Is SA's fastest-growing sport only for the 'elite'?

16 Views

South Africa’s ‘fastest-growing sport’ is a hybrid racquet sport blending tennis and squash. Known more commonly as padel, the sport boasts accessibility and social appeal. It’s also easy to play and offers a good cardiovascular workout.

Globally, around 25 million people play the sport across 90 countries. South Africa embraced padel in 2020. An independent survey by BrandMapp, canvassing around 33 000 adults with a household income of over R10 000, estimates that about 1% of the country’s taxpaying population now plays it.

The sport has been placed alongside horse-riding, surfing, and motorsports in terms of popularity. Despite its rapid rise, padel still carries the reputation of being an elite pastime in South Africa.

“With more and more courts being developed in up-market neighbourhoods, at gyms and on the rooftops of shopping malls, there’s little doubt that padel is ‘a thing’ for affluent South Africans,” says BrandMapp’s Director of Storytelling, Brandon De Kock.

“There are around 100 000 active padel players [in SA] right now. We’re seeing the rapid development of leagues and tournaments, and local star players are emerging. Celebrities and brands are eager to associate themselves with padel.”

However, the question remains whether padel will stay a niche, high-income activity like golf or mountain biking or evolve into a more inclusive sport.

“That’s going to be determined by the vision and intentions for the sport in the country, which at the moment is in the hands of corporate developers and other businesses in the game,” De Kock adds.

Spain leads the world in padel popularity

Spain offers a successful model of inclusive padel growth, where the government has supported the sport by building public courts and integrating it into sports programmes.

It is the world’s dominant padel nation. There are more than 5 million players in Spain, 14 000 courts and the World Padel Tour platform.

It is a model of sport development that has taken advantage of the relatively low costs of playing padel.

Over decades, the game has become Spain’s second most-popular sport after football.

Spain’s first courts were built in 1974, after a Spanish prince visited the Mexican padel inventor and loved the game. Image: Flickr

In Spain, but also in padel-developing nations like Italy, Sweden, the UK and Argentina, governments there recognise padel as a culturally-significant sport that promotes health, active lifestyles, social engagement and cohesion.

De Kock suggests South Africa could follow this example by making the sport accessible beyond wealthier communities.

South Africa’s padel ‘bubble’

The very first padel courts in South Africa were built for private use at Val De Vie—a wealthy gated community in the Paarl Winelands.

Elite country clubs in Gauteng and the Western Cape were also amongst the early pioneers of the sport. Many would convert under-utilised bowling greens and tennis courts in leafy suburbs into padel courts.

Some fast facts about padel in SA:

50/50 split between men and women
60% are in the 35- to 65-year-old age bracket
80% of the country’s padel players live in Gauteng and the Western Cape
A game is typically played between four people
Cost for an hour’s play ranges from R200 – R400 (R100 – R125 per person)
Racquets costs between R1000 – R10 000, but can be rented for R50/ game
50% of padel players are TopEnders (5% of SA’s population that live in households earning more than R40K per month)

“It’s not surprising that when we look at the income breakdown of South African padel players, the majority of them sit in the upper middle-class and higher,” adds De Kock.

“It still has a way to go to catch golf as a millionaire’s pastime, but for top income earners, padel is almost as popular as mountain biking.”

What is all the fuss?

The sport’s appeal lies in its simplicity and versatility—it allows players of mixed skill levels to enjoy a match, unlike more technical sports like tennis or golf.

Padel can also accommodate family play and mixed-gender games, making it an inclusive option in that respect.

Why then, if the costs to entry are relatively low, is it not breaking into the mainstream?

“Simple geography is certainly at play here,” De Kock explains. “As a profit-driven investment, the people putting up the padel courts are clearly targeting high-income areas.”

“The bottom line is, South Africa could be an ideal padel-playing nation with our widespread enjoyment of sports and fantastic all-year-round weather.”

“It remains to be seen whether the sport peaks as an elite craze or becomes a part of broader South African culture.”