Italian company NXPadel are planning on revolutionising the padel court market – with an idea inspired by a fishing boat!
During his 30 years in the sports industry, NXPadel founder Luca Ceresoli spent a ‘random few months’ managing a fishing company in the Dominican Republic. He noted the strength and flexibility of the Fibreglass hull of the boats – knowledge that would later come in very useful.
In 2018, Luca started to develop an idea to make an entire padel court structure out of Fibreglass, including the poles, beams and meshes. After two years of experimentation, he launched the prototype in 2020, just after Italy’s initial coronavirus lockdown.
It coincided with a period of surging demand for padel courts and equipment, as many countries’ Covid-19 regulations permitted outdoor padel while restricting participation in other sports. Within two years, the company he worked for, Italgreen, sold almost 800 units in 16 countries.
In 2022, Luca and his son Nicola (pictured below) left the company and took the Fibreglass padel masterplan with them, forming NXPadel. With several further improvements to the design, they are now launching their own patented product. Nicola calls it, “a unique solution which differentiates us from all our competitors”.
“The Fibreglass structure has objectives advantages for every ‘actor’ in the process – from shipping to installer, club manager and player,” NXPadel CEO Nicola tells The Padel Paper.
Fibreglass courts are lighter and can fit into shipping containers easier than iron ones. They are easier to install due to the ‘rail system’, ‘auto flower base’, and ‘click-and-fix system’ and require zero maintenance. They do not rust and because the colour is within the material, rather than painted on to the surface, they do not scratch.
But the real game-changer, says Nicola, is the mesh along the side walls. “That’s where you feel the real difference as a club manager and a player,” he says.
“When you impact with your shoulder or body, it absorbs the shock because it’s elastic and resistant. There’s no noise either. It’s the safest court available right now on the market. Also, it does not curve over time, unlike the iron structure. It returns every time to a precise, flat surface.”
He adds: “You can tell me you don’t like the aesthetics of our courts, but it is undeniable that we have objective advantages. It’s very interesting for everybody in this market because it’s the only court that is truly different from the others.”
The Fibreglass revolution is on its way. They have had interest not just in their native Italy, but across Europe, Australia, Japan, Kenya, South Africa and even Peru and especially USA.
NXPadel’s goal is to have a strong presence in 40 countries within five years. Nicola says he hopes to have over 100 courts in the UK by the end of 2023, starting with the first installation in June.
“I really love this product – it’s my little brother,” laughs Nicola. “My love of Fiberglass and my passion for playing padel brought me to this point. We cannot wait for everyone to try it out.”
