How to launch Open Play at your padel club

This guide walks you through everything you need to launch Open Play at your club: what the format is, why it works, how to promote it to your community, how to host it well on the day, and how to set it up in Playtomic Manager.

If you've never run Open Play before, start from the top. If you already know the format and just want the setup steps in Playtomic Manager, jump to How to create an Open Play session in Playtomic Manager.

Why offer Open Play at your club

Open Play is one of the simplest ways to grow your padel community and fill your courts. In particular, it helps you:

• Bring new players in. Open Play is the easiest way for a beginner or a curious non-member to step into your club. No need to find a partner, no pressure to win.
• Fill off-peak hours. A two-hour Open Play session on a weekday morning fills courts that would otherwise sit empty.
• Strengthen your community. Regular Open Play sessions build the kind of social fabric that turns first-timers into members.
• Stay operationally light. No bracket, no scheduling per match, no scoring system to track. You set the slot, you host, they play.
• Generate recurring revenue. A small drop-in fee (or a member-free / non-member-paid model) adds up across the year.
• Offer something different from Americano and tournaments. Open Play sits next to your existing social formats, giving players a true no-pressure option that doesn't compete with your competitive events.

What is Open Play?

Open Play is a casual, drop-in format that lets players enjoy the sport without the structure of a tournament or formal competition. Players sign up for a session that typically lasts one, two, three hours or more, show up, and play with whoever's there.

In padel, Open Play sits next to formats your community already knows like Americano or Mexicano, but with one key difference: there is no score, no winner and no prize. The whole point is to play, rotate partners, meet new people and enjoy padel without the competitive layer on top.

Open Play allows your players to:

• Join games whenever it works for them
• Play with different partners and opponents
• Enjoy a relaxed, social atmosphere without keeping score
• Improve their skills through regular practice

How it plays out on court (padel-specific)

The dynamic on court is what makes padel Open Play distinct from pickleball Open Play: everyone is always playing. All booked courts are active at the same time, there's no waiting bench and no paddle stack. The format works through rotations that you, as the host, set in advance and communicate clearly.

Common rotation systems in padel:

Court rotation by time

• Every 15 or 20 minutes, players rotate to the next court
• Often combined with a partner change
• The host (or a simple timer / horn) signals the rotation
• Easy to manage and very fluid

Court rotation by set or games

• Players rotate at the end of each set or after a fixed number of games
• Less predictable timing, but cleaner endings to each round
• Works well when sessions are longer

Partner-only rotation

• Courts stay fixed, but partners rotate within each court
• Useful when you want to balance levels per court and let players mix gradually

The single most important thing to communicate, regardless of system: no result is being recorded. Tell players this when they sign up and again at the start of the session. Without that frame, players will assume Open Play is an Americano and start asking for the leaderboard.

Promoting Open Play to your community

Leverage your network and their contacts. Make sure your community knows what Open Play is, its benefits and characteristics, and give it enough visibility so they know when they can come and play. Invite them to come with friends, enjoy a good social time and good matches.

Create special Open Play sessions with social touches like food, drinks or music.

Benefits you can promote to your community:

• Highlight the social side: "play with new people", "no partner needed", "all levels welcome", "come alone or with friends".
• Lead with the no-score angle. Many padel players know Americano well. The clearest way to position Open Play is to say what it isn't: no leaderboard, no winner, no prize. Just play, rotate and enjoy.
• Be explicit about level if the session is targeted (e.g. "Open Play for beginners", "Intermediate Open Play, level 3.0–4.0") to ensure quality games.
• Mention date, time, duration, capacity and price clearly so there are no surprises.
• Reassure first-timers: explain briefly how Open Play works so they don't feel they're walking into something they don't understand.
• Flexibility perk: Players are welcome to drop in late or leave early. That also contributes to the rotation and socialization.

Tips:

• For recurring Open Play (e.g. every Sunday morning), promote it as a weekly fixture and use a consistent slot so players can plan around it.
• Consider keeping one or more courts fixed for Open Play. That way players know they can always drop in to your club and play.

On the day: being a great host

Open Play players come to have a good time in a social and sporty environment. So a good greeting, basic amenities and clear organization are all they need.

In padel, the host role matters more than in pickleball, because typically everyone is playing and there is no need for the self-organizing paddle stack. The host owns the rotation: assigns initial pairs and courts, announces the schedule, keeps the time and signals each rotation. It can be you, a coach or a designated regular, but the role can't be skipped.

Set the rules of play and communicate them clearly (rotation frequency, whether you rotate by time or by sets, how partners and courts shift).

