A Gym Padel Revenue Case Study in Numbers

Sep 14

6 min read

A well-run padel court can earn from early morning before the gym floor becomes busy, through the lunchtime gap and into the evening peak. This gym padel revenue case study shows how that can translate into a credible commercial proposition for a UK operator, while being clear about the variables that determine whether the investment performs.

The figures below are illustrative, not a promise of income. Court pricing, utilisation, planning requirements, ground conditions and the local competitive market all affect the result. However, they provide a practical model for operators assessing whether an underused area of land could become a durable, revenue-producing sports asset.

The operating scenario

Consider an established independent gym with space for two outdoor covered padel courts. The site sits in a populated catchment, has a member base that already uses paid classes and personal training, and can support evening access without creating a parking or noise issue.

Two courts are used in this example because they create a more workable customer proposition than one court alone. Players can book alongside friends, leagues can run without closing the facility to casual users, and coaching activity can take place while another court remains available. A single court can still work on the right site, but it gives the operator less flexibility and makes revenue more dependent on every available booking slot.

For this model, the gym charges an average realised rate of £34 per 90-minute court booking. That is not necessarily the advertised peak rate. It allows for a mix of member discounts, off-peak offers, introductory activity and higher-priced evening sessions. All figures are excluding VAT and finance costs.

Each court has 14 bookable 90-minute slots per day, or 98 slots per week. Across two courts, that gives 196 weekly booking slots. The key question is not whether every slot can be sold. It is whether the site can build consistent occupancy at commercially useful times.

Gym padel revenue case study: the bookings model

The model assumes three phases of utilisation. In the first six months, average occupancy reaches 30%. This reflects the work required to introduce the sport, educate existing members, attract non-members and establish regular groups. From months seven to 12, occupancy rises to 42%. In year two, it reaches a more mature 55% average across the full week.

At 55% occupancy, the calculation is straightforward:

196 available weekly slots across two courts

108 booked slots per week at 55% occupancy

£34 average revenue per booking

£3,672 court-hire revenue per week

Over 52 weeks, that produces annual court-hire revenue of approximately £191,000.

That figure should be treated with discipline. A court that is busy only between 5pm and 9pm can look popular while leaving substantial capacity unsold. The strongest sites build usage across the day through a combination of members, local players, coaching, corporate sessions, junior activity and organised leagues. The point is not to fill every low-demand slot at any price. It is to establish a pricing structure that protects peak value while giving quieter periods a reason to be used.

There is also additional revenue beyond casual hire. A realistic year-two model might include £24,000 from coaching programmes and group sessions, £12,000 from leagues, social events and competitions, and £8,000 from racket hire, balls and small retail sales. This takes gross annual padel revenue to around £235,000.

For a gym operator, there is another benefit that should not be ignored: padel can support membership acquisition and retention. Some venues may include limited off-peak access within premium memberships, while charging for peak court time. Others may offer members preferential booking windows rather than free play. The appropriate approach depends on the existing membership model and local price sensitivity, but the court should be treated as a commercial facility, not simply an expensive member perk.

Costs that need to be allowed for

Gross revenue is only useful when it is set against the costs of operating the courts properly. Fortunately, padel does not require the staffing level of a new gym floor, swimming pool or full-service studio. It does, however, need active management, clean and safe presentation, responsive maintenance and a booking system that makes access simple.

In this case study, annual direct operating costs are estimated at £57,000. That includes booking software and payment fees, electricity for lighting, cleaning, periodic turf care, insurance allocation, equipment, marketing, coaching support and a sensible maintenance reserve. Staffing can vary considerably. If reception already operates during key periods and the courts use controlled access, incremental labour may be modest. If the operator provides a heavily staffed padel programme from day one, the cost base will be higher.

With £235,000 in annual gross revenue and £57,000 in direct operating costs, the indicative operating contribution is £178,000 per year before rent, central overheads, depreciation, finance and tax.

This is why padel can be attractive to gym operators. The income is generated from a relatively compact footprint, with repeat bookings and the potential for strong evening yield. But the margin depends on maintaining availability. Poor lighting, standing water, loose turf, damaged glass or uneven surfaces quickly undermine customer confidence and reduce repeat play.

The capital investment and payback view

A premium two-court installation is not a simple equipment purchase. The final cost depends on the site, access, drainage strategy, ground conditions, planning obligations, power supply, canopy specification and whether enabling works are required.

For an operator assessing an outdoor covered two-court scheme, a broad working allowance might be £400,000 to £550,000 for a properly specified turnkey project. This should cover far more than the visible steel and glass. Groundworks, drainage, foundations, precise levels, surfacing, lighting, installation logistics and finishing details are central to the long-term performance of the asset.

Using a midpoint capital cost of £475,000 and an annual operating contribution of £178,000, the simple pre-finance payback period is around 2.7 years. In reality, an investment committee should model a more conservative case as well.

At 40% mature occupancy, with a £32 realised average booking rate and reduced ancillary income, the annual operating contribution may be closer to £105,000 to £120,000. The payback then moves towards four to five years. That is still potentially compelling for a long-life facility, but it reinforces the need for a grounded demand assessment rather than optimistic headline projections.

What makes the higher case achievable

The strongest commercial results are rarely created by the court alone. They come from operational planning before the build begins. A gym needs a clear answer to who will play at 7am, at 1pm and at 8pm, not just an assumption that the evening market will carry the whole week.

Launch activity matters. Existing members should be introduced to the sport through coached taster sessions and simple social formats, particularly where players are new to padel. Local non-members need a reason to try the venue, and regular leagues create the habit that turns occasional customers into recurring bookers.

Pricing also needs care. Charging too little at peak times weakens the return and can make future price increases difficult. Charging too much before the local market understands the offer can suppress early adoption. Many operators use peak and off-peak pricing, member priority booking and targeted introductory offers, then review performance monthly during the first year.

The physical build is equally commercial. A court built on inadequate foundations or without effective drainage can create disruption that costs bookings and damages the venue's reputation. Covered play and quality lighting extend the practical trading window in the British climate, but only when the structure, base and water management are designed as one coordinated system.

The decision behind the spreadsheet

Padel revenue should be assessed as part of the wider site strategy. For a gym with constrained parking, sensitive neighbours or limited management capacity, an apparently attractive forecast may not justify the operational complexity. For a site with accessible underused land, an engaged customer base and a clear route to daytime and evening demand, the opportunity can be materially different.

CourtForge approaches this as a build-and-business decision. Proper site assessment, engineered bases, drainage, accurate installation and a durable finish protect the revenue model long after the launch period has passed. A 10-year warranty provides further reassurance, but the real value lies in getting the fundamentals right before the first booking is taken.

The most useful next step is to test your own site against conservative assumptions: realistic local pricing, achievable occupancy, direct operating costs and the full cost of construction. If the numbers still work when the forecast is challenged, a padel court is not simply an addition to the gym. It can become one of the most productive areas of the estate.