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  • 25 October 2026
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Sporting Clube Farense discovered padel. Now it lacks space to grow

In five years, the historic football club of the Algarve has become a regional benchmark for the 20x10, with 15 teams, nearly 300 athletes, and more than a dozen national titles in a discipline that is emerging as a driver of youth training, integration, and economic sustainability. Its main obstacle remains the same as at its inception: finding land to build its own facilities.
  • 10 min.

In Faro, the capital of the Algarve, Sporting Clube Farense needs no introduction. Its black-and-white jersey, the São Luís stadium, and a history that spans generations are part of the sporting memory of the southern region of Portugal. Football has always been its hallmark, but over time, its eclectic spirit has become increasingly evident. Away from the pitch and the ninety minutes, another discipline has begun to write its own history under the same emblem.

Born in the 1960s, Padel has become one of the fastest-growing and most widespread sports worldwide. According to the latest World Padel Report 2026, published by the International Padel Federation (FIP), as of today, more than 40 million people practice it around the world. An evolution that has not gone unnoticed in Portugal, nor, by any means, by Sporting Clube Farense, which in March 2022 launched its own section.

For me, it’s like Columbus’ egg: a very simple idea that makes perfect sense. Padel is a sport that’s really growing, both now and five years ago when this project started, so it makes total sense to link it to a historic club like Farense. Padel attracts new people, adds members, and brings energy to the club. Plus, it’s a profitable activity that can contribute to the club’s economic sustainability and help fund its amateur programs. From my perspective, it’s a win-win situation. We were pioneers in this regard. At the time, there were hardly any football clubs investing in padel, though today several have followed that path. Actually, as I said, it’s like Columbus’ egg: a simple idea, not too complicated, that benefits both padel and the club itself.

– Diogo Sousa, head of the SCF’s padel section (Transcript of the video below)

It was under the guidance of Diogo Sousa, director of the Padel section of SCF, that the sport was incorporated into the Algarve club. For him, the association between a rapidly expanding sport and a historic club like Farense had a logic that was hard to ignore. There was no extraordinary event that triggered the decision. There was a team willing to work and a strong conviction: “paddle tennis brings people together, attracts members, brings dynamism to the club,” Sousa explains.

The project was born with two objectives. The first was to focus on youth training as a driving force for the development of Padel in Portugal. The second was to provide the section—conceived on a non-profit basis—with the financial capacity to sustain its own activities without depending on the parent club, and, if necessary, even contribute to the sustainability of Farense’s amateur divisions.

With that roadmap, the first sponsors arrived, including Cartri, a sports equipment brand that supported the initiative from its beginnings. At the same time, discussions began with the Faro City Council to find a plot of land on which to build the facilities.

Five years later, the results are visible. “The section has 15 teams, nearly 300 players, and 11 national titles,” summarizes the director.

Under the black-and-white shield, there are competitive players and amateur players; young people who are starting and veterans who continue competing after the age of 70. There are coaches, sponsors, a league of their own, and an adapted Padel project for people with motor disabilities.

Nonetheless, what still does not exist is a house of one’s own.

“Everything was in place at the time; it was meant to happen, but, for one bureaucratic reason or another related to the allocation of spaces, we still haven’t been able to have our own facilities,” he explains. As a consequence, ‘we have reached the limit,’ admits the director, revealing a mixture of feelings: on one hand, enthusiasm for the growth of the modality; on the other, frustration at not being able to accommodate all those interested due to the lack of proper infrastructure.

Youth Training, the soul of the project

From the beginning, youth training took center stage in Diogo Sousa’s proposal. It was not merely about taking advantage of the rise of Padel, but about building a sports foundation capable of sustaining it in the long term. “Any sport that does not renew its base, with children and solid training, is destined not to evolve and to decline,” he argues.

Aware of the challenge ahead, he surrounded himself with a trusted technical team. Luís Pires, ‘his right hand,’ coordinates the teams; Gonçalo Roque, a highly competitive player, serves as the head coach, while Mário Faria and Luis Pires himself also participate in the training activities.

From initiation to competition, the section offers different sports itineraries. To join, Sousa explains, it is enough to “be a member of Farense and be willing to play.” By representing the club, the players have a series of supports, such as access to reduced fees and, when the teams travel to the national stages, they receive assistance to cover transportation and accommodation.

The section also provides equipment to certain higher-level competitive teams. In addition to this support, there is a free physiotherapy service, thanks to the collaboration of one of its sponsors, Fernando Belo, from the Mário Belo Clinic.