A useful opening line for the host: "This is Open Play. We're going to rotate every X minutes. There's no score and no winner today. Have fun and play with as many people as you can." It sets expectations in fifteen seconds.

Balancing levels across courts

Unlike pickleball, where players self-organize by skill level through the paddle stack, in padel you assign courts. Use the player levels you know (from previous bookings, member profiles or sign-up info) to distribute players in a way that creates good matches. A few tips:

• Pair beginners on one court and intermediates / advanced on another whenever possible.
• Mix levels within a couple (strong + less strong) when the format allows it. It tends to even out games and keep everyone engaged.
• Don't be afraid to reshuffle mid-session if a court is clearly mismatched.

How to create an Open Play session in Playtomic Manager

Once you have the format and host setup clear, creating the session in Playtomic Manager takes a few minutes.

Step 1: Create a new program/series

In Playtomic Manager, click on Programs/Tournaments from your main menu, then click the Create Program/Series button to start setting up your Open Play session.

Step 2: Fill in general information

In the General Information section, fill in:

• Name. Give your session a clear name (e.g. "Sunday Morning Open Play").
• Sport. Select Padel from the dropdown.
• Program Type. Choose between Tournament (for competitive events) and Open Play (for casual, drop-in sessions). Select Open Play to continue.

⚠️ Important: To create Open Play programs/series for padel, your club must have at least one court configured for padel in Playtomic Manager.

Step 3: Set up your Open Play session

Fill in the remaining details:

• Schedule. Set the days and times when Open Play will be available.
• Restrictions. Set player restrictions based on gender and skill level.
• Capacity. Set the minimum and maximum number of players who can participate.
• Pricing. Set your pricing.
• Courts. Choose which courts will be used.
• Additional information (optional). Add a poster image (max 3 MB, PNG / JPEG / JPG format), session description, welcome pack and prizes.

Step 4: Save and publish

Once you've filled in all the details, save your program/series. Your Open Play sessions will now appear in your schedule and players can find and join them through the app.

Alternative: creating Open Play directly from your schedule

You can also create Open Play directly from your calendar. When you click on a time slot in your schedule, select Tournament from the menu. Then choose Open Play from the program type screen and continue with the same steps above.

Managing your Open Play sessions

Finding your Open Play sessions

In the Programs/Tournaments section, you can sort your sessions by type. Use the Type filter to view only tournaments or only Open Play sessions. This makes it easier to organize and manage different types of sessions side by side.

Where to see your Open Play sessions

Open Play sessions are clearly marked and separated from tournaments in your:

• Calendar view
• Sessions list
• Reports

Open Play in reports

Open Play data is automatically included in your club's reports, separated from tournament information for easy tracking. To view Open Play metrics, apply the Product filter and select Open Play in any report tab to access detailed analytics on participation, revenue and occupancy.

For a detailed guide on using reports, see New Revenues, Occupancy, Players & Payment Collection Reports for Clubs.

If something didn't work

The most common adjustments after a first Open Play session:

• Empty session? Promote earlier, change the time slot, or run a player-pulled promo (e.g. ask two regulars to each bring a friend).
• Levels too mixed? Use the restrictions feature when creating the session, or reshuffle courts by level once people arrive.
• People left early? Check whether the rotation was clear from minute one. Most early drop-offs come from confusion, not from the game itself.
• Players asking who won? Reframe Open Play more clearly in your next announcement. State explicitly that there's no leaderboard and no result is recorded. Repeat it at the start of the session.

FAQ for first-time hosts

What if not enough players show up? Combine courts, run with the players you have, or pivot to a casual mixed game. Better a small relaxed session than a cancelled one. Use the experience to learn what time slot and promo channel works for your club.

What if a player wants to know who won? There's no result in Open Play. The cleanest way to handle it is to set expectations early: mention it in the session description, repeat it in the welcome speech, and gently remind players if it comes up during the session.

Do I need to charge a fee? Up to you. Some clubs offer Open Play free for members and charge non-members; others charge a small drop-in fee. You configure pricing when creating the session in Playtomic Manager.

Can players find Open Play sessions in the Playtomic app? Yes. Players can browse, filter and join Open Play sessions directly from the app. Make sure your session is published and your courts and pricing are set. See how to find them in the app.

Do I need a coach to host? No. The host just needs to know the rotation system and be willing to keep the time and signal changes. A regular member often works perfectly.

Is Open Play the same as an Americano? No. Both involve rotations, but an Americano keeps a score, has a leaderboard and usually crowns a winner. Open Play has none of that. It's social rotation without the competitive layer.

💡Note: Open Play is currently available at clubs in the United States and Canada. We’re rolling it out to more countries, so if you don’t see it yet, it should arrive soon.