Padel in the Netherlands 2026: the numbers and what they mean for clubs
Padel Loyalty & CRM: 876,000 padel players, 3,523 courts, and 60% who only play occasionally. The latest padel figures and what they mean for your padel club.
In 2025, 876,000 people in the Netherlands played padel at least once, on 3,523 courts across 780 venues. The number of courts grew 25% in a single year. Yet 60% of players only play occasionally. For clubs, the challenge is shifting from building courts to keeping players.
How many people play padel in the Netherlands?
According to Padel in Cijfers 2025, the annual report by the Dutch tennis and padel federation KNLTB and EY, 876,000 people played padel at least once in 2025. On average, around 424,000 people play every month, an estimate based on research by NOC*NSF, the Dutch Olympic Committee and Sports Federation.
The KNLTB itself has 343,121 registered padel players, 10% more than a year earlier. The gap with the 876,000 exists because a booking usually only registers the person who reserved the court, while they often bring three other players.
How many padel courts are there in the Netherlands?
At the end of 2025, the Netherlands had 3,523 padel courts across 780 venues: 25% more courts and 15% more venues than in 2024. In 2020 there were 475, and in 2015 just 27.
The growth continues. Around 426 new courts have been announced nationally for 2026, more than half of them indoor. These are announced projects, not completed openings.
Associations vs commercial centres
The number of commercial centres grew by around 23%, from 268 to 329. They are also getting bigger, from an average of 5.3 to 5.7 courts per venue. In North Holland, which includes Amsterdam, has the most commercial centres (69, with 425 courts). North Brabant has the most courts overall (715) and the most member clubs (119).
The Dutch padel player: flexible and infrequent
For club owners, this is the number that matters most: 60% of players play just once or occasionally, compared to a 40% who play regularly. Between 50% and 60% play fewer than five times a year.
Pay & play is also growing faster than club membership. More than 240,000 players were registered on KNLTB Meet & Play in 2025, and only about a quarter of them are also members of a club.
At the same time, commitment is high: 98% of players expect to still be playing padel in three years.
Competitive padel is growing fastest
91,196 competitive players in 2025 (+21%), almost three times as many as in 2023
1,042 KNLTB tournaments (+35%) with 68,114 tournament players (+24%)
4,121 teams in the women's league (+50%)
328,010 official padel matches played
What does this mean for padel clubs?
1. The market is shifting from shortage to choice. In 2024 there was one court for roughly every 125 monthly players. In 2025 it was one per 120. Supply is slowly catching up with demand, especially where many new centres are opening. Players used to wait for a court; increasingly, they now choose between clubs.
2. The biggest growth group is also the least loyal. A player who books four times a year through an app has no bond with a single venue. According to the KNLTB, padel players play at several venues, wherever their friends are or wherever there is space. If you don't actively reach out to that player, you lose them to the club down the road.
3. The data is already there. Your booking system knows who stopped booking, who only plays on Tuesday evenings and who has already played three tournaments. Most clubs do nothing with it. Clubs that do, for example with a win-back message after 30 days of silence or a tournament invitation at the right level, turn an occasional player into a regular.
Player segmentation in Cuchilla Connect: segments update automatically from bookingsystems like Playtomic, MATCHi or Matchpoint, so at-risk players are visible before they leave.
How big is padel worldwide?
According to the Playtomic Global Padel Report 2026 (produced with Strategy&, part of PwC), there are more than 20,900 clubs, 58,300 courts and 19.4 million padel players worldwide. In 2025 alone, 4,969 new clubs opened, almost 14 per day.
Frequently asked questions
How many padel players are there in the Netherlands? In 2025, 876,000 people in the Netherlands played padel at least once. Around 424,000 play monthly (KNLTB & EY, Padel in Cijfers 2025).
How many padel courts are there in the Netherlands? At the end of 2025 there were 3,523 padel courts across 780 venues, 25% more than in 2024.
Which Dutch province has the most padel courts? North Brabant (715), followed by North Holland (628) and South Holland (598).
Is padel still growing in the Netherlands? Yes. The number of courts grew 25% in 2025, and more than 400 new courts have been announced for 2026. Growth is slowing slightly as the market moves from its pioneer phase into maturity.
How can a padel club retain its players? By using player data from the booking system for targeted messages: win-back messages after inactivity, alerts when a court frees up, and invitations to tournaments and open matches at the right level. A padel CRM such as Cuchilla Connect automates this on top of Playtomic, Matchpoint, MATCHi and many more.