The LTA’s new 2024-2029 padel strategy features bold targets to grow the sport and has been shaped around the views and priorities of key figures in the sport.
That’s the assertion of the LTA’s Head of Padel, Tom Murray, and Managing Director of Tennis Development, Olly Scadgel, who sat down with The Padel Paper on Thursday (19 September). We’ll be bringing you their insights into the new strategy in an in-depth interview early next week.
Murray stresses that the LTA’s vision for the next five years has been formed after canvassing the opinions of those on the frontline.
“We’ve been listening!” he told us. “This strategy encompasses a lot of the concerns we’ve heard from within the industry. It defines where we’re taking a leading role, and where we’ll take more of a facilitating role by collaborating with the private sector.
“We can see the future from other countries, where the private sector is very dominant in padel. We can put in strong foundations to facilitate what they’re trying to achieve, so ultimately it’s a win/win and we’re working together.”
The strategy outlines how the LTA will continue to grow the sport’s infrastructure, both through their own funding and working alongside commercial operators. The governing body will also look to increase visibility and participation, diversify and grow the coaching workforce, and build on the performance pathway.
All these aims have clear metrics for success. The commitments for the first phase of the strategy, between now and the end of 2026, include:
- Grow the visibility of padel to increase awareness from 20% to 40% of the population, and interest in playing from 7.5% to 15%
- Increase the number of annual padel players from 129,000 to 400,000, and monthly players from 65,000 to 200,000
- Increase the number of padel courts from 350 to 1,000
- Grow the padel coach and activator workforce from 40 to 700
- Enable 10 players to break into the top 200 and two players into the top 100
From 2025, the LTA will also establish a new Padel Advisory Group (PAG) to help guide the development of the sport across Britain. The group will be open to those from across the industry who want to work collaboratively and share ideas.
Murray said, “The new strategy will help take padel in Britain to the next level. The strategy and tactics that we’ve put in place will truly help to open padel up to many more people across the country, with more funding, facilities and coaches ensuring that the sport is accessible, welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring.”
Scadgell added: “Once we became the national governing body for padel in 2020, we wanted to lay the foundations for the sport to grow in a sustainable way. Now the numbers of courts, players and coaches is accelerating rapidly, and the sport is thriving, this strategy will help us take padel to new audiences and ensure it is accessible to more people across Britain.”
To read the LTA’s padel strategy, click here.
We’ll be bringing you a full analysis of the new LTA strategy early next week.
