In the mapping that outlines the development of padel in Italy, there is one region in the lead – with respect to the 2022 budget – with a strong sporting connotation: it is Lombardia, which in terms of the number of courts and clubs in 2023 marks an eloquent +33% compared to the previous year. No other region has gone so ‘fast’ in building new clubs. It is not surprising, therefore, the success of major international events such as the Premier Padel P1 being held these days in Milano, a show that last year, with the best players in the world on the court, certainly created a ‘boost’ effect for amateur practice in the region. A record that the Councillor for Sport, Tourism and Youth Policies of the Municipality of Milan, Martina Riva, comments with satisfaction: “Padel has the great merit of being able to involve even those who do not usually practice sport. Thanks also to the apps, the amateur fabric that plays padel is also strengthened in terms of sociality. All this is a stimulus to improve one’s lifestyle, especially if one thinks of the long period of inactivity experienced during the pandemic, which led to the isolation of many young people. If Milan – continues Riva – and Lombardia are recognised as national reference points for facilities, it means that we have worked and are working in the right direction, both with regard to major events such as Premier Padel Milano, and with regard to the offer proposed by associations and sports clubs, and with regard to the promotion of this sport, with a commitment to respecting the needs of people and the territory. This is coupled with a clear effect in terms of sports tourism: last year, around 20,000 of the 27,000 spectators who watched Premier Padel Milano at the Allianz Cloud came from all regions of Italy and abroad”.
COURTS AND THE INDOOR EFFECT The padel architecture of Lombardy has 375 clubs in which there are 1157 courts, according to the study of “Mr. PadelPaddle”, this year awarded with the Italian Padel Awards. And as many as 73 new ‘sites’ have grown in the territory, for a total of 287 new courts in the 11 months analysed so far in 2023. 30% of the clubs are located in the province of Milan (112 clubs; 453 courts of which 83% indoor), a city that ranks 2nd in Italy in terms of facilities and courts behind Rome. But Lombardy’s supremacy is not only reflected in the speed of development, but also in what is the deepest nature of the sport, namely indoor. And Lombardy leads the ranking of indoor courts with 253 out of 375 indoor facilities for a total of 854 courts, accounting for 73.8% of the total courts in the region. While those who take up padel in Lombardy number in the hundreds of thousands, in terms of amateur players, it is estimated that there are more than 160,000 regular players (once a week or more) of whom more than 40% (60,000) are located in Milan.
AGONISTICA The growing Milanese passion for padel is mirrored in a competitive effervescence that shows remarkable results: Milano Padel, which in 2022 had achieved promotion from Serie B to Serie A, reached an extraordinary second place in the top division this year, while at men’s level the Milanese team overcame the playout hurdle to secure another Serie A season.
THE COMMUNITIES In the regional balance, after Milan, we find Brescia with 55 facilities and 153 courts, followed by Bergamo (38/114). In the other provinces of the region, Varese (33/110) and Pavia (32/57) stand out, followed by Monza and Brianza (24/58), Mantova (22/54), Como (18/55), Cremona (15/35), Lodi (12/35), Lecco (10/27) and Sondrio, which closes the ranking (4/6). In Lombardy, it is possible to play in 242 municipalities throughout the territory. In the province of Milan alone, there are 50, with Brescia following (38) and Bergamo with 23. The regional average number of courts per club is higher than the Italian average, 3.1 courts per club compared to 2.6 in Italy, although in Milan there are even 4 courts per club on average.
XXL CLUBS There are 37 clubs with 6 or more courts, 7 of which have at least 10 courts; the largest is the Country Sport Village in the municipality of Paderno Dugnano with 21 courts. The club currently holds the record as the facility with the most padel courts in the whole of Italy. On the podium in terms of number of courts we then find Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s Padel Zenter Segrate with 13 ‘pistas’ and a trio of clubs with 11 courts, such as Kira Padel in Bergamo and the two new centres in Como Elle Padel Club and Mariano Sports Arena.