‘Padel is already on a big stage’: how can this progress be sustainable?

In the second part of our padel series, Global Sustainable Sport has dissected some of the key elements that are required for continued, sustainable growth for the sport, including investment, potential barriers, participation growth and expanded professionalisation.

Last week’s feature discussed what makes padel so popular, and why participation is growing globally after years of being cherished in Latin countries.

New markets, fresh opportunities

One market in which padel is growing steadily is the US.

The first ever US Open Padel Championships will be held at Padel Haus Dumbo in New York between October 4-6 this year. There will be a $15,000 prize pool, split equally between men and women.

The United States Padel Association (USPA) has played a significant role in sustaining this growth and reaching the point of hosting a national event. It has partnered with local clubs, hosted and sanctioned smaller events across the US.

“We focus on increasing awareness and access to padel by working closely with clubs, players, and coaches, as well as developing junior participation through competitions,” Scott Colebourne of the USPA explains to Global Sustainable Sport.

“While the USPA is a non-profit organisation, not a commercial entity, our efforts are centred on creating sustainable growth through community engagement, promoting sportsmanship, and raising the standards of padel across all levels.”

Additionally, the USPA has committed to increasing awareness and access to the sport while also supporting its member clubs, players and coaches. It has set itself key targets to maintain this expansion.

“In the medium term, our goals include expanding the number of padel courts and facilities, growing junior participation, and creating a broad range of sanctioned competitions for our members,” says Colebourne.

“Long-term, we aim to position padel as a mainstream sport in the US, foster the development of professional padel athletes, and continue to support the USA national teams in international competitions. Our strategy is driven by a commitment to operate with integrity, transparency, and responsiveness to our membership, with 100% of our revenues reinvested into developing and growing the sport.”

We need more courts!

Expanding the number of padel courts in countries globally will obviously require finances, but with the participation levels increasing, investing in the sport seems like a no-brainer, no?

Blue Chip Sports Management President and Chief Executive Tim Bainton thought so.

Bainton’s sports facility management company invested in Epic Padel, itself a padel sports management and investment company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Its first club is due to open in November, with a further three clubs slated to open in the Washington DC area.

Epic approached Bainton to invest, appointing him as chief operating officer and using Blue Chip to operate the facilities. Even before Bainton jumped onboard with Epic, it had invested in a number of padel clubs and entities across the US to grow its presence.

By doing this, “we’ve been able to observe the market a little bit and be more patient,” Bainton tells Global Sustainable Sport.

Bainton has a strong connection and background in tennis, but as a businessman he could see the draw of padel.

“It’s what is going to get people engaged. My favourite saying is ‘come pay, play and stay’. I’ve monitored and been involved with the pickleball market here in North America. And padel is definitely going to fit into the general racquet sports culture,” says Bainton.

“There’s a whole variety of reasons why I think padel will do better than pickleball, which is quite a thing to say because pickleball is big business and big money here in North America. But I also think the things we’re going to do well, is that we’re going to complement all of these sports together. There is no doubt that Epic is a padel-centric company, but it’s not just a padel company. We will look at complementary avenues to get people to come, pay, play and stay.

“That can absolutely be other racquet sports. Like our indoor location in Alexandria [Virginia] is going to have eight indoor paddle courts, but it’s also going to have four indoor pickleball courts as well.”

Epic plans to have 250 padel courts across the US by the end of 2025, opening up the sport to people of all backgrounds to come and play.

However, it is not as simple as building courts left, right and centre. There are a number of hoops to jump through when it comes to transforming buildings and constructing new ones for padel.

Ray Brinkmanis, Co-Founder and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for padel court manufacturer Padel Alba, tells Global Sustainable Sport that it can take some time for the right location to be found and permits secured.

Based in Alicante, Spain, Padel Alba has installed courts across the globe – from South Africa to Mexico, Ecuador, Hungary, the US and Canada. Brinkmanis tells GSSport that despite being a new market, Australia will also see an “explosion” of new projects alongside the US next year.

Brinkmanis says that in the three years of operating, Padel Alba has installed almost 1,000 courts, 400 of which were last year alone. But installing courts does not come without its challenges, where lack of space may prevent a club from opening or local regulations may slow down progress.

“One barrier is the access to permits. Even in the UK, normally when you have secured a location to install a padel club, it’s probably going to take you about six months to acquire all the permits,” says Brinkmanis.

“It is normally easier to do for indoor courts, because the base is already prepared and you don’t have to do any construction work. We just have to deliver the courts and install them. In Germany, we work with a couple of distributors who have already been in the market long enough and they know all the processes.”

Despite potentially longer timeframes for creating courts, Brinkmanis believes that padel boasts longevity because of its inclusive nature.

He says: “Padel is so accessible because you don’t have to be in the best shape to enjoy it. Of course – if you want to play at a high level then you will need to be more of an athlete, you can’t just work a nine-to-five, play a couple of games and become a professional!

“But people just enjoy it. You can fit almost three padel courts in the space of one tennis court. I’m sure it is going to be an Olympic sport soon, and it would be great if the Pro Padel League in North America would become one of the major leagues like it is for baseball, basketball, American football and ice hockey. It’s already on the way there – they have the structure, the draft picks, teams and players from separate cities.

“It’s on its way. Padel is already on a big stage, and it’s only going to get bigger.”

Images: Epic Padel, Vincenzo Morelli on Unsplash