From tennis club to racket sports club

Setting up sports accommodations has given us a wealth of experience, but in recent years we have increasingly moved towards complete exercise concepts. Partly because the market is asking for this, and partly because we are growing and continuously developing.

Developments in the field of racket sports are currently not standing still. Whereas until a few years ago we were still talking about traditional tennis clubs, in recent years you can see that a need has arisen for more ‘adventure’ at the tennis club. Tennis players or followers of racket sports have become familiar with beach tennis. Many have now embraced the immensely popular padel. A number of clubs now have one or more courts. Some tennis halls have been fully converted for padel.

In recent years pickleball has also been conquering Europe and the Netherlands as well. After all, pickleball is not only easy to get into, but also more attractive than Padel in terms of investment. A broader sports offering for a broader target group is easier to achieve with pickleball.

Why should you respond to that as a tennis club?

The need for an innovative, challenging sports offering can be seen in all branches of sport. Think of basketball, where 3x3 basketball has recently taken off. Earlier, volleyball was successful with the integration of beach volleyball, but football and hockey are not standing still either, by offering other forms of play. Tennis players and their followers also long for a broader sports experience. By responding to this, you immediately increase the appeal of your club. It offers members the opportunity to try different sports, which can lead to greater involvement and a broader sports experience.

Making your club more future-proof:

By introducing other racket sports, you can attract new members and increase the diversity within a club. There is a large group of people who choose to practise several sports. A key sport and one as an accessible (recreational) addition. The social aspect plays an important role in this, as does the "fear of missing out" (FOMO) effect; driven by social media. If this is initiated in the right way, it will contribute to the financial stability and long-term viability of a club.

How are you going to tackle this as a tennis club?

First of all, you make an inventory of your facilities: Investigate which adjustments to the current facilities are possible in order to introduce new racket sports. Take stock of the available space or see which courts can be converted to a new racket sport. Are there possibilities to make one ‘omni-court’ out of courts? Then you can transform your court situationally, for example if tournaments are being played.

If you see opportunities, then conduct research among the members and in your area of operation into what needs exist in the field of racket sports. The chances of success of your project increase the more you meet their wishes.

Make a budget for the revenues you can generate with this new branch of racket sport, what income may possibly be missed, and how this balances against each other. Calculate with the impact on rental of materials, membership fees, turnover of the bar, sponsor income, etc.

As an example, we give the conversion of one tennis court into four pickleball courts. As a result, you can have no fewer than 16 players playing simultaneously instead of four! What does this mean for your club's income?

What do you need for that?

An accessible, extensive sports offering will be the future: A club where, in addition to practising elite and grassroots sports, you can also recreate at another level. In addition to tennis, the club offers other racket sports; such as padel, beach tennis or pickleball. This makes the club a versatile sports location for everyone who loves racket sports.

Attractive, maintenance-free and drained multisport courts invite people to play. By using different colours and lines, you can easily combine several sports on the same surface.

You can already easily facilitate necessities for these sports by means of a SportBox. With padel you often already see the possibility on location to reserve rackets and balls. You can easily make this reservation and payment via an accompanying app. This possibility naturally also exists for Pickleball.

Events and competitions are indispensable for obtaining additional income: The club organises regular events, tournaments and competitions for various racket sports. It stimulates involvement in the sport and interaction between the members.

And more is possible in the field of sport and exercise…

Would you like to know more about setting up future sports accommodations? We are happy to think and talk along. Together with our partners, we have already developed and realised concepts to give shape to this changing need. Whether it is to turn declining membership numbers into more members, to promote movement in all age groups or to contribute to circular objectives. We are at home in many (sports) markets.