Padel Gains Popularity as Corporate Networking Tool

Top firms across Britain are adopting padel, a hybrid of tennis and squash, as a preferred method for networking and client engagement, moving away from traditional activities like golf and business lunches. The sport's popularity has surged among lawyers, venture capitalists, and management consultants, with courts appearing in urban centers, including London's Battersea, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch, and Vauxhall.

The trend extends beyond the capital, with facilities like the Pollen Club in Manchester and Powerleague in Birmingham offering padel courts alongside amenities such as terraces, coffee shops, and cafeterias. However, the sport's accessibility comes at a cost, with court hire ranging from £30 to £50 per hour and reaching up to £100 at exclusive London clubs like Padium.

Former lawyer Lauren van der Westhuizen, founder of London-based House of Racquet, has organized over 150 corporate events centered on padel in just three months. These events have seen participation from employees of major companies including Goldman Sachs, Jane Street, Checkout, Google, and Meta. Van der Westhuizen noted that padel provides a gender-balanced alternative to golf outings, which were traditionally male-dominated. "Padel is gender-balanced," she stated, contrasting it with golf days where "the office empty except for the female associates."

Experts suggest that padel reduces the 'awkwardness' often associated with traditional networking. Jenny Afia, a partner at Schillings, remarked that "People connect far more naturally when they're doing something together than when they're standing in a room exchanging business cards." Padel is typically played in doubles on courts about a third the size of a tennis court, with enclosed walls that can be used during play, similar to squash. It uses stringless racquets and a scoring system identical to lawn tennis, with underarm serves.

The sport, invented in 1969, has gained a significant following, with over one million players in Britain according to the Lawn Tennis Association. Celebrities such as David Beckham and Serena Williams are among its fans.

Despite its growing appeal, not all are enthusiastic about padel. Concerns have been raised about its exclusivity and cost, with some social media users labeling it "elitist" and a "commercial rip off." Critics like Rob Mindell, a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, argue that the game can involve prolonged periods of silence, hindering direct personal interaction, unlike a business lunch. Additionally, there are growing concerns about community spaces, such as the Barking Skatepark in London, being repurposed for padel courts, impacting alternative recreational opportunities for residents.