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Why Padel is Finally Breaking Through in America
The following story is syndicated from MSN on July 15, 2026, by Melissa Vera
Until recently, Americans interested in padel had to search for one of only a few hundred courts scattered across the country. Today, new clubs are opening across markets from Texas to Florida. Junior players are traveling internationally to compete in U.S. tournaments. Investors are backing new facilities, and high-end resorts and country clubs are beginning to ask whether they need padel courts of their own.
What changed?
Every emerging sport follows an adoption curve. For perspective we can perhaps look first at Scott Colebourne, executive director and CEO of USA Padel, the national governing body in the USAAs an early proponent and participant in other mainstream racket sports, Colebourne has held a front row seat for padel’s growing role in American sports, spearheading a major transformation to the digital system that now streamlines tournament play and has automated national player rankings. He and USA Padel are active proponents of padel’s eventual inclusion in the Olympics.
Says Colebourne: “Every emerging sport reaches a point where individual success stories become an industry. We’re seeing that transition now in the United States. More courts are being built, more clubs are opening, more…
