After'pandemic effect, padel tracks no longer attract as many customers in Sweden the Swedish have gone back to practice other sports. In this Nordic country, the padel bubble is starting to burst, and this could soon affect other countries.

According to Spanish television channel La Sexta, in March 2024, after an explosion in the practice of padel in Sweden, we are now seeing a sharp loss of speed in this à la carte sports business.

Investment of two million euros

Le paddle club de Stockholm, belonging to the Spanish Carlos Frechilla, opened in 2020 with an investment of two million euros. This site offered cutting-edge tracks, especially for thesoundproofing facilities.

The director explains that the demand was very high during the period of Covid, which prompted many clubs to open without strategic thinking about their location.

Carlos Frechilla indicates that he was then making a turnover of 10 euros per day. But in 2025, single a track me on 22 short available is still occupied by customers.

Thursday, May 22, 2025, Romain Taupin, former coach and consultant in the padel and tennis field for about ten years: “Investors have created clubs in disarray without thinking about the medium term, without incorporating the fact that the mass of players that there was during the covid (padel was authorized) was not going to continue, without incorporating the competition in their business plan which was skyrocketing or the variation in prices which was going to impact their profitability etc. …”.

Un Investment Funds bought the club a year after its opening, and has just ordered its closing. Carlos Frechilla comments:

“Investment funds acquired between 300 and 400 clubs until the bubble burst, resulting in losses of 500 million euros.”

The FIP data show that the Sweden and the fourth country in the world in number of clubs and padel courts, and the third in Europe behind theSpain and Italy.

In Sweden, 600 amateur padel players

There are more than 1 installations (Including 230 affiliates , Swedish Padel Federation) and 4 lots, a land for 2 inhabitants, placing Sweden just behind theAndorra (1 plot of land for 2 inhabitants).

In Sweden, it is estimated that there are 600 amateur playersincluding 5 licensees (67% men, 33% women) and 800 young according to the data of the Swedish Padel Federation.

And to the question of whether this situation could happen again in Spain, Carlos Frechilla answer :

"AT Alcobendas (municipality north of Madrid, editor’s note), there was a club of 35 courts which made bankrupt six times, until the owner says stop.”

Henri Pasquet

Passionate about soccer and tennis since I was a kid, I've been playing ping-pong for three years at a club in Nantes. More recently, I discovered padel! Basketball, rugby, golf, and motorsports: yet more new sports that I follow regularly. On the cultural side, since I love giving my opinion, I write film and video game reviews on my Instagram page, Silence ça Mix.

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