounces characteristic of padel, adding layers of strategy to the game.

All walls of the court should be constructed of solid materials that allow for a predictable and uniform rebound of the ball, enhancing the fairness and competitiveness of the game.

These dimensions and materials ensure that athletes can expect a consistent playing experience, whether in practice or tournament play.

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Line Markings Dimensions

These lines distinguish the in-play area and are essential for making accurate calls during a game.

The lines defining the play area should be 5 centimetres in width and visible in a contrasting colour to the court's surface to ensure they are easily distinguishable during play.

The service lines are located at a distance of 3 meters from the back wall, parallel to the net, effectively dividing the court into two equal sections.

A central service line, also 5 centimetres in width, runs perpendicular to the net and service lines, dividing each service box into two equal parts. This central line is essential for determining valid service during a game.

All lines must be made from the same materials and coloured in a consistent manner to prevent any discrepancy in visibility.

Padel Court Height Clearance

To ensure unobstructed ball flight and maintain the integrity of the game, the FIP also specifies a regulation amount of clearance required above a padel court.

The minimum height clearance from the playing surface to any overhead obstruction is formally set at 6 metres. This includes any fixtures or structural elements such as court lighting, roof beams, or indoor ceilings. A clearance of 8 metres is encouraged for new court constructions.

This clearance guarantees that players' lob shots ' a crucial aspect of padel strategy ' can be executed without interference from the surrounding environment.

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Padel Net Height

According to the standards set by FIP, the padel tennis net must stretch across the entire width of the court, measuring 10 meters to match the court's width.

It should be suspended by a metal cable with a maximum diameter of 0.01 metres, which ensures the net remains taut during play.

The net height is rigorously specified, standing at 0.88 meters in the centre and rising to 0.92 meters at the posts on either side of the court. This slight height variation allows for a diversity of playing styles and strategies.

Constructing a Padel Court

When building a padel court, there's more to think about than just the dimensions you need to build it to adhere to FIP regulations.

Here are some other important considerations to take into account before going ahead with building your court.

Planning Consent

Obtaining planning permission is a crucial step in the process of constructing a padel court in the UK.

Governmental approval is required to ensure that any new construction, including sports facilities, meets specific land use and building regulations established by local authorities. Before construction can commence, you must submit a planning application to your local council for review.

The application will be assessed against several criteria, including:

• Environmental impact
• Community benefit
• Adherence to local planning policies.
• Potential for noise and light pollution
• Whether the design fits within the landscape and character of the local environment

In some cases, you may also need to consult with neighbours or community groups as part of the planning application process.

Successfully navigating the planning permission process is vital for legally constructing a padel court.

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Green Field Site Vs Existing Tennis Court

When considering a padel court construction project, the choice between building on a greenfield site and converting an existing tennis court can significantly impact the planning permission process.

Green Field Site

Constructing on a green field site, which refers to undeveloped land, typically encounters more stringent scrutiny.

Planning authorities' primary concerns are the environmental impact and the change of land use from agricultural or undeveloped status to recreational.

Building on a green field requires a detailed assessment of how the development affects local wildlife, landscape aesthetics, and the broader environment. Such projects might face opposition from local communities or environmental groups who wish to preserve green spaces.

Existing Tennis Court

On the other hand, converting an existing tennis court into a padel court may streamline the planning permission process, as the land is already used for recreational purposes.

The infrastructure for sport is in place, possibly requiring fewer changes to the landscape or environment. However, adjustments to lighting, fencing, and surface materials will still be evaluated for their impact on the surrounding area.

Previous planning conditions that influenced the approval process for conversion projects might also affect existing sports facilities.

In both scenarios, applications must demonstrate how the development aligns with local planning policies, considering aspects like accessibility, community benefit, and sustainability.

Depending on the location and specific circumstances, planning authorities may impose conditions to mitigate potential issues such as noise and light pollution.

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Final Thoughts: Getting Your Padel Court Dimensions Right

Ensuring your padel court dimensions adhere to the standards set by the International Padel Federation is crucial for fostering a competitive and enjoyable environment.

By adhering to these guidelines, facility owners can provide athletes with the ideal conditions for both training and competition, thereby enhancing the sport's overall experience.

To learn more about Padel tennis courts, check out our in-depth guide, Padel Tennis Courts 101: The Full Lowdown.

FAQs

Can You Convert a Tennis Court to a Padel Court?

Yes, tennis courts can be converted into padel courts. This process requires adjusting the surface dimensions, adding walls, and installing a padel net to meet specific padel court standards. This conversion allows for a more versatile use of existing sports facilities.

What is the Lifespan of a Padel Court?

The lifespan of a padel court largely depends on the quality of materials used and regular maintenance. On average, a well-maintained padel court can last from 10 to 15 years before needing significant repairs or resurfacing.

What is the Size of a Padel Court?

A padel court should be 10 meters wide and 20 meters long, with a total playing area of 200 square meters.

Are you interested in learning more about what is a padel court? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!