Learning to play racket sports and preparing for professional careers is more important than ever, and we’ve seen a massive surge in the expansion of courts worldwide.

Visit any major private school, college, or university website today. You’re bound to see a page dedicated to racket sports. Many now mention pickleball, the fastest-growing U.S. sport, with the number of players estimated in the tens of millions, almost doubling in two years. 

Padel is also making its way to the U.S. from South America and Europe. 

The shuttlecock is returning, and badminton is becoming increasingly popular among Gen Z, according to new data from Pinterest.

 And, of course, aspiring table tennis players will need places to practice, although that presents less of a construction challenge.

Racket sports have huge mental and physical health benefits, and future pro players begin as soon as they can walk, aiming for professional careers in one of the many and varied options today. 

Having a robust racket sports program -- and courts to practice and play on can add to the appeal and credibility of your institution. After all, what school doesn’t want to count Olympic-level players among their graduates?

But how do you keep pace with the need for more courts, different courts, and courts of the future?

The University of the Pacific has paved the way with its investment alongside Taktika Padel in building the first-ever padel and pickleball complex on a US college campus. The complex contains eight pickleball and four padel courts providingstudents free access to the courts during off-peak hours and the ability to reserve courts at any other time. Head of tennis at Pacific, Mike Erwin, notes that  “increases in fundraising, student and community engagement and attendance at home contests” will be an added benefit of the complex. 

Taktika CEO, Ryan Redondo believes that his partnership with the University of the Pacific “will pave the way for other colleges to embrace these two sports as they gain popularity across our country.”  

Redondo will be sharing his strategies, along with other court developers and schools at the first-ever all-racket-sports festival, RacquetX. 

Squash recently achieved status as a 2028 Olympic sport (and pickleball and padel may not be far behind), so NOW is the time to understand how to expand your racket sports program, plan,  fund, and expedite construction, and create a win-win for your school’s applicants, athletes, future professional players, alumni, staff, and just student racket sports fans. 

Speakers and attendees at RacquetX include developers, architects, designers, strategists, investors, players, coaches, and fans, as well as product and service brands and technologies.

Whether the competition is for funding for your school’s program or in a tournament against another school, knowing what’s going on within the racket sports industry is more complex -- and more important -- than ever. 

You can register now via the RacquetX website.