Padel’s Growth Depends on Coaches. Are We Giving Them What They Need?

Tennis clubs know the value of a good coach extends well beyond the lesson fee. Coaches welcome beginners, build junior programmes and help players find both the confidence and the people to keep playing. Padel needs that same contribution as its club network develops.

A new UK Padel Coach Survey 2026 from World Padel Network offers a useful starting point for understanding whether the people doing that work have the support they need.

Conducted from 5–18 October, the survey analysed 33 responses. Its findings are indicative rather than representative, but they raise practical questions for operators, governing bodies and coach educators.

A young workforce looking for support

Among respondents, 85% had coached padel for two years or less, and 85% worked for themselves at least some of the time. Coaching was the main or a significant second income for 94% of the 32 coaches who answered the income question.

Yet only 36% felt well supported. Court availability, peak-only hours or hire costs featured among the biggest constraints for 64%. A lack of a clear career pathway and limited quality training were each selected by 24%.

No respondent selected low pay from the list of constraints. That does not establish that earnings are satisfactory across UK padel; it shows where this particular group placed its priorities.

“I went looking for reliable information about padel coaches in the UK and couldn’t find any, so we did something about it,” said Jamie Rowe, Founder, World Padel Network. “At Clash of the Coaches it was obvious that coaches want to connect, teach and learn from one another. The question was what else they need to advance, and the only way to find out was to ask them.”

Development needs somewhere to happen

Ongoing training and development was the single most useful support for 42% of respondents, followed by a coach community at 24%. Among the 27 who named a type of support and answered the payment question, around eight in ten would definitely or probably pay for it.

Rowe added: “Coaches aren’t asking for more money. They’re asking for courts at reasonable prices they can teach on and somewhere to get better at the job. That’s a gap clubs, governing bodies and coach educators can close, and the coaches have told us they’d pay to close it.”

What Racket Business thinks...

The lesson from tennis is that coaching helps turn an initial interest into a lasting habit. A coach can introduce players to suitable partners, develop juniors and give members a reason to return when their early enthusiasm fades. Those relationships matter to the wider ecosystem, from club membership to equipment sales.

Padel operators should consider that longer-term value when allocating court time. Predictable coaching slots, workable hire rates and opportunities for coaches to learn from experienced colleagues deserve a place in the business plan.

This report is useful because it begins to measure the workforce behind the growth. Repeating it with a larger, broader sample would help track whether access, development and support improve as padel expands. More courts create capacity; capable, supported coaches help build the community that fills them.