Padel’s phenomenal rate of growth has an accompanying tailwind of hyperbole that can often feel overwhelming for those of us whose inboxes are groaning daily with industry press releases.
Every new product launch, tournament series, club opening or industry innovation is hailed as a ‘game changer’ or ‘landmark moment,’ as investors and entrepreneurs hop aboard the padel bus and trumpet their hastily-brainstormed ideas in attempts to grab their slice of the pie.
Stepping into Olympia on the morning of Tuesday 4 August for day one of the London Premier Padel P1 main draw, however, there was no doubt about the veracity of calling it a genuine ‘breakthrough moment’ for the sport in this country.
It was immediately clear this was a mainstream sports event, akin to a world title boxing bout or Masters Series tennis tournament. It had a tight, well-drilled organisational structure, scale, branding, tech, courtside commerce, activations and hospitality. The aesthetics were immaculate and all operations seemed expertly rehearsed and executed.
It even had burly, officious courtside security men with earpieces, offering Chris Salisbury and Alfonso Patacho ‘protection’ from me as I lingered, hoping for some post-match quotes. It felt like trying to interview Jay Z and Beyonce, and added to the almost surreal atmosphere.
In the morning press conferences, there were well-known reporters from the likes of the Daily Express, The Athletic and the BBC, invited down to get a first taste of this new bat-and-ball-in-a-glass-cage phenomenon.
British players were offered media training last week in preparation for the glare of the cameras and microphones.
Last-minute TV rights deals were secured with TNT Sports and HBO Max, in addition to the regular Red Bull TV and YouTube options.
As well as heightened media interest, Premier Padel’s UK debut has brought a whirlwind of commercial, networking and social activity.
Businesses leapt on the zeitgeist, launching offshoot products, campaigns and parties. London Padel Week took place across the capital’s clubs with networking, competitions and activities.
Day one was far from a sell-out, which was a shame with a schedule packed full of British wildcards. However, the atmosphere was decent and the GB players clearly revelled having friends, family and supporters in the stands — a welcome contrast from the lonely slog around foreign clubs on the FIP circuit.
Encouragingly, every ticket was sold from the quarter-finals onwards — an indication that the British public’s appetite to watch (and awareness of) the world’s top players is growing.
This was also evident as I was mid-conversation next to the practice courts. A small hubbub of activity began behind my right shoulder and all heads turned. It was Artur Coello and Agustin Tapia, the world no.1s.
Beyond seeing the two legends in the flesh, what was particularly interesting was the scrum of kids jostling to have their oversized novelty padel balls signed. They not only knew who they were, but clearly idolised them, wanted selfies and watched, enraptured, as they had a practice hit.
I was told by travelling Premier Padel staff about the wild atmosphere created by 17,000 Tapia fans in Buenos Aires. Olympia’s centre court holds only 4,000 and British padel fans didn’t match that level of raucousness and fanaticism just yet. But this was a very good start.
“This is what we’ve all been waiting for,” LTA Head of Padel, Tom Murray, told me. “It’s what’s going to bring the whole UK padel sector together.
“It’s an annual moment on the international calendar which is what we’ve all needed. As the industry heads in lots of different directions, this can become an annual event to celebrate British padel’s success together.”
Jonathon Rowland, founder of R3 Sport padel athlete representation, tournament and partnerships company, had his own statement about London Premier Padel P1 becoming a fulcrum of the British sporting calendar: “Wimbledon owns July. We want padel to own August.”
A nice line, but it doesn’t quite match the official LTA view. Whilst next year’s second London P1 is also scheduled for August, there is a desire to switch to a week outside the summer holidays from 2028 onwards in order to engage schools.
Regardless of the time of year it’s held, Olympia is signed up to host for the next five years and very likely another five after that. The momentum of London Premier Padel has begun — and it will play a major part in padel’s continuing shift from niche to mainstream.
Mike, I am a little surprised by some empty seats during early rounds of this landmark event for UK padel. I remember my own personal frenzy for tickets when they first went on sale and was assuming that every day would be a sellout. Any thoughts on why this has not been the case?
Hi Ray, I was a bit surprised at the sparseness too, but in fairness there are so many activations and social gatherings taking place around the arena, and don’t forget there are two other courts away from the cameras, that even a ‘sell out’ doesn’t mean that every seat will be filled on centre court all the time. From what people were saying, the early rounds of Premier Padel never sell out anyway. Let’s see what the weekend brings.
I have the same question 🤔 and I went later in the week on Thursday. It was great! But throughout the whole day Center Court was about half to three-quarters full, even for the last two matches, yet it was such a scramble to get tickets as it looked as though it was completely sold out. What is going on? It put me off trying for more tickets on other days ☹️