Favaretti Padel has a growing footprint on the British padel scene and their package deal of manufacturing and installing both courts and canopies is catching the eye of many clubs.
Welshman Scott Fitzgerald, a former world-ranked squash player and coach, is spearheading the Italian company’s global growth, including many projects in the UK’s burgeoning padel club industry.
All of Favaretti‘s canopies are bespoke – designed specifically for the needs and specifications of the host facility, environment and weather conditions and to complement their courts. In addition, Favaretti have a partnership with Dunlop and an informal collaboration with PadeliQ, giving clubs access to rackets, balls and court booking software so that padel activity can begin immediately after installation is complete.
With his background in rackets club management, Scott (pictured above) is well placed to understand and meet clubs’ needs and priorities. He said: “Having run squash clubs for 20 years, it’s instinctive for me to shape things from a club owner/manager perspective, so they can set things up very quickly.
“Logistically it is a lot easier for a club to deal with ourselves because we manufacture courts and canopies. We offer an instant network – facilities, install, equipment and management software. Our canopies are designed to transform outdoor spaces into versatile arenas, rather than simply providing overhead cover. Clubs can utilise the additional space created to establish pro shops, reception areas, coffee shops and other amenities.”
Smash Padel in Whistable, Padel Maidenhead in Berkshire, Blazing Padels in Norfolk, Square One Padel in Ashford, Newlands Lawn Tennis Club in Glasgow, Shoreline Sports Park in County Wicklow, Ireland, Game4Padel sites in Stoke, Brighton and Glasgow, the Tuxedo Club in New York and Shell Bay in Miami, Park Padel in San Francisco, many private homes, plus projects in the Caribbean including one on Mustique Island – all have had courts, canopies or both manufactured and installed by Favaretti Padel.
All hardware is shipped from Italy and Favaretti have fully licensed and insured installation and maintenance teams on the ground in the UK and the USA who liaise with experienced groundworks teams to see projects to smooth completion.
Although business is booming, there’s one roadblock which even Favaretti cannot remove – the dreaded UK planning application process. Although it’s a continuing irritant for the entire industry in Britain, Scott says he has a steady stream of projects on his books which have come to fruition after he first quoted for them over a year ago.
Scott says: “Padel is on everybody’s lips – private investors, operators, sports clubs, racket clubs… The amount of enquiries we get on a daily basis in unbelievable, but the planning process is so cumbersome that all of these projects are nine months to a year down the road.
“It’s obvious there are going to be years of growth ahead, and I am hopeful that the planning process becomes more efficent as local councils learn about the sport. If there was some sort of checklist rather than arbitrary decisions it would be so much better. Olympic inclusion could significantly boost padel’s growth, attracting government funding, national centres and increased media exposure.
“In the US, the country clubs also have long processes because decisions have to go through their respective committees. The correlation between both markets is that the sport is so new. As it becomes more established, the processes will speed up and that will be great for everyone in the ecosystem.
“However, our US distributors Padel Lux are fantastic at providing the one stop shop needed to help clubs go through the channels and make their padel vision a reality.
“One thing is for sure, it is the first time in many of our lives that a new sport has burst onto the scene in this way. Favaretti is proactively planning for increased production and is prepared to expand operations accordingly.”
Contact Scott Fitzgerald at scott.fitzgerald@favarettigroup.it
