Padel is the easiest sport to put on for a work group. Four people a court. Rackets and balls usually provided. Everyone ends up laughing at the glass, including the person who swore they "don't do sport".
It is also quick to learn. iPadel, a padel consultancy that arranges corporate days, says most players get the grasp of the game within the first 20 minutes. That matters when half your group has never held a racket.
This guide covers the planning: how many courts, which format, what it costs at a real London venue, and what to put in the invite. Then the part most organisers rush, the kit, and why the polyester team shirt usually ends up in a drawer.
Do the court maths first
Padel is doubles. A court holds four players, and that number drives every other decision.
| Group size | Courts if everyone plays at once | Or, with rotation |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 1 court, two groups swap every 20 minutes |
| 12 | 3 | 2 courts, one group of four sits out each round |
| 20 | 5 | 4 courts, one group rests and grabs a drink |
| 40 | 10 | 6 to 8 courts with a proper schedule |
A rotation is no bad thing. Beginners tire fast in proper rallies, and the people sitting out do the cheering. Just check the venue can give you enough courts in one block. A club with four courts cannot put 20 people on at once, however keen they are.
Pick a format
Four formats work well. They suit different budgets and different levels of competitive streak.
1. The padel coffee morning
Two hours, weekday morning, pastries after. Low effort, low cost, and nobody gives up an evening. Stratford Padel Club in east London sells exactly this as its "Padel & Coffee" package: two hours of court time, a host, a hosted tournament, coffee, tea, pastries, fruit and equipment hire, at £45 a head, 8am to 12pm on weekdays only.
Good for: teams that have never played, and managers who want everyone back at a desk by lunch.
2. The half day: coach, eat, compete
This is the classic. iPadel, which arranges corporate days at venues across the UK and Ireland, publishes a sample day that makes a good template:
- 09:30 arrive, tea and coffee
- 10:00 coaching and practice
- 12:00 buffet lunch
- 13:00 tournament or team games
- 15:00 prize-giving and bar
- 16:00 home
The coaching block matters more than people think. It turns the afternoon tournament into real rallies rather than an hour of picking balls out of the corner. At Stratford, coaching is an optional extra on its bigger packages at £10 per person.
3. The inter-company cup
One pair per company, a group stage, knockouts, then drinks. In July 2025 The Padel Paper reported that Property+Padel was launching a Corporate Padel Cup at Padium in Canary Wharf. The format as announced: 16 companies, one pair each, £500 per pair covering entry, food, drink and company branding, matches from 12pm to 5pm and an evening social until 8pm. Worth copying if you are organising with clients or suppliers rather than your own team.
4. The weekly league
If the one-off day goes well, the next step is a league. iPadel says corporate leagues usually run one evening a week, with four players per team. It turns a single event into a habit, and it is how padel goes from "that thing we did in March" to part of office life.
What it costs at a real venue
Prices below are from Stratford Padel Club's own events page, read on 18 October 2026. It is one of the few UK clubs that publishes full corporate prices, which makes it a handy benchmark. Peak means after 5pm. Packages are per person and cap at 50 people; bigger groups need whole-venue hire.
| Package | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | 3 hours of court time, host, tournament, catering, drinks, equipment hire | £100 off-peak, £110 peak, per person |
| Gold | 2.5 hours, host, catering, drinks, equipment hire (best for 12 to 30) | £80 off-peak, £90 peak, per person |
| Padel & Coffee | 2 hours, host, tournament, coffee and pastries, equipment hire | £45 per person, weekday mornings |
| Bronze (court only) | Court and equipment hire, 90 minutes minimum, up to 8 to 10 players | £100 off-peak, £120 peak, per court per hour |
Want a second quote? Rocket Padel takes corporate and team-building enquiries at Battersea, Beckton, Bristol and Ilford. There are no prices on its events page, so you fill in a form with your date and rough numbers.
One booking rule worth taking seriously. Stratford asks for at least two months' notice for evening or weekend events with more than 12 people.
None of these venues are linked to Padelism. They are simply useful starting points.
Copy this into the invite
Rackets and balls are almost always provided. iPadel's page says guests should wear suitable sports shoes and clothing, and that is the line people skip. The LTA says comfortable activewear and trainers are fine, with non-marking soles for indoor courts. So spell it out. Paste this and edit the details:
Padel, [date], [venue] Rackets and balls are provided. No experience needed; there is coaching at the start. Please wear sports kit and trainers. If we are indoors, soles must be non-marking. Bring a warm layer for before and after, and a dry top for the bar. Reply with your T-shirt size by [date] so your tee is ready on the day.
That last line is the one that saves you a headache later. More on it below.
The merch: why polyester teamwear goes unworn
Here's the honest bit, from someone who makes clothes. The default for a corporate sports day is a technical polyester shirt with a big company logo on the front. It does the job for two hours on court. Then it goes home, gets washed once and is rarely seen again.
That isn't because people are ungrateful. A shiny team shirt is something you wear to play, and most people play in their own kit. Off court, few people pick it for the pub.
So think about where the kit will live after the event. For most people that's weekends, the school run, the next padel night. The pieces that get worn look like normal clothes:
- Heavy cotton over thin technical fabric. A 305 g/m² heavyweight tee in 100% cotton, unisex and cut oversized, so you order one style for the whole team. They feel like a proper T-shirt, not a giveaway.
- A design people like, not just a logo. The Padel & Pints tee is our best-selling tee, and it is a joke every padel player gets. That's the kind of thing someone wears again by choice. We also print custom t-shirts and hoodies for corporate clients and teams, so if you want your own design, the same rule applies: make it something people would pick for the pub.
- A hoodie for winter events. The Mk1 Box Hoodie is a 350 g/m² cotton blend, fleeced inside, with an oversized boxy fit, in eight colours, at £75. It covers the warm layer on the day and gets worn all winter after. See all hoodies.
- Small extras for goodie bags. The Wake Up For Padel enamel mug ends up on a desk. Grip socks at £14 or an organic ribbed beanie work too. More in accessories.
A good split for a mixed budget: everyone gets a tee, the winning pair gets the hoodie. Tees are £48 each, and two from our 2 for £90 range come to £90 at checkout.
How to order for a group
Collect sizes when people reply to the invite. Not on the day, not by guessing. Link our size guide in the sign-up and note that the tees are unisex and cut oversized: a size down gives a regular fit, their usual size gives the oversized look.
For anything more than a handful, or for custom printed t-shirts and hoodies with your own design, email hello@padelism.co.uk. Tell us:
- how many people
- the rough size split
- which pieces you're after, and your design if it's a custom print
- the date of your event
We'll come back to you with what's possible and when. Leave enough time before the event so everything arrives with room to spare.
FAQ
How many people do you need for a corporate padel day? Four makes one court. Beyond that it's about courts in one block. Stratford Padel Club's packages cap at 50 people, and its court-only option suits up to about 10.
Does anyone need to have played before? No. iPadel says most players get the hang of it within 20 minutes. Put a coaching session at the start and beginners will be rallying by lunch.
What should people wear to a padel team building day? Sports kit and trainers, with non-marking soles for indoor courts. A warm layer for before and after, and a dry top for the drinks.
How far ahead should we book? For an evening or weekend with more than 12 people, Stratford Padel Club asks for at least two months. Weekday daytime is off-peak there, and cheaper.
Can we order Padelism kit in bulk for our team? Yes. Email hello@padelism.co.uk with numbers, sizes and your event date, and we'll come back to you.
Can you print our own design on tees or hoodies? Yes. We print custom t-shirts and hoodies for corporate clients and teams. Send your design and rough numbers to hello@padelism.co.uk and we'll talk it through.
