January lends itself to prophetic wisdom on what is to come as we press the reset button and head into a new year. When it comes to padel, the predictions for what lies ahead offer something of a playground given the frenetic pace with which this sport is developing in front of our eyes.
So, what does 2024 offer the UK sport market, which is hungry for more padel?
Well, since launching Padel 22 a year ago and becoming the first Global Communications Consultancy dedicated to the sport, I have had many conversations with would-be padel clubs, investors and business people intent on building their first padel facility.
During that 12 months, I’ve lost count of the number of people who have plans for their padel facilities in the pipeline, and are awaiting planning permission from the local council. In Britain, this is the greatest roadblock (or perhaps a blessing, given the boom and bust situation of padel witnessed in some countries) to a more plentiful supply of padel clubs.
As I commented in an earlier article in The Padel Paper, the hype around padel (and therefore the demand) currently outstrips the supply, and that’s largely down to the length of time it takes in Britain to secure permission to build courts. It’s also due to lack of familiarity with the sport amongst the authorities who hold the keys to such decisions.
In 2024, however, that could start to change, as many of the pipeline projects start to see favourable decisions for planning, and awareness of padel starts to grow exponentially – which is where Padel 22 comes in. In fact, growing this sport’s brand was the very reason we came to be this time last year and it remains ever more our guiding star as the sport starts to turn more heads across more nations.
Understandably, the primary focus of the padel story has been on the clubs and facilities – the places where people can play this exhilarating sport – however, this new ‘industry’ that is growing organically and taking twists and turns in various directions won’t realise its potential unless other sections of it start to develop.
Take the county padel scene, for example – on whose shoulders should the growth of inter-county padel across the Britain rest? Thankfully, last year we started to see the seeds of the British county padel scene planted, with UK Padel organising the first County Championships at Rocket Padel in Bristol.
Then, there’s the university scene, which just recently witnessed the UK’s first University Padel Competition in October (also in Bristol) courtesy of ambitious student and Golden Point Padel Founder, George Modler. If ever there’s a sector ripe for padel development in 2024, it’s the university sector.
So, in which other areas are there gaps in the British padel market and where might we start to see some of them filled in 2024?
Surely the school system is ready for padel development, both the private and state sector. Without future generations lifting a padel racket in their early years, where will the first generations of Team GB Olympic talent have learnt their skills (when surely padel does become an Olympic sport)?
There are many ambitious independent, state and grammar schools across the UK who surely would love to gain an edge over their rivals, and would love to own the bragging rights of becoming the regional or national school padel champions. Who will that be (cue a Millfield, perhaps?) and, more importantly, who is going to be the entrepreneur to kickstart the UK school padel system; a system that surely needs to accelerate in 2024 if the sport is going to reach its potential?
These are just some of the questions landing on the doors of padel in the UK, and we can expect many of the answers to become clearer over the next 12 months.
As these sectors within the sport start to develop, naturally there’s a need to tell the success stories of the businesses, individuals and pioneers shaping this sport’s identity. That is where Padel 22 come in, as the UK’s go-to padel-dedicated Communications Consultancy – a consultancy born in Britain and with an international outlook. We’re looking forward to continuing to be at the forefront of this sport’s story in the years to come.
Ben Nichols – Founder and CEO of the world’s first padel-dedicated Communications Consultancy, Padel 22
Padel 22 has worked with the leading businesses in the global padel industry, including New York’s Padel Haus, the Pro Padel League (PPL), the UK’s premium padel club Padium, British Number 1 Tia Norton and the all-new racket sport conference, RacquetX.
Padel 22 is currently looking to work with new, ambitious padel businesses who want to put themselves on the map. If you’re interested in discussing how Ben and the team can support you, get in touch at: ben@padel-22.com
Main pic: LTA