However, although the youth training is presented as the crown jewel of this project, for the moment it is also positioning itself as its Achilles’ heel. The reason? The lack of proper infrastructure, which, although planned from the beginning, still has not materialized to this day: “Our training has not grown as we wanted, precisely because of the lack of space,” it is acknowledged.

In other words, the section wants to train more players. The problem is that it has nowhere to do it.

Fifteen teams without a court

Currently, our teams train in Vale do Lobo, unfortunately, because it’s outside the municipality, which still means a long commute for our athletes. We have students who take classes right here in Faro, in Bom João, at the Eduardo Beldade Academy, which has also kindly welcomed us, and at the Colegio do Alto, thanks also to the generosity of our dear Father César.

– Diogo Sousa, head of the SCF’s padel section (Transcript of the video below)

The section’s history can be told through the places where it plays. Or, more exactly, through the places it needs to rent. Every training session requires coordinating schedules, organizing travel, and finding gaps among the needs of other clubs.

For adults, the difficulty can translate into longer trips or less comfortable sessions. For children, the situation is even more complex: classes must fit, as far as possible, after the school day, precisely when court availability is more limited.

The lack of space not only affects the organization but also ultimately determines how far the project can grow.

“The teams are at the edge of the limit,” says Diogo Sousa.

Recent events illustrate this. In a sports promotion initiative, in which between 50 and 60 children tried Padel for the first time, “everyone was eager to continue, but, unfortunately, we cannot accommodate everyone,” the director laments. To resolve the situation and support the future talents of national padel, the alternative was to recommend to families other nearby clubs, where young people could begin practicing the sport.

However, the demand goes far beyond that group. ‘Right now there are another 300 people who would like to join, but there isn’t enough space. The coaches have their classes completely full, just like the teams,’ he concludes with a certain sense of desolation.

A self-sufficient section despite the high expenses

In terms of figures, the lack of courts also entails an economic translation. Diogo Sousa estimates that the section faces between 60,000 and 70,000 euros annually in operational expenses. According to his calculations, just the rental of courts for the Club League organized by the Portuguese Padel Federation (FPP) can represent between 20,000 and 30,000 euros. Added to this are the coaches’ salaries, equipment, balls, and expenses associated with team logistics.

To sustain this dynamic, Farense has found in its sponsorships its greatest financial support. Currently, it has around ten sponsors, eight of which are featured on the jersey; the others collaborate in specific initiatives, such as the promotion of the Farense League or travel to national competitions.

Classes and training sessions generate income, but a significant portion goes back out the door to pay for the facilities and the services necessary for the proper functioning of the section. “Profitability is practically only to cover costs,” explains Sousa.

Despite this, the project has not required funding from the parent club. The section – nonprofit – was conceived to be ‘100% self-sufficient,’ and its manager assures that this is being achieved.

Aspiration, however, goes one step further. By not having to bear the high costs resulting from the lack of its own facilities, the executive trusts that the section would have the capacity to generate profits and, consequently, contribute to financing other amateur disciplines of Farense. In the original plan, economic autonomy was not an isolated goal: it was part of a strategy to strengthen the entire club.

Infrastructure, a promise yet to be fulfilled

More than a section, Padel has established Sporting Clube Farense as a benchmark in national sport by becoming the first football-tradition club in the south of the country to invest in the 20×10. Motivated by the desire to encourage other clubs to take the same step, Farense has always been clear that the construction of its own facilities was—and continues to be to this day—one of its main priorities.

Several options were considered. From the rehabilitation of the club’s own pavilion – more specifically, the gymnasium area, which had been unused for several years – to the use of land on the outskirts of the city. Even so, all the proposals ultimately fell into oblivion.

For one reason or another, due to bureaucratic issues related to the transfers that haven’t been formalized with the City Hall, it still hasn’t been possible to hand over space to Sporting Clube Farense. It’s been promised, and it’s still promised. The new administration has also firmly renewed that promise and is aware of the importance of this sport for the club, for the city, and for our numbers—which are huge—as well as everything we’ve done for Padel. They’re completely on our side in this regard.

In the end, it’s about bureaucracy, formalities, little obstacles, because nothing is easy, and indeed, there are not enough spaces for sports. There has never been a sports PDM in Faro, there is no area dedicated exclusively to sports, and I know this government team is trying to change that situation. Our project also falls in that same line.

