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Insights Library — All Posts by Category
Explore the Racquet Sports Institute Insights Library—a single place for decision-grade analysis, benchmarks, and practical playbooks. Because no courts, no players, our content keeps facilities at the center while connecting market signals to design and day-to-day operations. You’ll find deep dives on ecosystem trends and country developments, proven facility models, smart management (planning, community, programming, operations tech), architecture that turns strategy into built performance, updates on our forthcoming AI.
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Why Most Racquet Sports Decisions Are Still Made on Gut Feeling
The racquet sports sector is making consequential decisions — facility builds, investments, market entry — on fragmented information and personal intuition. No standardized benchmarks, no comparable facility data, no structured KPIs exist. Sport-by-sport fragmentation and rapid growth have masked this gap, but as markets mature, the margin for error is shrinking. The industry needs structured knowledge infrastructure that combines evidence with experience to support better de
Economies of Scale in Racquet Sports Facilities
Commercial racquet sports facilities face a harsh reality: below a sport-specific court threshold, the math does not work. Fixed costs are virtually identical whether you operate 3 courts or 10. This analysis examines minimum viable scale for padel, pickleball, and squash, why 3–4 court facilities are trapped by their cost structure, and where the margin inflection point transforms the business.
Facility Orientation Matters: Performance, Participation, Commercial Growth, or Hybrid?
Two facilities can offer the same sports, serve the same city, and still require completely different strategies — because their fundamental orientation differs. Whether a venue is built around performance, participation, commercial growth, community, or a structured hybrid, that orientation shapes design, programming, staffing, and measurement. Without strategic clarity on purpose, facilities drift between conflicting logics. This article explains why defining orientation ea
Why Facility Type Changes Almost Everything
Most racquet sports projects start with the wrong question. They focus on sport mix, court count, or visual concept — before defining what kind of facility they are actually building. The Racquet Sports Institute works with five distinct facility types: Commercial/For-Profit, Non-Profit/Public/Training Academy, School/University, Member Club, and Add-on Hospitality/Hotel/Workplace. Each type requires different metrics, different design logic, different staffing, and different
Good Facility Strategy Starts with Better Questions
Most racquet sports facilities fail strategically before construction begins. The error is starting with design decisions instead of purpose. A facility is defined by its operating logic — not its sport. The right first question is not "How many courts?" but "What problem does this facility solve, for whom, and under what business model?"
Not Every Racquet Sport Market Starts from the Same Point
Racquet sports facility concepts cannot be copied blindly from one market to another. Growth, visibility, and court numbers may suggest momentum, but they do not reveal market maturity, operational depth, or long-term fit. The real challenge is to understand what is transferable, what needs adaptation, and what must remain local. Better facility decisions come from structured comparison, not imitation.
Complementary, Not Competitive: The Real Relationship Between Racquet Sports
This article argues that racquet sports should not automatically be viewed as direct competitors. Instead, squash, padel and pickleball can play different strategic roles within one venue, attracting different user groups and strengthening the overall facility model when the mix is planned properly.
Why Racquet Sports Can No Longer Be Planned in Silos
Racquet sports can no longer be planned as separate worlds. As squash, padel, and pickleball increasingly share audiences, business models, and facility realities, operators and investors need a more integrated way of thinking about growth, design, and long-term sustainability.
McKinsey - Latino Fans Could Power the Next Boom in Racquet Sports Facilities
McKinsey’s 2025 report shows Latino fans will drive one-third of U.S. sports growth by 2035. For racket-sports facilities, this signals huge potential: Latino communities are young, family-oriented, digital, and community-driven—matching the DNA of modern clubs. Facilities should focus on youth programs, cultural authenticity, bilingual digital outreach, and social-event concepts in high-growth Latino regions like California, Texas, and Florida.
