By RJ Mitchell
IN part one of his first major interview with a media outlet outside of the USA, Marcos Del Pilar, CEO for the new ‘Pro Padel League’ and President of the US Padel Association, has promised his organisation will create a whole “entire new ecosystem for padel to grow in North America.”
The Pro Padel League will be North America’s first professional padel league and have unveiled a four-year plan to grow the sport in the ‘Land of the Free’ and roll it out across America’s major cities ranging from New York to Miami and Washington to Los Angeles.
March 2023 is being targeted as the start of the inaugural season which will culminate with six to eight teams competing against each other in a league format before a high-octane climax is reached in a PPL Cup final.
Del Pilar also revealed that a TV deal has already been clinched to air coverage to 75-milion American homes while the PPL are already engaging in dialogue with some of the most significant broadcasting platforms in the globe to expand their brand beyond their home continent.
Del Pilar is also determined to see the PPL create players and teams who can compete at the highest continental level with Padel MBA already enlisted to ensure that athletes and coaches are educated in order to let them compete with the cream of the European elite.
“The Pro Padel League (PPL) is North America’s first professional Padel league and is excited to launch a high-octane team competition in the world’s fastest-growing sport,” enthused Del Pilar.
He continued: “PPL is a totally new concept of competition for padel teams under a franchise model with cities set to play each other while getting the awareness and excitement for the sport to a new level in their communities.
“My good friend and co-founder Keith Stein and I came up with the idea to solve the pain we detected of adapting the beauty of the sport under the American business model. After that, we built an incredible team around us of true leaders.”
So let’s cut to the nut and bolts of it: how will the PPL make padel a major player in the USA’s sporting pantheon?
Del Pilar revealed: “We have designed a plan for four years. In 2023, six to eight team owners will be carefully selected for the first season as the founding teams that will lead the growth with PPL.
“Teams from the most important cities in the USA like Miami, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orlando will compete against each other in a league format before it climaxes in a final event in a PPL Cup on the last weekend. For the inaugural season in March 2023, all teams will compete in the same city in Florida. From 2024 on, we plan to have teams playing in their own cities and venues.”
Not surprisingly The PPL will be staying true to other franchise-based models like the MLS and other major leagues in the USA and del Pilar explained: “In my humble opinion, The Pro Padel League is the perfect approach for padel under the American business model.
“No one else before has put together a concept like this in our sport – a padel team league based on a franchise model like other major leagues in the USA.
“Besides some great tournaments, this initiative will create a new entire ecosystem for padel to grow in North America by boosting the exposure and love for the sport.
“Players and fans will have a new platform to showcase and enjoy padel while participation will grow in several cities under the excitement of the competition.
“The PPL will also increase the interest in building new facilities to absorb the demand and will create activations for brands and sponsors to land in North America. It’s a total win-win situation for everyone.”
When it comes to the media model which will be so important in promoting the PPL and ensuring its success and accessibility as a brand, Del Pilar was happy to supply some impressive figures which are already in place.
The PPL CEO shared: “We have some big names behind the PPL with plenty of experience in other major leagues in the USA and Canada.
“Our goal is to get padel to a new level in the USA providing the exposure and excitement the sport needs to catch on in a massive way. We plan to get live streaming for every game-day. With world-class events to showcase the sport in North America.
“Additionally we have secured our highlights to be aired on National TV as:
- 7 tape delayed national TV broadcasts (1 hour each)
- 14 post-match sizzle reel highlights videos, to be aired online and social media channels.
- 75 million TV households airing throughout United States
“So, the goal is to engage some of the major broadcasting platforms in the world and I am delighted to say that we are having some preliminary discussions about it as well.”
While talk is cheap, Del Pilar’s ambitions are based on a vast reservoir of experience as a pro player and pro coach in both tennis and padel who has been involved in the racket sport industry for more than 25 years.
He said: “I used to own five tennis and padel venues in Spain and, as a consultant, I have helped investors to become successful while implementing padel in more than 11 different countries. Additionally, I have a long story as a serial entrepreneur and business owner and I founded my first company when I was 14 years old.
“Now I currently continue to invest as an investor and business partner in different projects and start-ups. My main expertise holds on senior management positions very much focused on sales and marketing in multinational sports brands.
“In my personal case, I always dreamt about building a new entire industry in the USA. I always wanted to impact the world of padel and leave a legacy. I truly believe that we can build a better world through padel and I really do my best every day to spread joy and excitement for the sport while creating a new ecosystem plenty of new opportunities for everyone.”
Look out for part two of one of the biggest breaking stories in padel revealed exclusively right here on The Padel Paper.
