ATPennPadel is booked in fours
When a tennis organiser ends up one player short, the doubles can turn into a singles and everyone still plays. Padel rarely gives you that way out. Almost every game at a club is doubles, so a court works when four people of a similar level turn up at the same time, and it doesn't work otherwise. Three players and an empty place is a wasted court. Four players where one is far stronger or weaker than the rest is an hour that three of them won't enjoy.
So the thing you organise is the four, not the individual player. Every step below follows from that.
1Build the week from your court slots
Start with the courts, not the people. Write down which courts your club or group has each week and at what times. Many padel clubs book in 90-minute slots and some by the hour. Use whatever length you actually pay for, and keep the start times fixed so players can plan their evening around them.
Then give each slot a level. That's the whole template: day, start time, court and level. The format doesn't need a column of its own, because it's doubles and every slot has four places.
If you rent courts at a centre rather than run your own, the template is the set of courts you book every week. Book them in the same pattern and open them for sign-up at the same moment each week, so players learn when to look. The guide to running a weekly schedule explains why that fixed opening time matters.
2Set the levels yourself, then let results correct you
In padel a level gap shows within a few points. In a mismatched four the other side sends every ball to the weakest player, who barely gets a rally going, and the strongest player hardly touches the ball. Nobody leaves happy.
If you ask players to rate themselves, you get a mix of modesty and optimism. It works better when the organiser, or a coach, sets each player's level after watching them play. A short scale is enough: A for the stronger players, B for the developing ones, and A/B for games open to both. If your club already uses a numbered scale, keep it. What matters is that every slot says who it's for.
Look at the levels again every few weeks. A B player who keeps winning in A/B games is ready to move up. Someone who keeps losing in A games will enjoy B games more, and will come back more often. The A/B games are where these moves happen without anyone feeling demoted.
3Balance the pairs inside the four
Four players at the same level still have to split into two pairs, and the split matters. A few habits keep it fair:
- If one player is clearly the strongest, pair them with the weakest and let the middle two play together.
- Check sides. Most regular players have a side they prefer, left or right, and a pair works best when each of them gets theirs. Put two left-side players together and one of them plays out of position all evening.
- If the first set is lopsided, swap partners for the second. Nobody needs to lose 6-0, 6-0 for the sake of keeping the pairs fixed.
Some players arrive as a fixed pair and want to stay one. That's fine. Let them sign up together, one taking the place next to the other, and fill the other side with a pair at the same level.
4Fill the fourth place before the day
The most common problem in padel organising is a game stuck on three. Posting "need one for tomorrow" to the whole group rarely works, because everyone assumes someone else will answer. What does work:
- Check the half-full games the day before and on the morning of the game, while there's still time to fix them.
- Ask specific people: the right level, played recently, not already booked that day.
- Ask the three who are in. Each of them knows players you don't.
- Keep a short list of people who are happy to be called at short notice, and thank them when they help out.
Agree a cancellation rule and write it down. For example: after a fixed hour the day before, a player who drops out pays their share of the court unless they find a replacement. The exact rule matters less than everyone knowing it in advance.
5Rotate partners on purpose
Left alone, a club settles into closed fours that book together every week and never mix. That's comfortable for them and hard on everyone else, especially new members who don't know anyone yet. Mixing doesn't have to replace the regular games. It can sit alongside them:
- An Americano evening, where everyone changes partner each round and keeps their own points total, so you play with and against most of the room.
- A monthly social session where partners change after every set.
- Doubles tournaments with drawn pairs, where each stronger player is paired with a developing one. The matches stay close, and players meet people outside their usual four.
Mixed sessions are also where you see players you haven't watched before, which helps the next time you review levels.
6Split the court, keep a balance
A court is usually paid as one booking and shared by four. Collecting a quarter from everyone after each game turns the organiser into a cashier. Keep a running balance per player instead: games played go on, payments come off, and anyone who drops below zero gets a reminder with the link to pay. The awkward conversation then happens once in a while, not after every game.
7Record results in sets, and compare pair with pair
Padel is scored like tennis: games, sets and tie-breaks. Many social games play a super tie-break to 10 instead of a third set, and many clubs play golden point at deuce. Whichever you choose, record the games in each set straight after the match, in one agreed place, and let one person, the club manager, correct mistakes.
If you run a ranking, remember that a doubles result describes a pair. Winning next to a much stronger partner says less about you than winning with an equal one, so a fair ranking compares the two pairs, not just the two winners. The guide to club ladders and rankings covers formats, seasons and keeping the middle of the table interested.
