In the map of European padel, Ireland has so far never stood out for interesting growth projections or for being the next market to watch on our continent. At the moment, the country has roughly fifty courts: negligible numbers, but ones that are expected to increase over the next two years.
The credit goes above all to Padel 100, an Irish company founded by Ben Keohane whose goal is to spread padel in Ireland by building new courts and making the sport accessible to anyone who wants to take it up.
As reported by the Irish Examiner, Padel 100’s plan foresees the installation of 12 courts per month from now on, with the goal of reaching 100 new courts by April 2026. The medium-term goal is to reach 300 by December 2027. Padel 100 has already struck agreements with more than 40 facilities including schools, universities, Gaelic games clubs, hotels, golf clubs, and multisport centres.
Padel 100 relies on strategic partnerships with Sweden’s Acenta Group for financial, logistics, and production support, with Italy’s NXPadel for court construction, and with Playtomic. One year after its founding, Padel 100 is valued at around €10 million.
Free courts for everyone
But while building the courts is one thing, convincing people to try a largely unknown sport in Ireland is surely more challenging. To reach as many new users as possible, Keohane has opted for a strategy that is simple in concept yet unique in practice: offering the courts to players free of charge.
Padel 100 is currently active in two locations: at the Charleville Sports Centre in Charleville and at The Green Edgeworthstown in Longford, in both cases with two outdoor courts (though Padel 100 notes that covers are already planned). At both clubs, until 2 January it is possible to play for free in all time slots bookable on Playtomic; after that date, court use will remain free from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.
“We are doing something that no other operator in Europe has done: making daytime padel 100% free,” said Keohane. “Other venues charge 50–60 euros per hour, but we want to open our doors to everyone. Padel should be accessible, not exclusive. With this model you build strong participation and grow the sport in a smart way.”
“For every single court we install, we offer over 1,000 free hours per year,” Keohane explains. “We have already provided more than 100,000 free hours, which will become over 150,000 free hours once we reach full operational capacity. We only apply fees during peak evening hours and on weekends. During the day, the court is for everyone.”
“Padel is a sport built on energy, health, inclusion, and a sense of community. It shouldn’t be something that only people who can afford 50 or 60 euros per hour can play. Our vision is to make padel the most accessible sport in Ireland, while maintaining a solid and profitable business model. Our investors really appreciate this dual purpose: commercial strength combined with real social impact.”
