Padel Smash Gembloutois runs its club independently
Along the N29 in Gembloux, Belgium, four covered padel courts run on their members: weekly quotas applied to every booking, payment shared between players, and access with nobody on duty at the desk.
Before SportFinder, the club ran on Playtomic — and the phone never stopped ringing: players called to book directly and avoid the commission added to their online booking. For the manager, whose main job is elsewhere, those endless calls had become a daily burden. Since the switchover, they have stopped: on SportFinder, players pay no fees on their bookings, and nobody has a reason to pick up the phone to get around them any more.
Padel Smash Gembloutois does not just sell court hours: it keeps its members playing, with weekly quotas, off-peak hours and peak hours. That model only holds if the software applies the right rule by itself, on every booking — with no manual intervention and no pricing mistakes.
The club also wanted to run with nobody on duty at the desk: letting players book, pay and get in by themselves, early in the morning as well as late at night. It was that brief — fine-grained pricing, flexible payment and self-service access — that led it to change software. Player accounts were brought across from the previous system over seven days, with a dual booking window during the transfer: not a single day without the possibility of booking.
The memberships
Two plans, quotas applied to the letter
The heart of the club’s model is its memberships. Each one entitles the member to a number of bookings per week, time band by time band — and SportFinder keeps the count.
12-month membership
2 bookings per week in off-peak hours.
1 booking per week in peak hours.
Games included in the membership as long as there is quota left.
Off-peak membership
10 bookings per week in off-peak hours.
1 booking per weekend.
Designed for those who play during the day and on weekdays.
On every booking, the system recognises the member, identifies the time band and counts down the right quota: within the quota, the game is included in the membership — nothing to pay. Weekly quota used up? The member can still book, at the member rate — that is the club’s choice, and it applies without anyone having to remember it.
The case that trips up generic software is the booking that straddles two time bands: a game that starts in off-peak hours and ends in peak hours falls under both price grids at once. SportFinder splits the booking, prices each portion on its own grid and counts down the right quota on each side. The player just sees a fair price.
Membership also changes the horizon: a member books up to 15 days ahead, while a visitor sees the next 7 days open up. Regulars lock in their weekly slot before anyone else — a real member privilege, kept by the software.
The journey of a game
What it looks like, step by step
The screenshots come from the club’s real app. From booking to a full game, everything happens online — scroll through the steps.
Step 1
It all starts on the club’s page
Photo, covered courts, prices: the Padel Smash Gembloutois page is the players’ front door. They book there at any hour, from the app or the web — without calling the club.
The club’s page in the app.
Step 2
Book at the right price, without thinking about it
The player picks a slot on a covered court. The price works itself out: member within quota, member beyond it, visitor — everyone sees their own rate, nobody recalculates anything. It is the club’s price grid, applied to the letter.
Booking a covered court.
Step 3
Pay only your share
At checkout, each player pays their share: nobody fronts the money for the others, and there is no booking fee for players. On the club side, the booking is taken as a single sale. See payment management.
Split payment: everyone pays their share.
Step 4
Open the game to other players
Short of players? The booking opens up as an open match: gender, required level and approval are set in two moves, straight from the booking.
Open, mixed match.Required level and approval.
Step 5
The game appears, the places fill up
The game shows up on the club’s page with its places left, its level and its format. It is the player’s side of filling slots.
The match card, as players see it.
Step 6
Notifications keep everyone connected
Every move triggers a notification: the organiser is told that a player wants to join their game, and the accepted player gets the green light. The club has nobody to call back — the app takes care of it, day and night.
The organiser receives the request.The accepted player is notified.
Step 7
See who is coming to play, in real time
Right up to kick-off, the organiser watches the list fill up: players confirmed and paid, invitees pending, declined requests, and a block for finding the last partners. No more spreadsheets, no more back-and-forth on the phone.
Players confirmed and paid.The full player list.
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Getting set up
What we connected
1Its price grid, applied by itselfTwo memberships, four weekly quotas and eight pricing rules coexist on the same courts: members, non-members, off-peak and peak bands, free games. Everything is carried over as is into SportFinder — the right rate is worked out at the moment of booking, even across two time bands.
2The switchover in seven days, with no downtimePlayer accounts were brought across from Playtomic over seven days, with a dual booking window during the transfer: the nearest slots stayed bookable on one side while the following ones moved over to the other.
3Split payment between playersA game is paid for by several people without anyone fronting the money for the others — each pays their share online, with no booking fee. On the club side, it is a single sale. See payment management.
4Access and lighting with nobody on dutyAccess control and lighting control, supplied by Dinec, have been installed: players let themselves in, the lights follow the bookings, and the door keeps working even when the internet connection goes down.
What it changed
Less admin, more court time sold
The benefits the club highlights are first of all time given back and courts that fill themselves. The exact figure that represents, we work out together, on your data — our prices, for their part, are already published.
The phone goes quiet
The calls to book — or to avoid fees — have stopped: players book and pay online, with no booking fee. The manager has got his days back.
Prices are no longer up for debate
Member rate, membership quota, off-peak or peak hour — even across two time bands: the right rule applies by itself. Nobody recalculates a price by hand.
The club runs with no front desk
Self-service access and controlled lighting: early-morning and late-evening slots sell without anyone having to open the door.
Frequently asked questions
Padel Smash Gembloutois, in brief
Where is Padel Smash Gembloutois?
Padel Smash Gembloutois is in Gembloux, in the province of Namur, Belgium, on the Chaussée de Charleroi (the N29). The club has four covered indoor padel courts.
How many courts, and which sport?
Four padel courts, all covered. It is a single-sport club: padel only.
How do the club’s memberships work?
The club offers two plans with weekly quotas: the 12-month membership gives two off-peak bookings and one peak booking each week; the Off-peak membership gives ten off-peak bookings and one at the weekend. SportFinder applies these quotas automatically on every booking — including bookings that straddle two time bands — and members book up to 15 days ahead, compared with 7 for non-members.
How does the club handle bookings and payments with SportFinder?
Players book and pay online, with no booking fee. Split payment lets each player pay their share, and the club takes the booking as a single sale. A game can be opened as an open match to complete the team.
Can I run my padel club the way Padel Smash Gembloutois does?
Yes. The same foundation — online booking, quota-based memberships, shared payment and self-service access — adapts to other clubs. The simplest way is to book a demo and see what would fit at your club.
The same foundation for your club
Quota-based memberships, split payment, self-service access: we look together at what fits at your club, and what it can bring in — on your figures.
Case study · Padel 
