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Netherlands Padel Players per Court: ~249 Annual, ~120 Monthly
Dutch figures published in 2026 imply ~249 annual participants or ~120 monthly players per court. See the dates, definitions and July figure limits.
The Netherlands has ~249 annual padel participants per court, or ~120 monthly players per court, using the KNLTB–EY figures published in 2026. Those are different measures of participation—not competing answers. The underlying report covers 2025, with a reference date of 31 December 2025, rather than a completed 2026 season. Source: Padel in Cijfers 2025.
A July 2026 announcement uses figures often reduced to a shorthand of ~250 players per court. But its qualified totals—“over” 876,000 players and “more than” 3,500 courts—cannot establish an exact ratio or a minimum of 250.
What the calculation counts
The KNLTB, the Dutch tennis and padel federation, and EY report 3,523 courts across 780 locations at year-end 2025. They estimate that 876,000 people played padel at least once during 2025, while average monthly participation was 423,579. The report attributes the monthly estimate to NOC*NSF research and defines a monthly player as someone playing at least once per month. This is an average monthly count, not a claim that the same people played every month. Source: KNLTB–EY report, pp. 16 and 36.
| Measure | Reported player figure | Year-end court denominator | Calculated players per court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Played at least once during 2025 | ~876,000 | 3,523 | ~249 |
| Average monthly participation in 2025 | ~423,579 | 3,523 | ~120 |
The arithmetic is 876,000 ÷ 3,523 = 248.7 for annual participation and 423,579 ÷ 3,523 = 120.2 for monthly participation. These are rounded calculations from reported figures, not precise measurements of how many people use each individual court. The report itself states the monthly result as one court per 120 monthly players. Both calculations use year-end court supply, not the average number of courts available throughout 2025.
Annual participation includes occasional users. The report says 60% of participants played once or occasionally, compared with 40% classed as regular players. It also explains why booking records alone cannot count everyone: the person reserving a court may bring three other players, and people can use multiple locations. Source: KNLTB–EY report, p. 16.
For comparing recurring participation with court supply, the monthly ratio is more informative than the annual reach figure. Neither measures booked court-hours.
Why the July 2026 figures do not give an exact ratio
In FIP’s 22 July 2026 announcement awarding the 2027 European championship to the Netherlands, KNLTB sports director Jacco Eltingh described the country as having “over 876,000 active players and more than 3,500 courts.” Source: FIP announcement.
Dividing those thresholds gives 876,000 ÷ 3,500 = 250.3, hence the shorthand ~250. But both actual totals exceed the numbers supplied. A larger player total pushes the ratio up; a larger court total pushes it down. The statement alone establishes neither an upper nor a lower bound for players per court.
It also does not define “active” by playing frequency. Do not relabel that quotation as 876,000 monthly players. For a reproducible ratio, the dated report and its explicit participation definitions are stronger evidence.
What this means for court availability
A national ratio does not reveal whether a particular club has spare capacity. Playing frequency, opening hours, indoor versus outdoor provision, geography and concentration of demand at popular times all matter. To assess actual availability, use local booking data and a court-occupancy calculation, rather than treating ~120 monthly players per court as an occupancy percentage.
Nor should championship venues be added automatically to the national court inventory. FIP’s 10 September 2026 update confirmed Amsterdam, The Hague and Arnhem for the July 2027 Final 8, with earlier phases in Zwolle and Dronten. It did not publish a new count of permanent public courts. Source: FIP venue announcement.
For a data table published in 2026, label the result “Netherlands, 2025 participation divided by year-end 2025 courts: ~249 annual participants or ~120 monthly players per court.” That preserves the date and definition behind the number.