As the sport of padel grows in the United States, so too does the number of women learning to play.
Padel is a hybrid of tennis and squash that is played on an enclosed court space either inside or outdoors. A 2025 report by , a platform that sells padel gear, found that 40% of worldwide players are women. In 2024, the International Padel Foundation reported that the sport had worldwide — up from 12 million in 2014.
Colorado is not going to be left out of this growth in the sport that was created in 1969 in Mexico, then spread to South America and Europe () in the 1970s. Droves of women are finding out why itap so popular.
“I’m a big proponent of padel for women,” said Colleen Campbell, coach and padel program coordinator at the Parker Racquet Club.
Campbell grew up in a competitive tennis family, playing through high school (undefeated, she says), then college, and then in tournaments before she became a coach. She later added pickleball to her coaching expertise.
Then she saw a padel game at the Parker Racquet Club when it became the first place in Colorado to provide a court for the game. “I thought it was one of the most exciting sports I’ve ever watched,” she said during an interview.
After training at an established padel school in Orlando, Fla., Campbell returned to Colorado as an evangelist for the sport that she has embraced fully, hoping that more women will join her.
Campbell believes padel is a sport particularly well-suited for women — either to play together or in mixed leagues. Her reasons:
- “Women can keep up with men in padel because the underhand serve is the great equalizer; you can’t get a height or power advantage like you can in tennis,” she said.
- “Itap easier on the legs,” she added. “The surface of the court is really nice with an artificial turf on top of sand. A lot of people tell me itap easier on their knees.”
- Campbell said that there seem to be fewer injuries with padel than pickleball.
- Padel is typically played in doubles, making it a social event, too. “Women tend to be more social than men,” she added. “The interaction makes it fun to share the experience with somebody.”
How to get started playing padel
As a coach and padel player, Campbell recommends lessons for all levels of the sport for both men and women.
“Taking a lesson to get started (will) develop good technique and reduce the chance for injuries,” she said, noting that there are private and semi-private lessons and clinics available. “At Parker Racquet Club, there are some women-only clinics.”
Currently, Parker Racquet Club’s padel courts are only available seasonally since they are outside, but there are plans to add indoor courts.
The clinics are for all levels to first grasp the fundamentals of the sport, including “getting a good stance, technique, core positioning, forehand, backhand, how to hit volleys, and pick up the terminologies.”
One big difference in padel isthat the player allows the ball to bounce off the glass wall before hitting it back. Players use a tennis ball with a distinctive hard foam paddle (padel) for this sport.
Once a player has the basics down, Campbell suggests additional training to gain expertise in “how to use the wall as your friend” and shot selection.
In Campbell’s experience, the learning curve for padel is quicker than pickleball.
Where to play in Colorado
There’s been more growth in the sport in the U.S. in the last two years than in the last 10 years, the found. There were 688 padel courts in 31 states as of early 2025, with an estimated 112,000 players, according to the study.
In Colorado, there are several places to play.
- (former Meadows Creek Tennis & Fitness) in Lakewood has four outdoor padel courts.
- in Englewood has four indoor padel courts.
- in Boulder has indoor padel courts, along with clinics for all levels.
- Cloud 9 Park in Denver has one outdoor court for padel.
- in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood is scheduled to open with indoor courts in winter 2026.
- in Colorado Springs has three indoor courts.
- The in Aspen has one outdoor padel court that is open in summer.
