Forget golf or boozy lunches, top firms are now wooing new clients over a game of padel

Published: 13:35, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 13:43, 9 August 2026 Forget golf clubs and boozy lunches - top firms across Britain are now wooing new clients over a game of padel. Padel, a tennis-squash hybrid played with rackets, has become a favourite for networking and team-building among lawyers, venture capitalists and management consultants in recent years – with courts increasingly springing up close to offices and along commuters' routes home.  Unlike suburban golf courses, padel courts are popping up in some of London's smartest neighbourhoods, including Battersea, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch and Vauxhall. The trend is also spreading beyond the capital. In central Manchester, players can head to Pollen Club, a padel clubhouse in Deansgate complete with a terrace and coffee shop, while in Birmingham, Powerleague boasts a state-of-the-art padel court alongside private parking and a cafeteria. But the sport does not come cheap. Court hire typically costs between £30 and £50 an hour, rising to as much as £100 at London clubs such as Padium in Canary Wharf, at the heart of London's financial district. Former lawyer Lauren van der Westhuizen, 34, is the founder of House of Racquet, a padel club based in King's Cross in London.  She has hosted 150 corporate and brand events centred around the sport in just three months, with employees from Goldman Sachs, Jane Street, Checkout, Google and Meta taking part in networking and team-building days.   Padel, a tennis-squash hybrid played with rackets, has become a favourite for networking and team-building among lawyers, venture capitalists and management consultants (Pictured: Pollen Club padel clubhouse in Deansgate, Manchester) In Birmingham , Powerleague boasts a state-of-the-art padel court alongside private parking and a cafeteria (pictured) Ms van der Westhuizen said the sport offers a refreshing alternative to deals being sealed over a game of golf.  She told The Times, 'When I worked in law, I'd go in on a Friday and be like: 'Why is the office empty except for the female associates?'  'Oh, because they've got partners and senior associate golf day. Padel is gender-balanced.'  Amy Hall, founder of Solihull-based women's padel merchandise brand Serve, said the sport takes the 'awkwardness' out of traditional networking.  Jenny Afia, a partner and solicitor advocate at Schillings who organises padel games for people working in media and media law, agreed, saying: 'People connect far more naturally when they're doing something together than when they're standing in a room exchanging business cards.'  Padel is a racquet sport that follows the same scoring system as lawn tennis, but is played on courts roughly a third of the size. Usually played in doubles, the game uses solid, stringless racquets and enclosed courts where, as in squash, players can use the walls to keep the ball in play. The balls are slightly smaller than tennis balls and serves are made underarm. Among the sport's celebrity fans are David Beckham, Serena Williams and even French President Emmanuel Macron. Padel is replacing traditional networking locations, including golf courses (Pictured: Pollen Club padel clubhouse in Deansgate, Manchester) Its meteoric rise is all the more remarkable given that padel was only invented in 1969, when a husband and wife created the game while on holiday as a way to stave off boredom. But not everyone is a fan of padel – a sport said to have more than one million players in Britain and a rapidly growing following, according to the Lawn Tennis Association. Rob Mindell, a managing director at consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal, said a game of padel can involve '90 minutes' of little to no conversation, unlike a business lunch, where there is ample opportunity to get to know the other person directly.  And on TikTok, users have also been quick to point out the sport's shortcomings. One commenter on a video about the sport also branded it 'a commercial rip off', while another simply agreed: 'Utter rip off.' Others took aim at its price tag and image. One wrote: 'Padel is definitely elitist,' while another dismissed it as 'very performative'. There have also been growing concerns that community spaces are being lost to make way for padel courts.  Aiwa Saito is a regular at Barking Skatepark in London, which is set to be replaced by padel courts. Ms Saito said she now feels there are few safe indoor spaces in the capital where she can take her children skating. 'Outdoor skateparks aren't safe for children, particularly teenage girls,' she told The Guardian. 'Parents already tell their girls: 'You have to be really careful when you go skateboarding, which park you go to. It's not safe.'  'And to take that away, with no alternative, is unacceptable.'