Behind the busy padel courts in Jakarta, Bali, Bandung, and Surabaya,\na change is taking place that is bigger than merely a shift in the\nfavourite sport of the urban middle class. What is changing is the way\nsociety builds health, reputation, networks, and even economic\nopportunity. This phenomenon is what I call the Padel Effect.<\/p>\n
Padel is not replacing golf. It reflects a transformation of the\nmodern economy: from an ownership economy, when status was determined by\nwhat one owned; towards an experience economy, when people seek\nexperiences; and then developing into a network economy, when the\ngreatest value is born from community and networks.<\/p>\n
Its development is indeed impressive. The Global Padel Report 2025\nplaces padel as one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, driven\nby the expansion of clubs and courts in various countries. The\nInternational Padel Federation (FIP) also notes that the sport is now\nplayed in more than 150 countries with tens of millions of active\nplayers.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is part of that wave. The Indonesia Padel Report 2025\nstates that Indonesia is developing into the largest and fastest-growing\npadel ecosystem in Southeast Asia. By the end of 2025, it is estimated\nthat there will be around 947 padel courts, with Jakarta as the centre\nof growth, followed by West Java, Bali, Banten, and East Java. The\nIndonesian Padel Association (PBPI) is also continuing to expand the\necosystem through coaching, international tournaments, and preparations\nfor the 2026 Asian Games.<\/p>\n
However, those statistics only explain the industry\u2019s growth. What is\nfar more interesting is the change in public consumption behaviour.<\/p>\n
From Ownership Towards Experience<\/p>\n
Economist Thorstein Veblen explained that prestige was once built\nthrough conspicuous consumption: luxury homes, premium cars, or\nexclusive club memberships. That pattern is now changing.<\/p>\n
B. Joseph Pine II and James Gilmore, through the concept of the\nExperience Economy, show that modern society values experiences more\nthan ownership. People are willing to pay for marathons, HYROX,\nconcerts, wellness retreats, and padel because what they seek is not\nmerely activity, but meaningful experience.<\/p>\n
Richard Thaler adds that human economic decisions are not purely\nrational. Identity, social recognition, and a sense of belonging to a\ncommunity are often more decisive. Padel fulfils all of these elements:\nit is easy to learn, played in pairs, short in duration, inclusive, and\nhighly appealing on social media. Because of this, what padel players\nactually buy is not just playing time, but experience and networks.<\/p>\n
When Community Becomes an Economic Engine<\/p>\n
This is where the Padel Effect finds its meaning. Robert Putnam calls\ntrust and networks social capital, which increases economic\nproductivity. Manuel Castells describes modern society as a network\nsociety, in which networks become a source of competitiveness as\nimportant as capital and technology.<\/p>\n
Padel courts are now becoming spaces where businesspeople meet\npartners, investors meet startups, consultants meet clients, developers\nmeet architects, and MSME players meet potential business partners. Many\nopportunities are born not in meeting rooms, but in between matches.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon is in line with Mark Granovetter\u2019s theory of the\nStrength of Weak Ties: new opportunities more often come from new\nrelationships than from old friendship circles. Padel multiplies these\nweak ties because players keep meeting different partners and\nopponents.<\/p>\n
If golf has long been identified with the relationship economy, then\npadel is beginning to shape a network economy, an economy built on\ncommunity, collaboration, and trust.<\/p>\n
From the Court Towards the Sport Economy<\/p>\n
Padel also shows how sport develops into an economic ecosystem. The\ngrowth of courts drives investment in facility construction, coaches,\nreferees, sports equipment, booking applications, event organisers,\nsponsorship, restaurants, and the digital content industry. The impact\ndoes not stop at the sports sector.<\/p>\n
The Global Wellness Institute estimates that the value of the world\nwellness economy reached US$6.8 trillion in 2024 and is projected to\nrise to nearly US$9.8 trillion by 2029, growing faster than the global\neconomy. Padel is part of that transformation.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the sport is beginning to become a driver of sport\ntourism. Every international tournament brings athletes, coaches,\nofficials, families, sponsors, media, and spectators who drive hotels,\nrestaurants, transport, retail, and local MSMEs.<\/p>\n
Bali has capitalised on this momentum through various FIP Tour\nevents, while the development of an international-standard tennis and\npadel centre in Lombok shows the increasingly close relationship between\nsport and premium tourist destinations. In other words, padel courts do\nnot only produce athletes, but also create a multiplier effect for\nregional economies.<\/p>\n
Lessons for Indonesia<\/p>\n
The biggest lesson from the Padel Effect is not that padel will\nreplace golf or pickleball. The lesson is that the sources of\n21st-century economic growth are changing.<\/p>\n
If advantage was once determined by physical assets, it is now\nincreasingly determined by the ability to build community, experience,\nand trust. Cities that are able to provide spaces for interaction\nthrough sport, the creative economy, and tourism will find it easier to\nattract talent, investment, and innovation.<\/p>\n
Therefore, sport development needs to be seen as an economic\ndevelopment strategy. Investment in facilities, community development,\nthe hosting of international events, and integration with tourism will\nproduce benefits that go far beyond sporting achievement alone.<\/p>\n
In the end, the Padel Effect is not a story about the rise of a\nsingle sport. It is a mirror of modern economic change.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/padel-effect-when-a-lifestyle-trend-becomes-a-networked-economy-1787849470", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }