Carinthia expands to 25 padel courts across 11 facilities

Carinthia now has 25 padel courts across 11 facilities, ORF reported on Thursday, as the sport continues to grow in popularity. Several new facilities have opened in the Austrian state in recent months.

Padel is played on a smaller court surrounded by glass walls. Austria has about 300 facilities. An hour typically costs between 35 and just under 50 euros, with four people playing at a time.

Building a court, including floodlighting, costs about 80,000 euros. The walls and other elements are available as modular systems, while the ground must be prepared with foundations.

Smash Group opens first Carinthian facility

The Vienna-based Smash Group aims to build 200 courts across Austria and is leading the new public facility in Pörtschach. “Pörtschach is our first location in Carinthia, but certainly not the last,” managing director Franz Schall said. “Next year, indoor facilities will be added, including in Klagenfurt. Overall, we are planning around 200 courts, which should be in place by the end of 2027.”

Investors include former tennis star Dominik Thiem, footballer Guido Burgstaller and winemaker Leo Hillinger.

While most padel facilities are connected to hotels or tennis clubs, the Smash Group is building public facilities. Anyone can book an hour through a payment system. Access control and payments are managed through an app comparable to the Skidata systems used at ski lifts.