9 out of 10 French people have never tried padel: a revealing paradox

Padel is gaining increasing prominence in the French sporting landscape. New clubs are opening, courts are multiplying, tournaments are selling out in just a few hours, and there's a strong presence on social media: everything seems to point to a rapidly growing sport. Yet, behind this impression of popularity, one figure stands out.

According to a national survey conducted by the Appinio Institute for Padel Now, among 1,000 people representative of the French adult population, 91% of French people say they have never played padel, even occasionally.

This result goes against the prevailing discourse, inviting us to look more closely at the actual state of the market.

A highly visible sport, but still not widely practiced.

In mainstream sports and media circles, padel already appears as an established sport. However, the data from this study shows that its practice remains marginal within the general population.

Compared to sports like football, swimming, or tennis, whose combined participation rates are much higher, padel remains for the time being a sport more known by name than actually experienced.

This gap between the perception of a booming sport and the reality of its practice is one of the main findings of the study.

A market that is still far from being saturated

Far from indicating a decline in popularity, these figures actually confirm that padel in France is still in its early stages of development. The vast majority of the population simply hasn't taken the plunge yet.

For the entire ecosystem — clubs, investors, institutions and brands — this means that the growth of padel depends not only on retaining existing players, but above all on the ability to expand the player baseto reach new audiences and remove barriers to first-time participation.

The challenge is therefore not so much to increase the density of an already mature market as to support a conversion phase that is still largely open.

Towards a more nuanced understanding of the French market

This survey is part of a broader project undertaken by Padel Now. The actor plans to release his... soon. "State of padel in France – 2025 edition", a report intended to provide a detailed overview of the market: player profiles, uses, practices, expectations and development prospects.

A document that could serve as a basis for reflection for institutional decision-makers as well as for clubs, project leaders and investors.

An opportunity rather than an observation

The figure is unambiguous: 9 out of 10 French people have never tried padelNot out of rejection, but because the discipline has not yet reached a level of reach comparable to major established sports.

In a country with a strong sporting culture, this data does not constitute a warning sign, but rather an indicator of potentialFrench padel is undoubtedly only at the beginning of its development, with a large margin for progress ahead.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.