What permits are required to open your business?
We have created a guide designed to help anyone who is interested in starting a project, and who needs some advice and suggestions, to get it right.
In JUBO Padel we have a long experience in the management of padel and sports clubs in general, since they have been our clients for more than 25 years. We always share 100% of our knowledge with our customers, for which we have the JUBO Padel network. In this guide, you will find some of our best tips and suggestions to start your own padel club.
Explore our guide
Mark your goal
Before starting your project, you should consider the following basic aspects.
Competition
Do I have or can I have competition in the near future? Can I do synergy? Can I take advantage of the competition?
Market
Is the local market big enough for my project? Number of residents?
Target group
What is my target audience?
Business concept
What do I want my project to represent?
Range of services
Should I just offer padel? Do I want to combine padel with a restaurant or with other sports, such as gym, fitness or other sports activities that can create synergy / mutual benefit effects? How can I have income from all areas of my company? Will I have them?
Choose
the right place
There are many details to consider when choosing a location. Here are some:
Conditions
What is the maximum rental price that I can pay? How much money do I need to save to start?
Economy
Investments
Services and supplies
Is there electricity, drinking water and sewage systems in the building / plot? How does this influence in relation to where I would like to install the bathrooms and showers? How is the existing concrete base? A minimum of 15 cm thick is recommended. Roughness of the base? A slight roughness is recommended. Does it have slope? Maximum 1% slope
Dimensions
The efficiency of space
How do I distribute the premises? How do I orient the courts to be regulatory and not have dead areas? Where do I put the rest areas? Cafeteria? Meeting room?
Size
How many padel courts do I want and how many can I have? The cost of management and maintenance of 2 or 6 courts is similar, however, the more padel courts the more incomes.
Mark your goal
The operations may require different authorities. Here is a list of some conditions you should review:
Environment and health
Some municipalities require permits for the environment and health, based on self-control and other measures to maintain good hygiene and protection of the environment (ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, cleaning, treatment of generated waste, etc.).
Accessibility
Building permits - indoor
According to the urban qualification of the building and depending on each municipality, may or may not perform the installation. Check with the owner first and second, with the city planning office or city hall. Finally, you must hire an engineer or architect to write a project that complies with all legal regulations so you can receive your opening license without problem.
Building permits - outdoors
When a padel court has no roof, normally the local authority does not count it as a building, but as a removable installation, in this case it will be sufficient to pay local taxes. However, some municipalities claim that the metallic structure and glass are considered construction, requiring the project of an architect or engineer. It is also an important aspect if you are going to carry out commercial or business activities. All this depends on the municipality and you should inform yourself at your town hall.
Economic
essential aspects
The economy is always a fundamental factor. It is important to have the correct expenses in order to be competitive, also to stand firm in the situation of greater competition and decrease in rental prices for padel courts. Here are some economic factors to consider:
Good financial control
As in all companies, financial control is the path to success. Make sure you make appropriate budgets (annual budget, income and expense accounts, monthly cash flow, amortization terms for equipment, etc.) and do not forget the importance of following this continuously. Use appropriate tools, create simple and efficient procedures for their control.
Amortization term
Find out about the useful life of all equipment and installations. Calculate a repayment term and include the proportional part for its renewal in the annual budget, so that when the time comes, you can afford the expense without problem.
Maintenance expenses
Normally all equipment and installations must be maintained for proper operation. You should keep in mind what jobs you can do yourself and what jobs you should hire a professional. With a small maintenance, your investments will last much longer in good condition and your customers will be more satisfied.
Initial investment
The initial investment consists of the purchase of the padel courts, the electrical installation (we always recommend hiring a qualified electrician), installation of water, remodeling the building (unless the owner can offer help with this) and furniture (changing rooms, cafeteria, shop, rest room, meeting room, benches, cupboards, TV screens, possible music equipment, etc.). It is also necessary to consider the project expenses, licenses, municipal taxes and the opening license.
Operating expenses
Electricity is the second largest monthly operating expense, but it is quite easy to calculate, since it is a variable expense based on income. For example, a padel court that has 8 LED projectors of 150W, consumes 1.2 Kw per hour, knowing the price of Kwh that has hired, you can make the calculation and increase this price to rent to padel courts.
Personnel expenses
Most padel clubs, nowadays, operate through “self-service”, leaving space to control this expense. Staff can be increased depending on the increase in demand for padel courts or services offered. You can also hire a private professional coach to cover the peak hours.
Rental or mortgage expenses
As the rent or mortgage will be the most expensive operating expense, this affects the business to a large extent. You must also add the fixed costs of air conditioning of the room / water / electricity / gas / local taxes / insurance / etc.
Choice the correct
padel court
In this topic, in JUBO PADEL we are experts … choosing the best padel court will guarantee a greater influx of players and a longer duration of the investment, in the same conditions as your competition with other courts. Keep in mind:
Guarantee
Consult your supplier about the applicable warranty conditions. Normally, these are different guarantees depending on what parts of the court are involved. The guarantee in construction is usually 3 years and up. The guarantee on glass generally does not exist, since it depends on “external circumstances”. The guarantee on the turf also varies according to the quality of this, as well as for the lighting.
