BY ALAN THATCHER
The UK and France are on the verge of a massive padel explosion. Part Three of our report on the European padel scene, in collaboration with our friends at Matchi, examines the padel landscape in both territories.
The Matchi report states: “In the UK there are clear signs that the padel market is starting to take off, recently exemplified by the UK padel chain, Game4Padel. The UK front runner is backed by former tennis world number one Sir Andy Murray and is valued at £18 million, following a fourth investment round in three years.
“Online conversations about padel are also steadily trending upwards, with one explanation for the momentum being that after a long period of limited access to padel venues, the desire to play is now starting to be catered to, with new padel courts opening.”
In addition to padel court manufacturers from Sweden and Spain, British company PRO Padel Courts is rapidly growing market share at the high-quality end of the market.
PRO Padel is responsible for top-class installations at The Roehampton Club and The Queen’s Club, and director Paul Regan says: “The obvious advantage of buying from a British company means no import duty, no port or transportation delays. We also insist on the highest quality in our materials and our workforce.”
Crucially, more courts have also been installed nearby at the LTA National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, with UK Padel under the auspices of the LTA.
Since the Matchi report was compiled numerous new developments have been achieved, pushing the number of padel courts in the UK to around the 200 mark.
According to Matchi, the building of the first padel venue in Wales in January 2022 resulted in a peak in online conversations about the sport in the UK.
The number of courts has increased by 72% in two years, with a clear opportunity for further expansion to meet consumer demand.
Matchi reports that France, with a similar population to the UK, could serve as a forerunner for how the British market could grow if demand is met.
Between 2019 and 2021, the number of padel courts in France doubled, reaching almost 1,000 during 2021.
The installation of a court at Roland Garros, the iconic home of the French Open tennis tournament, has been followed by the news that the venue is soon to host a major padel event, along with the Foro Italico in Rome.
A major coup for padel investors in France came with the announcement by President Macron that the provision of further padel courts will be part of a nationwide sports development strategy in the next two years.
As we reported last week, the owners of the Paris St Germain football club, the Qatari state-backed Qatar Sports Investments, have bankrolled the new Premier Padel Tour.
Events take place at the historic Foro Italico from May 23-29 with Roland Garros hosting an event from July 11-17.
Premier Padel is organised by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and has the backing of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and the Italy Tennis Federation (FIT).
Reports indicate that more than 300,000 people play padel in Italy, with France not far behind on 280,000.
Here’s how our sister site Squash Mad reported on the growth of padel in 2019 with an in-depth look at the sport.
https://squashmad.com/breaking-news/clubs-that-offer-squash-and-padel-serve-up-a-double-winner/
Here is the English language version of Matchi.com
https://www.matchi.se/?lang=en
THE PADEL REPORT BY MATCHi
https://playmore.matchi.com/the-padel-report-by-matchi
