A padel court installed in a shopping center parking lot: the initiative may seem surprising, but it illustrates a new approach to the development of this sport in France. The company  Padel4People  announced the opening of its first field at  Claye-Souilly (Seine-et-Marne) , directly located in the parking lot of a commercial area.

This project marks the implementation of a model that is still relatively uncommon in France:  autonomous and fully digital padel courts installed in underutilized peri-urban areas. Land use relies on the booking platform.  Anybuddy which manages the entire user journey, from booking to payment.

A sport experiencing strong growth, but with a still limited offering

Padel continues its rapid growth in France. According to data from... Padel Observatory 2025  and  French tennis federation the country now has approximately  4 lots , which is almost double what it was three years ago. The annual growth in the number of runs exceeds  40% .

Despite this expansion, France still lags far behind the equipment levels of some countries like Spain. The ratio is approximately  one plot of land for 21 inhabitants , against  one for every 3,000 inhabitants  in Spain.

With nearly  850,000 registered practitioners The availability of land remains a challenge. According to the same sources,  57% of players say they have difficulty finding a time slot  to play.

Furthermore, a large portion of the new equipment is concentrated in  indoor clubs or urban complexes whose operating costs can be passed on to the tariffs.

A field set up in a parking lot

The concept developed by Padel4People is based on a different logic: installing fields on  available spaces on the outskirts of cities , particularly in car parks or in commercial areas.

Each installation requires approximately  210m² , which is the equivalent of  sixteen parking spaces The structures are designed to be  demountable , with rapid installation and mostly automated operation.

Padel4People installs its first padel court in the parking lot of a shopping center in Claye-Souilly
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The entire process is digital. Players book their time slot via the app.  Anybuddy which manages access to the field, payment and user support.

The field of  Claye-souilly , opened in March 2026, serves as  pilot site  to test this model: traffic, user behavior and performance of autonomous operation.

A model designed to be replicable

The project is supported in particular by  Edouard de Fraguier , co-founder and chief operating officer of Padel4People. Former SME manager, he oversees the operational implementation of the sites: land search, administrative procedures and installation.

According to the company, the objective is to evaluate the functioning of the concept through  several sites in the Paris region  before considering a wider deployment.

The announced roadmap includes an initial phase of  three to four locations in Île-de-France , followed by more significant development in the following years.

A new avenue for the development of padel

As demand continues to grow, several models now coexist in the development of padel in France:  traditional clubs, indoor complexes, municipal facilities, or lighter installations .

The Claye-Souilly initiative illustrates an attempt to utilize underutilized urban spaces to quickly install new courts. It remains to be seen whether this autonomous and digitalized model will find its place in the rapidly evolving landscape of French padel.

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