Padelstars welcomed 532 women and girls to free, coach-led padel sessions at nine UK venues in July, with 230 picking up a racket for the first time. That 43% figure gives its She Rallies initiative a sharper point than the usual participation drive: remove the cost, uncertainty and awkward business of arriving without a partner, and people tend to turn up.
Five Friday nights, nine venues and one open invitation
Across all five Friday evenings in July, Padelstars set aside two hours of peak-time court access, from 7 pm to 9 pm. Equipment was supplied, coaching was included and players of every age and ability could attend.
Demand rose as the month went on, prompting several venues to release additional courts. That detail matters. Plenty of participation schemes are tucked into the quietest corner of the timetable, somewhere between an empty café and the cleaner’s final round. She Rallies occupied Friday night.
Padel’s gender gap remains stubborn
The LTA puts women at 30% of Britain’s padel-playing population, despite the sport’s rapid expansion. Courts may be multiplying, but access is not simply a matter of opening a gate and pointing at the glass.
Beginners can face several hurdles at once: court fees, unfamiliar rules, no playing partner and the suspicion that everybody else already knows exactly where to stand. She Rallies was built to lower all four. Women could arrive alone, learn with other newcomers and leave with the beginnings of a local playing group.
Why 230 first-timers is the figure that matters
Participants reported that padel was quick to grasp, competitive almost immediately and sociable without demanding weeks of technical penance. The sessions also created introductions that could survive beyond the first evening, giving new players potential partners for future games.
Andy Knee, CEO of Padelstars, said: “Welcoming over 500 women and girls to She Rallies was a fantastic result, but the most important figure is that 230 had never played padel before. That is more than four in ten participants discovering the sport for the first time.
“The barriers facing new players often overlap. It is not only the price of a court. Someone may not know the rules, have anybody to play with or feel confident walking into a male-dominated environment.
“We designed She Rallies around those realities. The sessions were free, coached and open to all abilities, and women could attend without already having a partner or playing group. We also held them during peak Friday evening hours rather than expecting women to fit around the edges of the existing schedule.
“Padel’s growth cannot be judged only by the number of courts being built. We also need to look at who feels able to play on them. These results show that when women are given the right invitation and environment, the appetite is absolutely there.”
From free trial to regular play
She Rallies was an introduction rather than an indefinite supply of free court time. Padelstars says newcomers can continue through free Intro to Padel sessions at new clubs, sessions from £7.50 elsewhere, and 90-minute Ladies Socials and Beginner Socials from £9 at selected venues.
Those socials group players of similar standards, rotate partners and provide a route into the local padel community. As Knee added: “The answer is creating a realistic pathway that makes the first experience welcoming and regular participation achievable.”
Growth measured by players, not just glass
Padelstars currently runs 12 venues and more than 40 courts in Basildon, Bournemouth, Bracknell, Chigwell, Egham, Folkestone, Guildford, Reading, Southampton, St Albans, Taunton and Watford. Its network is due to reach 15 venues shortly.
The commercial temptation in padel is to count courts, clubs and cranes. She Rallies offered a more useful measure: who felt welcome enough to walk through the door, borrow a racket and come back for another game.
