Where to play padel in Valencia (and see Premier Padel)

Where to play? Everywhere: dozens of glass-walled courts from the centre out to Paterna, the Playtomic app finds you partners in two taps, and club schools take children from age 5. As a spectacle, the pro circuit stopped in Valencia for the first time in June 2026, with the Valencia Premier Padel P1 at La Fonteta (6 to 14 June). Here, padel is not a sport, it is a way of life. For other racket and team sports, see also our guides to tennis and football.

Where does padel come from?

Padel was born in 1969 at the home of Enrique Corcuera, a tennis-mad Mexican whose Acapulco garden was too small for a regulation court: he drew a 20 by 10 metre court, walled it in to 3 metres, hung a net and it was done. The first rules were written by his wife Viviana, a former Miss Argentina. In the early 1970s, Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe took the idea to the Marbella Club on the Costa del Sol, and Spain caught a bug it would never shake off. Half a century later, the country has millions of players.

How did the Premier Padel at La Fonteta go?

From 6 to 14 June 2026, Valencia hosted a P1 event of the Premier Padel circuit for the first time, the world pro tour created in 2022 under the international federation: the Valencia Premier Padel P1, at the Pabellón Fuente de San Luis, La Fonteta to locals (avenue Hermanos Maristas 16). The best men's and women's pairs in the world, a fifteen-minute bike ride from home. The weekend finals were the sporting highlight of June, and the perfect way to understand why the whole country talks about viboras and chiquitas.

Where to play as an amateur and find partners?

Good news: finding a court is one of the non-problems of Valencian life. The Valencia Tennis Center has 8 padel courts next to its tennis courts, Nuevo Origen Pádel in Paterna plays the family club card with a professional school, and many municipal sports centres have courts at the FDM public rate. For partners, the Playtomic app is the local standard: set your level, join an open match, and the after-padel does the rest for your social life. Two weeks of padel and you will know people.

From what age can children play?

Club schools take children from around age 5 in mini-padel, with light rackets and adapted courts: the one at Nuevo Origen in Paterna is designed for every generation of the family, and the Valencia Tennis Center leans on its tennis-padel structure. Expect weekly lessons over the school year, with one budget detail to know: at municipal facilities, padel lessons are among the activities where the FDM discount does not apply. For budding competitors, the international federation launched the FIP Promises youth circuit in 2021, from under-12s (added in 2025) to under-18s.

Frequently asked questions

Tennis or padel to start?
Padel, no question, if your goal is to have fun fast: the walls forgive your mistakes, rallies last from the first hour, and the doubles format makes every game social. Tennis rewards technical patience more.

Should you buy a racket right away?
No: clubs and many courts lend or rent them. Play for a month first, then ask for advice, and beware the urge to buy your Premier Padel idol's racket.

From what age for a child?
Around age 5 depending on the school, in mini-padel. Before that, a child gets more out of multi-sport play.

How to find partners at my level?
Playtomic is the tool everyone uses here: open matches sorted by level, court booking built in. Your first open match will hand you your first padel WhatsApp group.

Sources

• Valencia Premier Padel: the P1 tournament, 6 to 14 June 2026 at La Fonteta
• International Padel Federation: the history of padel (Corcuera, 1969)
• Wikipedia: padel, from Acapulco to Spain (Hohenlohe, Marbella Club)
• Valencia Tennis Center: 8 padel courts and school
• Nuevo Origen Pádel, Paterna: family club and school
• FDM: public rates for municipal facilities

Verified in July 2026. Dates, prices and availability change: check the ticketing and club sites before you book. This article was prepared with the help of AI, then cross-checked, verified and edited by our newsroom, which takes editorial responsibility for it. Spotted an error? Write to us and we will fix it.