THE prospect of hosting over 300 padel players from 18 different countries over 3 days of intense action – comprising in excess of 200 matches – to earn the right to compete in the XVI World Championships would be a daunting one for most people.
Not for Rosco Muller.
The Country Manager for We Are Padel and the man running the company’s state of the art 11-court Derby facility, which will present a tableau in which the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune will be in full flight later this week, views this as an opportunity he is excited to embrace.
Yet as recently as April, when Muller was doing market research in Derby to confirm his company’s bold decision to invest over £1million in opening their ground-breaking venue in the East Midlands, the reaction from locals was lukewarm to say the least.
Now on the eve of the biggest padel competition ever to be held on British soil, Muller says We Are Padel are ready to put on the mother of all padel competitions at a venue he believes will provide the perfect stage for the mixture of artistry, athleticism and patriotic fervour that should provide some unforgettable padel action seasoned with heartbreak and euphoria.
Muller’s passion for padel is unbridled as he looks forward to what will hopefully be the ideal launchpad for the sport in the UK and he said: “It is a safe assumption to be honest. It is also a real honour to be approached to organise something like the World Championship Qualifiers.
“We got the call eight weeks ago and after some discussion with FIP and the LTA we were happy to host and support if they organised.
“We set up transport, hotels and food and it was a real privilege for us to host and we were: ‘Let’s do it!’
“I just think it is a great opportunity for Derby to facilitate something like this and it creates awareness of padel and now we have a landing page with ‘The Road to Dubai starts in Derby’, this a landing page for spectators, players, and media and shows what we are going to do.
“3 days, 200 matches, 18 different countries, it is one of the biggest padel events in Europe and the biggest in the UK, so come and spectate – it is free!
“This specific event is also an absolute asset for the sport, for us and for Derby. Can you imagine male and female players out of so many different countries, and the level of business for local outlets? Everyone will be happy with that after two years of COVID!
“It’s also very exciting and we love the pressure and all of my colleagues are padel addicts who are comfortable with that. So, yes we hope this will be the first of many and that we will work alongside FIP and the LTA more often. They don’t only do country events or European Championships but also regular tournaments of the highest levels.
“Of course besides FIP we have the World Padel Tour and Premier Padel etc, so different federations and organisers and if they give us a week, we will host it. We want to put padel on the map.
“Besides that we are working with the LTA and they are embracing padel. But ultimately the local community is what is really important to me and developing that.”
The Dutchman continued: “It has cost more than a million pounds in total investment. We are talking courts, padel acoustic curtains, audio visual, music and live television, refurbishment of the bar, a full team of staff, equipment and all the bits and pieces in between that.
“It is creating more jobs; it is creating health and it’s creating a community. We will work towards membership but we will start with pay-and-play and through loyalty we will slowly work towards membership.
“Clearly we are a pay-and-play operator and we need some money to invest in the next venture plus, as I said, Derby is a million plus pounds investment.
“This is a really exciting time for padel and the UK and the timing for this event is perfect and we are really looking forward to creating awareness for padel.
“So, I’d urge people to come along and see how cool padel is and we will make sure that anyone who attends the event will afterwards get an amazing offer to come along and try. So I promise an amazing time in an amazing venue.
So just what are Muller’s hopes for the World Championship qualifiers?
“We can promise you will see world-class padel and you will be in an intimate atmosphere with the players from all our countries,” said Muller.
He continued: “The big difference between tennis for example and padel is say that if Roger Federer is at Wimbledon and we want to meet him it is impossible. But if you want to chat with Juan LeBron or Ale Galan, the World No.1 padel players, you will manage that, so padel is just way more accessible right now.
“At We Are Padel this week you will be one-on-one with players and officials. We have 2200 square metres of courts with more than 300 players and we are using only eight courts. So we have more than 270 players watching plus spectators at any one time.
“We have created stands around the courts and stands on 3 of our 11 courts we won’t use. So you will be in the middle of everything. There will be cool padel everywhere, that is what I promise you!
“Plus you can enjoy world-class food and drinks as we are a global company with links to great local companies like Mezzo and Sadlergates Catering. They will offer healthy menus and a full-service bar with all the local beers and a great service team who will provide you with answers to any question you may have.
“I believe that if you see the level of padel and what is possible then I think it will inspire the people of Derby to play. The day after the event we will have the data which will allow us to register people with an accessible offer and I know that whenever they try they will get hooked.
“I really think this will be a great success for padel and hopefully some of that will benefit We Are Padel. I am hoping I can inspire more investors and more operators as we need all of that and the competition.”
So why would a Dutch company roll the dice and pick Derby as the flagship venue of their UK operation?
Muller explained: “It came on our radar thanks to a previous partner in Holland and principally Power League. They had approached us about a few venues in the UK and principally Derby then we did our market research and it all worked out.
“Derby is the centre of the UK, there was no indoor padel yet and we had a great opportunity from a facility perspective and it just made perfect sense to us.
“Okay I went on the street in March and April asking random people: “Did you ever play padel?” 100% looked at me as if I was crazy! For me I knew that meant it was perfect!
“We will go slow because most people who hate padel have never played. We have patience and we were having flash backs from Holland in 2015 when people were saying: ‘What are you doing? What is this crap?!’
“This was the case right up until they got on court and then it doesn’t matter what your background is, you are hooked.
“Derby made great sense to us it is very accessible – there is the M1, it is developing with new housing projects, more University facilities in the city centre, Rolls Royce, Toyota.
“Really I could name 20 reasons why we should be here and now we have to prove it. But that is exciting as no risk no gain.”
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