Why footballers love Padel.

Pick up a reputable, well-researched and written sports magazine and you will notice that footballers seem to have a lot of hobbies. Fast cars are a natural attraction whilst renovating homes has proven popular over the years.

Golf has forever been the go-to destination for footballers looking to unwind after heavy training sessions and media interviews. From Shearer to Bale, Rooney to Pep, golf has been the go-to calling for a relaxing time away.

Of course, things change.

When Karl Robinson - former Oxford United manager - was holidaying in Spain he noticed a sport that was like tennis but different. It had racquets, a ball but also walls and it was played in pairs.

Yes, it was Padel and for Robinson, this would be a huge turning point in his own career as much as the careers of footballers in the UK.

With Spain being the European home of Padel, footballers and Padel have long been in a relationship for well over a decade in the professional and amateur game. Often pictured playing, Lionel Messi and Neymar absolutely love the sport whilst Barcelona players to date are often found - and papped - playing after training sessions.

Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al Khelaifi, meanwhile, is such a fan that his Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) company took control of padel’s professional ranks in 2023.

In the English game there is a lot to be said of how Padel has managed to take off with professional and amateur football clubs.

When Liverpool’s new training ground was being built in Kirkby, Klopp — who describes himself as a padel “addict” — asked for it to include a court. Klopp and Pep Ljinders are a regular pairing at Liverpool (the club posted a video of them playing Mohamed Salah and Thiago while on tour in Dubai).

Mo Salah has used his Instagram page to post about Padel and the photograph was tracked more than a million times around the world over the next four days.

Liverpool is of course not the only club who have fallen in love with the game.

Manchester City, Everton, Middlesbrough and Aberdeen all have their own purpose-built courts for training and game sessions.

So why are footballers in love with Padel?

Because it’s fun!

It goes without saying and anyone who has experienced Padel at The Padel Club will tell you, it’s fun. Like, really fun. For footballers who have to process a lot of information from tactics to nutrition, rehabilitation to development, it’s just good to switch off.

Golf provided a good opportunity for this kind of fun/relaxation during the week - but now, Padel is proving to be even more fun and with a lot less stress involved in lugging around golf gear. Equally, more people can get involved at once which brings us onto the next point…

It’s easy to learn

Yes, there is skill involved in playing Padel but most players will get a rally going within 10 minutes - as we’ve even experienced on our courts - and footballers who generally have better hand-to-eye coordination will find that they have little to no trouble mastering the game quickly.

From where to stand and what kind of shot to play, it works well on an intuitive and practised skill base that footballers have, and love to develop.

It’s social

Robinson noticed that footballers wanted to “keep playing and playing” even after they finished games. A large component of that was “the amount of time they could play with teammates, training staff and coaches.”

The social aspect is often overlooked - not by us mind - but Padel has a way of bringing lots of people together all at once. There is a sense of community. For football players who can find themselves in new surroundings after a transfer or even many years in a city where everything is dedicated to playing for the club and not much outside of it, then it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and get to play something fun.   **Stress relief **

Footballers are human, like the rest of us. And much like the rest of us, stress and mental wellbeing can be tested, especially for those in the public eye coming under scrutiny from pundits and fans alike.

Whilst Padel is and can become very competitive, the mental perception of playing it as a game to unwind is totally different. Of course, with sportspeople this can be sometimes difficult but unless their career was to do a complete 180 then Padel remains a go-to for relaxation and unwinding.

We already know that regularly working out can help manage stress and anxiety, which for a professional and amateur football player is key to a good performance on the pitch.

Low risk of injury

This does not mean that Padel can’t cause injury. In a recent guide we published we talk of the need of warm-ups, warm-downs and hazard avoiding. For professional footballers this is second practice.

Whilst studies in Sweden have shown that yes, people can get injured playing Padel it is still significantly less than playing football and tennis.

Promotes teamwork

If there is a surefire way to get teammates working together, the Padel court is it. Knowing where to move, communication, tactics and even just having some casual banter (joking) is part and parcel of the sport.

You can see why footballers would love that, yeah?

With Padel courts exploding across Europe, football teams introducing them to their training facilities and the sport being shown across TV stations around the world, Padel is fast becoming one of the biggest participation sports. It is estimated that by 2025, there will be an active 1 million players in the UK.

Footballers lead busy, physically and mentally demanding lives. Padel is not only a good mental release but one that rewards teamwork, competitiveness and social scalability. Golf may have been the favoured pastime, but Padel is the future.