Service
Maintenance
Installation
The installation of the courts must be done by professionals, because many construction auctions require experience and knowledge of the assembly. Although installing a metallic structure may seem simple, it must be calibrated perfectly correcting the millimeter unevenness of the floor so that there is no problem with the installation of the glass and the end of the turf below the structure. If you are thinking of saving some money and want to install the court yourself, JUBO PADEL can send a smaller team to help you. The installation time for a good quality court is approximately three days and three people. Additional time may be required if many accessories must be installed.
Transportation
Accessories
A wide variety of accessories are available to customize the padel courts according to the wishes and requirements of the client. Examples of accessories are the different types of scoreboards, benches, protections for the entrances and net posts, sliding doors, extra zinc primer (previous to painting), custom corners with laser cutting, use only large glasses (WPT system), lighting columns with different shapes, etc. More information about JUBO PADEL accessories here.
Lighting
It is important an illumination that provides a comfortable light (the color or perfect temperature should be around 5.000 Kelvin) and good (the minimum requirement ranges between 200 and 750 lux on average). Cutting edge LED floodlights provide 130 lumens per watt (compared to normal LED that provide 100 lumens) and, therefore, better light. This achieves greater lighting with lower consumption, in addition to doubling the life of the floodlight. It is also important that the light does not blink, which makes it easier to see the ball. Consider energy efficiency to keep electricity costs low and to be more respectful of the environment. Installing the lighting directly on the ceiling (instead of using lighting columns) is an option that has its advantages.
Crystal
It is available in 10 mm or 12 mm thickness. In 10 mm it is more common for VISION and FORTE models. The PANORAMIC court do not have pillars behind the glass and 12 mm glass is used to obtain the appropriate stability. It is important to verify that the glass complies with EU standard EN12150. The glass must be “tempered glass”, which means that it is heat treated for hardening and greater safety. If it broke, it would in millimeter pieces with less risk of injury.
Artificial turf
In general, there are two types of turf, monofilament and fibrillated. The best is always monofilament, for its greater resistance, greater game comfort and less maintenance. Regarding the monofilament turf, there are two types of fibre: upright and textured. JUBO PADEL works with MONDO, distributing and installing its STX grass STX (upright fibre) and STX SUPERCOURT (textured fibre, official WPT turf) because they are the best on the market, made exclusively for padel. Pay attention to lower quality copies. Be critical and compare the technical specifications (JUBO PADEL can help you with this). Without any doubt, the quality is worth it. Also, consider how much maintenance you want / can do (a good turf requires less maintenance) and the useful life of the turf (a good turf lasts longer). What guarantee does the manufacturer offer? You can read more about the material here.
Metal structure model
Depending on the price, appearance and function, you can choose between different models, according to your needs. You can read here more about the JUBO PADEL courts models. Choose the right model for your sports center, according to the right conditions. The PANORAMIC court is more expensive and slightly more fragile, but it gives an open and spectacular impression. The VISION court (standard court) is the most stable and versatile, also suitable for all players, easy to transport and install. The FORTE court is the classic model, the most robust, extreme weatherproof. All are prepared to be installed outdoors, even with the possibility of incorporating protections and extra reinforcements (although the standard courts are all the highest quality and work excellently).
Important things
to think about
Starting and executing activities with padel is quite new (not in Spain or Argentina), but as the padel continues growing, it also continues to accumulate experience, creating development and learning, including JUBO PADEL that manufactures and installs padel courts since the year 1998 with more than 1500 courts made. Here we have gathered some tips and suggestions:
Padel singles (20x6m)
If you do not have space for another padel court of standard dimensions (which has exterior dimensions of 20.8×10.8m), then you may be able to place a padel singles (with the outer dimensions of 20.8×6.8m). Excellent as a technical court, appreciated among friends and couples, because sometimes it is difficult to gather 4 people, good for training from small children to seniors, so that they become familiar with the ball, racket, net and walls.
Optimization of day incomes
Schools are an interesting target group to create visits and income during the day. One way to get a more efficient use of a padel court is to install an adjustable net that can be used for both padel and volleyball (volleyball is a popular school activity and can be played well on a padel court). Think of offering other sports to expand your service portfolio. In the mornings, offer services or special prices for retirees, for companies or for groups of friends.
Do you build your own padel club?
New concrete bases
Electrical installation
Prepare the delivery
It is important to think and plan how to bring the courts to the installation place. An opening / door of at least 3.5 x 3.5m is required (better if the truck can arrive directly to the installation place). Once the courts are unloaded at your installation site, you can reduce the size of the entrance, although you should always think about future maintenance or replacements. Most suppliers require that you receive the material by yourself, for which a truck crane and 4 people are required. In any case, you should consult with your provider about everything you need. In JUBO PADEL we send a personalized unload manual, photos and videos during the loading of your courts, and a manual with all the practical information prior to installation. JUBO PADEL can also do the download if you are hired this.
