The Best Platform to Start and Run a New Padel Club
Get your operations right from day one. Not month six.
Starting a padel club is exciting. The first member to book, the first coaching session, the first Saturday americano. It is also overwhelming — and the clubs that struggle are almost always the ones that tried to run operations on personal WhatsApp, spreadsheets, and a shared notebook. PlayLa is designed for exactly this moment: a new club that needs professional-grade operations from day one, without the cost and complexity of enterprise software.
What new clubs need (and what they do not)
New clubs do not need a 200-feature enterprise platform with a 6-week implementation. They need: a court calendar so the whole team knows what is happening, a POS so the bar and pro shop do not lose money, a CRM so member relationships are tracked from the first sign-up, and WhatsApp automation so every booking gets a confirmation and reminder without someone manually sending it. Everything else comes later. PlayLa includes all of this, ready to use in under an hour, with no hardware to buy and no integration to configure.
- Court calendar: visual grid, click-to-create bookings, coach columns, mobile-accessible
- POS terminal: products, cashier accounts, shift cash-ups, automatic stock deduction
- CRM: member profiles, visit history, lifetime spend, WhatsApp from any profile
- WhatsApp automation: confirmations, reminders, shared inbox — official Business API
- Finance: P&L, expense tracking, invoices — no accountant needed for day-to-day
- Member app: branded, on your domain, online booking, wallets — included as a bonus
How to set up PlayLa before your opening day
Most new clubs can complete the full PlayLa setup in 60-90 minutes. Here is the checklist.
Opening day goal: By the morning you open, every booking should generate an automatic WhatsApp confirmation, every cashier should have their own account, and your P&L should be showing data. This is achievable in one setup session.
- Create your club: name, logo, colours, currency, timezone (5 minutes)
- Add your courts: name each court, set peak and off-peak pricing (10 minutes)
- Add coaches: create coach profiles, set their rates, connect their calendar (5 minutes per coach)
- Add POS products: beverages, pro-shop items, prices, tax rates, stock levels (20-30 minutes)
- Create cashier accounts: one per staff member who handles cash (5 minutes)
- Connect WhatsApp Business (20-30 minutes, then 24-48 hours for Meta verification)
- Share your member app URL with your first 20 members and ask them to sign up
Why systems matter before you have members
When you have 20 members, a spreadsheet almost works. When you have 80, it breaks. When you have 200, you are losing money and members daily because you cannot track what is happening. The clubs that scale well are the ones that set up proper systems before they needed them — so the systems were already tested and running when the volume arrived. PlayLa is designed to be set up before you have your first member and to scale without changing platforms when you have your two hundredth.
- Member data in a CRM from day one: every walk-in captured, not just registered members
- Financial data from first sale: P&L accurate from opening day, not reconstructed at year end
- WhatsApp inbox shared: no individual staff member owns member relationships in their personal phone
- Activity log on: every action tracked from the start — invaluable when investigating discrepancies
- Cash-up discipline from day one: sets the standard and makes staff accountable from the first shift
Pricing that works for new clubs
PlayLa does not charge per-booking commission. You pay a flat monthly fee based on your club's size and the features you need. For new clubs in the first year, this is significantly cheaper than commission-based platforms, which penalise you for success. A 4-court club at 60% occupancy generating $10,000/month in bookings would pay $150-$300/month in typical commissions. PlayLa's flat rate for a club that size is in a comparable range — but does not increase as your revenue grows.
- 14-day free trial: full access to every feature, no credit card required
- Flat monthly fee: no per-booking commission, no usage-based charges
- No setup fee for self-serve setup (PlayLa-assisted onboarding available)
- Cancel any time: export all your data immediately if you leave
- Quote-based after trial: pricing tailored to your courts, coaches, and features used
Common questions
Can I use PlayLa if I have not opened yet?
Yes. Many clubs set up PlayLa during their fit-out phase — adding courts, coaches, and products before the first player walks in. By opening day, the software is already tested and familiar to your staff.
Do I have to use the PlayLa member app if I already use Playtomic?
No. The white-label member app is included in every plan but is completely optional. If you are already filling courts through Playtomic, keep doing that. Use PlayLa for operations (POS, CRM, finance, WhatsApp) and enable the member app later if you want a second booking channel.
What support do I get during setup?
PlayLa provides guided onboarding documentation, video tutorials, and a WhatsApp support line for new clubs. Most setups are completed independently in under 2 hours. If you need help, our team is available to walk through setup on a call or via screen share.
What if my club grows and I need more features?
PlayLa scales with you. Every feature — multi-location, additional cashier accounts, advanced reporting, native iOS/Android app — is available as you grow. You do not need to switch platforms when your club expands.
Your club deserves professional operations from day one.
Start your 14-day free trial. Set up your courts, POS, and WhatsApp before you open. No credit card needed.