Comment to "Impact of Public Courts to Private Clubs"
Jean Vacca (CEO, Padel Now France) says France’s FFT-backed non-profit base expands access but anchors low prices, pressuring private clubs. Upside: committed players seek premium indoor courts, advanced coaching, leagues and community. Playbook: sell the environment, own development, run must-show programs, price around public anchors, target the committed, and partner with municipalities. 2024–25: 814 new courts; 1,000+ forecast; 85k+ competitors; 100k+ licences; subsidies
Impact of Public Courts to Private Clubs
This paper shows how mass-participation policy channels public money into low-cost courts, boosting access while squeezing private clubs on price and utilization. Case studies: squash in England (decline; leisure centers), U.S. pickleball (boom on public courts; private model strained), and Spain’s padel (public provision + demand; private wins via quality/programming). Conclusion: clubs must differentiate through experience, community, positioning, partnerships, and professi
Squash - What Recreational Players Really Spend
The Racquet Sports Institute’s third article explores what recreational squash players actually spend across Europe and the United States. It breaks down membership fees, court costs, gear, and coaching, showing how access drives expenses. Squash remains the most facility-dependent of the three racquet sports, with higher costs tied to indoor clubs and memberships—especially in major U.S. cities.
Pickleball - What Recreational Players Really Spend
The Racquet Sports Institute’s second article breaks down what recreational pickleball players actually spend in the US and Europe. It covers five buckets—court access, memberships, equipment, coaching, and competition. Because many public courts are free, monthly costs can be near zero; community centers charge small drop-in fees, while premium indoor clubs offer ~$120–$160 unlimited plans. Typical budgets range from $0–$50 at parks to ~$144/month at upscale clubs.
Participation is the growth engine — Sport Industry Report 2025
Sport Industry Report 2025 spotlights participation as the primary growth driver. The funnel widens to include wellness and everyday movement, not just formal sport. Durable growth depends on clear grassroots-to-elite pathways and inclusive venue design. Gen Z behaviors and creator-led media act as acquisition gateways, while tech blends physical and digital experiences. Policy and capital are converging on mass-participation projects; content must be strategic to convert and
Levelling the Playing Field - Why Matchmaking Matters
Racquet sports thrive on social play, but pairing players of equal skill is the linchpin. Clubs use four approaches: staff-led introductions, digital apps that auto-match, grassroots WhatsApp/Facebook groups, and structured leagues, ladders and rating nights. Tech is promising yet early, and level definitions vary by sport and country. Facilities win by blending human touch and tools while pushing toward portable, universal ratings.
Padel - What Recreational Players Really Spend
Series opener from the Racquet Sports Institute on costs for recreational players. We break down court access, memberships, equipment, coaching and competition across Europe and the U.S. for padel. As court supply grows, prices fall—key for facility planning. Location and frequency drive spend.
From Squash Facilities Network to the Racquet Sports Institute: a bigger stage, a bolder mission
The Squash Facility Network evolves into the Racquet Sports Institute, expanding proven playbooks from squash to padel and pickleball. Facilities get cross-sport operating cadence, KPIs, staffing and program templates, investor-grade capital frameworks, and an AI model tailored to racquet sports. Backed by 30+ years and 500+ facilities in 60+ countries, the Institute turns benchmarks into daily behavior to lift utilization, yield, and member experience. For operators, investo
Organizing Summer Camps: A Club Manager’s Playbook
Summer camps are a proven, portable revenue engine for clubs. This playbook covers one-week formats, age/skill segmentation, and day vs. overnight models. Schedule 9:00–16:00 to protect peak hours. Keep ratios tight (max four per court), use assistants and guest coaches, and hold limited drop-ins. Price in the high hundreds; 20 campers at $600 ≈ $12k per week. Track fill rate, revenue per court-hour, re-enrollment, and conversions. Model transfers to padel and pickleball. Add
ASB Glass Floors: Slip Resistance — A Deep Dive after the London Classic
Referees and players report slips on the ASB GlassFloor at pro events, especially when sweat pools near the T. Tribology explains why squash needs micro-texture; wood courts restore grip by re-sanding. Experts flag possible micro-abrasion on glass; ASB denies wear, citing MSquash and pointing to humidity plus planned heating/ventilation. PSA says it’s reviewing feedback to ensure safe, fair conditions. Read the full analysis of standards and safety details here.
Summer Camps—It’s Not Just Summer Training—It’s a Junior Pipeline Engine
At Squash On Fire, summer camps turn idle daytime courts into revenue and build a junior pipeline without disrupting evening play. Programs span from fun, activity-based sessions for kids to high-performance weeks led by top coaches, with a clear management focus on measurable outcomes. Fact: the financial target is $150k per season. Camps consistently convert participants into year-round academy members and offer a scalable model across racquet sports.
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