– Diogo Sousa, head of the SCF’s padel section (Transcript of the video below)

Diogo Sousa holds weekly discussions with the Faro City Council and assures that the current administration has shown a willingness to collaborate. His expectation is that, before the end of 2026, a location can be chosen and a roadmap established to allow construction to begin in 2027. “Laying the first stone of the courts“ is, in his words, the next major goal.

The initial plan includes between three and five outdoor courts, changing rooms, a support bar, and a small terrace. In a second phase, the director aims to expand the complex to have eight or ten courts, preferably covered, to reduce dependence on the weather, although he acknowledges that this option would require a significant investment.

All aspects are being evaluated: from the location to the acoustics

The location also poses another challenge: noise. The expansion of Padel has sparked a debate about the acoustic impact of the courts, especially when they are near residential areas due to the sound of balls being hit and players’ activities. For the executive, a possible solution would be to place the facilities in peripheral or industrial areas, where it is easier to reconcile sports practice with residents’ wellbeing.

The choice of land, therefore, does not depend solely on finding an available plot. It also requires evaluating its urban planning compatibility, access, noise impact, and the cost of the necessary technical measures. It is not just a matter of building tracks, but of finding a location where the project can be developed without posing a problem for the neighbors.

Meanwhile, Diogo Sousa tries to maintain optimism. “These are growing pains,” he states with a laugh.

Meanwhile, the section competes

Despite the adversities, the section has not been discouraged at all. On the contrary: in its display case, more and more regional and national trophies of various categories can be seen, among which those of the National Club League stand out.

«Above our expectations, to be honest, we already have 11 national titles. We are three-time champions in the +35 category, that is, in the main veterans category, and this year we are aiming for the M2.»

In the list of achievements, there is another title that the director especially appreciates and that highlights the club’s commitment to inclusive sports. “We have another title that fills me with pride, and it is the fact of having a two-time national champion in adapted paddle tennis in the elite category: João Oliveira.”

The Algarve League SC Farense, the club’s flag

Within the framework of the competition, the Farense Padel section not only competes but also energizes. This is illustrated by the SC Farense Algarve League, a competition created from its inception to promote the section itself and which has quickly become the club’s flagship.

The league has allowed sponsors to gain visibility and has brought the name of Farense closer to other clubs and athletes in the Algarve. Its events have been held in various locations throughout the region, from Vila Real de Santo António to Lagos. In addition to its promotional function, the competition provides opportunities for players of different levels to come together and maintain regular activity.

After a year of interruption, the league returns with its fourth edition and a different format: it now consists of teams of four players (male and female) who compete in four stages plus the Master. To date, the first three stages have already taken place (on June 14, September 20, and October 4), and the fourth is scheduled for December 8. The Master, for the moment, is yet to be determined.

“Our ultimate goal is to be able to celebrate the Farense League at our home,” he says.

More than a sport

There are values that align, and Diogo Sousa has been able to identify them. “Farense has an enormous mystique; Padel has the ability to attract people of all ages,” he states. If the spirit of Farense already promoted camaraderie, the social nature of padel has emphasized the sport’s ability to improve people’s lives.

An example of this is the countless “former football and tennis athletes [from the club] who led a sedentary life, who no longer practiced any sport, and who found in Padel a way to lead a healthier life. Thanks to the sport they are healthier and happier, and that is noticeable,” he comments.

In the same vein, the director also highlights the influence of sport on the physical and mental health of young people: “We have around a thousand children who practice sport and who, if it were not for Farense, would not be doing so; and we are talking about individuals who come from socially challenging situations and who find in the club almost a salvation.”

The next step

In just five years, Sporting Clube Farense has consolidated a section that combines youth training, competition, and social participation. It has brought together nearly 300 athletes, organized 15 teams, attracted sponsors, created a regional league, and opened a space for adapted Padel. All of this without having its own facilities.

“I didn’t think this would grow so much in such a short time,” admits Diogo Sousa.

The director trusts that the land will eventually be found. It is expected that the infrastructure will allow for accommodating new players, strengthening youth training, and contributing to the economic sustainability of the section.

Farense has already managed to mobilize people around Padel. Now it needs the facilities that allow for the continuity of this work.

Sporting Clube Farense achieves a historic full sweep in the qualification for the National Club League finals

The Algarve club achieves, for the first time, full qualification to the final of the 2026 National Club League in all veteran categories in which it participates. Of the eleven categories included in the competition, the Faro club has secured a place in the final in the four in which it is registered: the men’s +35, +40, and +45, and the women’s +40.

The competition will be decided on the upcoming 12th and 15th of November in Caldas da Rainha, where the club will seek to conclude an exceptional season.

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