Turning courts into communities

Mark Hewlett, Founder and CEO of Soul Padel, explains why participation, not transactions, will shape padel’s next chapter

If the UK padel sector is serious about sustainable growth, then the conversation has to move beyond acquisition and towards belonging. At Soul Padel, our Soul Mates programme was designed as a community architecture, not simply a loyalty overlay. Its core mechanism is intentionally simple and deliberately inclusive. Regardless of who books the court or pays for the session, if you step onto court and play, you can earn Almas, our name for points. Participation, not purchasing power, is what is recognised.

That distinction matters. In many sports environments, the person who controls the booking holds the value. We wanted to remove that hierarchy. By rewarding every player on court, Soul Mates reinforces that padel is a team sport built on shared experience. It ensures that new players, juniors, social participants and competitive regulars are all equally visible within the ecosystem of the club.

Returns of engagement

The response has been significant. More than 8,000 players have now joined Soul Mates, with up to 65% of customers enrolling from day one of a club opening. That early adoption tells us that players are not simply looking for court time, they are looking for connection.

Streak the Court sits within that broader framework. By encouraging Soul Mates to complete four playing days within a month, it reinforces consistency and habit. In January over 2,000 players across Stockport and St Helens engaged with Streaks, with almost 400 completing a full four-day streak. The numbers are encouraging, but more important is what they represent, a shift from occasional participation to structured routine. Routine is where community takes root. When players return weekly, they form partnerships, recognise faces and begin to feel that they belong. Clubs stop being transactional spaces and become social anchors. In a sport as accessible and communal as padel, that transformation is powerful.

Patterns of play

Crucially, Soul Mates also gives us insight into our community in a way traditional models cannot. Because Almas are earned through participation, we can analyse patterns of play across different demographics, markets and ability levels. With 84% of Soul Mates choosing to complete their full personal profile, we now have a far clearer understanding of our players’ gender balance, age distribution and postcode spread. That insight allows us to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. In established markets, the challenge may be maintaining engagement in a competitive landscape. In emerging areas, it may be building confidence and lowering the barrier to return. Insight allows us to respond intentionally, not generically.

The reward structure is equally community-focused. Almas can be exchanged for free play, making it easier to get back on court and reinforce habit. They can also be donated to What’s That Racket?, helping introduce more children to padel and extending the impact of each player’s participation beyond their own game. When Soul Mates unlock new tiers, they receive a Soul Padel T-shirt that celebrates their milestone, creating a visible symbol of belonging within the club.

More than 8,000 players have now joined Soul Mates, with up to 65% of customers enrolling from day one of a club opening

Our recent free-play-for-a-year prize in Stockport demonstrated how seriously we value consistent participation. Yet the bigger ambition is cultural. As the UK padel market becomes more crowded, clubs that recognise every player, reward the right behaviours and use insight to serve their communities thoughtfully will be the ones that endure. For us, Soul Mates is not about points. It is about creating environments where people feel seen, valued and motivated to return. That is how courts become communities.