Padel Club Staffing Guide 2026: How to Recruit the Team for a New Padel Venue
A new padel venue usually needs a Club or General Manager, a Head Coach, a small team of coaches,
front-of-house hosts and, depending on the model, membership sales and food and drink staff. The
General Manager should be recruited three to six months before opening, the Head Coach two to three
months before, and front-of-house teams four to six weeks before launch.
Padel's growth in Britain has been extraordinary. According to the LTA, one million adults and juniors were playing padel by May 2026, across 1,825 courts at 551 venues, up from just 15,000 players in 2019. Courts are being built quickly. Finding people who can run them well is now one of the biggest challenges operators face.
Why padel staffing is different
A padel club isn't quite a gym, a tennis club or a bar. It's a mix of all three. The best venues combine sport, hospitality and community, and the team needs to deliver all of it. Members are booking courts through an app, playing socially, joining leagues and staying for food and drink. That means you need people who are as good with customers as they are with a racket.
It's also a young industry in the UK. There simply aren't many people with five years of padel club management on their CV yet, so the smartest operators recruit for transferable skills and train the sport-specific parts.
The core roles a padel venue needs
- Club Manager or General Manager: owns the P&L, the team, bookings, partnerships and the member experience. Experience in gyms, tennis clubs, hospitality or leisure management transfers well.
- Head Coach: leads coaching, programmes, academies and the coaching team. Usually holds an LTA-recognised padel coaching qualification and often has a tennis coaching background.
- Padel Coaches: deliver lessons, clinics and social sessions. Can be employed, self-employed or a mix.
- Front of House and Hosts: the face of the club. Welcome players, manage bookings and keep the atmosphere right.
- Membership and Sales: drive memberships, corporate bookings, events and leagues.
- Food and Drink: for venues with a bar or café, which in many clubs is a significant share of revenue.
Typical staffing by venue size
A smaller venue with three or four courts often runs with a Club Manager who also covers sales, one Head Coach, a few part-time or self-employed coaches and a small rota of front-of-house staff. A mid-sized venue with six to eight courts typically adds a dedicated sales or community lead, more coaches and a fuller front-of-house team, sometimes with a Duty Manager. Large indoor venues with ten or more courts, a bar and events space look more like a premium leisure operation, with separate leads for coaching, sales, food and drink and operations.
A pre-opening recruitment timeline
- Six months out: confirm the operating model and staffing structure. Start the General Manager search.
- Three to six months out: appoint the General Manager so they can shape the team, systems and launch plan.
- Two to three months out: appoint the Head Coach to build programmes, academies and coaching rotas.
- Six to eight weeks out: recruit coaches, sales and food and drink leads.
- Four to six weeks out: recruit and train front-of-house teams, ready for soft launch.
The most common mistake we see is leaving the GM hire too late. Without them, decisions about the team, systems and launch get made by people who won't be there to run the club, so may not be 'owned' by the late arriving GM.
Where to find padel talent
Look beyond people who have already worked in padel. Tennis coaches and tennis club managers bring racket-sport expertise. Gym and leisure managers bring commercial and operational experience. Hospitality managers bring service and food and drink skills that many padel venues rely on. Many operators also recruit coaches from Spain and other established padel nations, where the coaching pathway is more mature.
What to pay a padel team
Pay varies by location and venue size. As a guide, padel Club Managers and General Managers typically earn £35,000 to £55,000, with larger or flagship venues paying more. Head Coaches usually earn £30,000 to £45,000, often with additional earnings from private lessons. Coaches are commonly paid hourly, typically £25 to £50 an hour depending on qualifications and experience. Front-of-house roles generally start at or above the National Living Wage.
Common padel staffing mistakes
• Hiring a great player instead of a great coach or manager.
• Underestimating the hospitality side of the business.
• Recruiting the GM too late to shape the launch.
• Relying entirely on self-employed coaches with no programme ownership.
• No plan for staffing peak times, when evenings and weekends book out.
Frequently asked questions
What staff does a padel club need?
Most padel clubs need a Club Manager, a Head Coach, coaches, front-of-house hosts and, depending on the model, sales and food and drink staff.
How many staff does a padel club need?
A small venue with three or four courts can run with a core team of five to ten people including part-time staff. Larger venues with ten or more courts, a bar and events space often need 20 or more.
What qualifications do padel coaches need?
Most UK operators look for an LTA-recognised padel coaching qualification, along with safeguarding and first aid. Many strong coaches also have tennis coaching experience.
When should I recruit staff for a new padel club?
Start the General Manager search around six months before opening, appoint the Head Coach two to three months out, and recruit front-of-house teams four to six weeks before launch.
Opening a padel venue or growing a padel brand? Love Recruitment works with new and established padel operators across the UK, from General Managers to Head Coaches and front-of-house teams. Find out more at https://www.loverecruitmentgroup.com/pages/padel-business or talk to the team via loverecruitmentgroup.com/people.
