Empower proves girls just want to have fun!
Empower Padel female survey
A first-of-its-kind survey of female padel players has found that the majority play for friendship and community and are becoming more confident in their abilities on court.
The Women in Padel survey was carried out by female-first padel network Empower Padel, which canvassed its community to find out how often members play, their reasons for doing so etc – and barriers to getting on the padel court.
The results were presented during a Beyond the Bandeja evening hosted by Empower in conjunction with Evelyn Partners at its City of London offices. Discussion explored how padel is empowering women, building confidence and creating a thriving community on – and off – the court.
“What we’re seeing is that padel is so much more than a sport – it’s a catalyst for confidence, connection, and community,” said Empower Padel founder Pep Stonor. “Women are stepping onto the court not only to play, but to build networks, friendships and a sense of belonging that extends far beyond the game.
“This year’s survey makes clear that women want opportunities that are social, supportive and aspirational – whether that’s finding partners, travelling internationally or simply carving out time for themselves. Empower Padel exists to unlock those opportunities and ensure women everywhere feel empowered to pick up a racket and play,” she added.
Key findings from the survey:
• 84% of respondents play weekly or more, up slightly from 2024
• 82% now identify as advanced or intermediate, showing confidence is rising.
• 81% play for friendship, 69% for fitness, 51% for competition.
• 79% are interested in international padel trips, with Spain, Portugal and Italy topping the list.
• 71% have under two years of experience.
• 12% say padel got them back into sport or is their first sport, demonstrating the power of padel to engage women in sport.
“The one thing I would take away [from the survey] is just how explosive the women’s game is,” Pep told an invited audience of around 80 people at the Beyond the Bandeja event. “It’s growing so rapidly and women are the lifeblood of padel businesses in many ways; they’re meeting more friends, they’re bringing friends in, they bring the kids in during holidays, they buy the merch. They stay. Women are loyal. So when another padel club opens down the road women will stay where their friends and their WhatsApp groups are,” she added.
Empower runs events, tournaments and coaching clinics geared to all levels of players and has grown a dedicated following since Pep established the community a year ago with the aim of establishing a platform to ‘encourage more women to return to sport, start sport, or stay in sport’ through padel.
Earlier this year it announced a three-year partnership with wealth management company Evelyn Partners with the aim of inspiring women and girls to take up a team sport – such as padel – to boost their physical and mental well-being, widen their networks and build new friendships.
Rachael Smith, Evelyn Partners’ head of growth, joined Pep, sports broadcaster Di Stewart and GB No 2 Catherine Rose, on the podium for the evening. Rachael drew parallels between women not seeking financial advice (60% of wealth in the UK is in female hands yet women are 75% less likely than men to seek financial advice) to the barriers they face in business and accessing sport.
“Padel is creating a more inclusive networking opportunity and the Empower Padel partnership has been so important for us because it’s that extra enabler that the women in our business need to help them get their female friends and networks together,” said Rachael. “Being involved in networks like Empower, and being involved in the sporting community with women in the UK, is a critical part of how we go and meet women where they’re at.”
As well as highlighting the importance of supportive coaching, events and social meet-ups, – and that many women participating in Empower events might be new to the organisation but they play ‘a lot’ of padel – the survey shed light on barriers that women face in getting on to court, with 65% citing lack of time, 56% high court costs and 44% the difficulty of finding a playing partner.
The survey also highlighted the huge role that female networks bring to padel, with 46% of respondents introduced to the game by a friend and 81% citing its social nature for continuing with the game. 🎾
