From grassroots to global: how Premier Padel is driving the future of the sport forward with guidance from Pitch International.
Exhilarating racket sport padel is taking the world by storm, with millions of players flocking to the game. At the elite end of the sport, the Qatar Sports Investments backed Premier Padel tour is working in partnership with Pitch International to capitalise on this momentum. An expanded event line-up, global media partnerships and rock solid support from top players suggest 2024 will be a transformational year.
First conceived in Mexico in the 1960s, the tennis/squash hybrid quickly expanded into major territories including Spain, Argentina, Italy and Sweden. It then caught a wave during Covid-19 and is now experiencing a period of exceptional growth, according to the International Padel Federation (FIP). In the last two years there has been a 40% increase in the number of people playing padel, says FIP, with 25 million people playing in 110 countries worldwide.
And this is only the beginning, according to QSI president and Premier Padel chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, an avid player himself: “The world has only seen the tip of the iceberg of what the sport of padel can achieve on the global stage,” he says. “Padel players are some of the most talented, inspiring and gracious athletes in the world of sport – it’s time for this wonderful game and its incredible athletes to be showcased to fans around the world; and for the sport to finally achieve its commercial and sporting potential.”
Blueprint for modern sports
Advocates like Al-Khelaïfi say padel is a modern, progressive sport that provides the blue-print for how other sporting disciplines need to reimagine themselves if they are to stay competitive. Played as doubles rather than singles, padel is highly social, easy to learn, short-form and accessible. Once hooked, players tend to stick with the game, which has helped padel build a strong sense of community. The fact that it is loved by icons including Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams is another factor explaining its explosive growth during recent years.
The massive global potential of the sport persuaded Al-Khelaïfi to back a revolution at the top of the professional pyramid. QSI and the FIP, supported by leading sports marketing agency Pitch International, launched the Premier Padel tour in 2022. Working with the world’s top-ranked men and women players, who are represented on the Premier Padel board, the tour ran eight international events in 2022 and 2023. The lightning-fast development of the tour has also given these players the opportunity to live their dreams by playing at Stade Roland-Garros, within only months of Premier Padel’s launch.
Milano, Premier Padel 2022 Milano P1 centre court
Now Premier Padel is poised for a major expansion in 2024, following the acquisition of rival circuit World Padel Tour. Al-Khelaïfi called the acquisition “an historic moment, seeing the two leading professional padel tours unified as one global Premier Padel tour. QSI is proud to be at the heart of driving the development of padel all around the world, always placing the players at the centre of our mission to grow the sport.”
Pitch’s proven expertise
As Premier Padel builds the global tour, many key commercial responsibilities lie with Pitch International, which has been involved from the outset. Explaining why Pitch secured the task in the face of tough competition, Premier Padel commercial director Rob Mitchell says: “They have proven their expertise across so many areas – from media rights and strategy to sponsorship sales. They also have superb production capabilities which have been important to our development. Their experience and scope of expertise make them an invaluable strategic partner.”
Launching a global tour from a standing start “is a huge undertaking”, acknowledges Pitch International’s chief operating officer, Jonathan Rogers. “But Pitch worked with the England & Wales Cricket Board on the development and launch of The Hundred, so we understand the strategic, commercial and operational challenges involved. We have leant on this experience with the development and launch of Premier Padel.”
We have helped create a package that can help Premier Padel go global extremely quickly
Pitch has been intimately involved in every aspect of the tour, says executive chairman, Oli Slipper, starting with the development of the strategy. Key elements in this phase included the creation of a dynamic brand and watertight business model that will “revolutionise the long-term commercial success and visibility of the game. I think we have helped create a package that can help Premier Padel go global extremely quickly.”
Another core innovation has been Premier Padel’s inclusive approach to governance, says Slipper, with “player representatives sitting on the Board to directly help shape the future of their game. It’s extremely rare to get this alignment of interests among stakeholders; and it translates into areas like improved player welfare.”
360-degree media plan
Pitch also handles media rights sales, continues Slipper: “The strength of Premier Padel is that it combines a dynamic and captivating sport with state-of-the-art sports marketing expertise and robust financial backing. This has led to a step-change in professionalism and event quality that has made the tour an immediate hit with premium media platforms. We have secured partnerships with the likes of ESPN, beIN Sports, Canal+ and Sky, which together will deliver coverage in 180 countries.”
The plan – already in motion – is to supplement these with strategic free-to-air partnerships, says Slipper, as well as a comprehensive OTT solution. “All this will guarantee that every fan has multiple opportunities to watch, making padel more discoverable for those new to the sport. Alongside the live output, we are also working on some content innovations that will give a unique insight into padel and its players. This will help deepen our relationship with audiences and commercial partners, as well as creating the first generation of global padel stars.”
Pitch is also advising on the operational and organisational management of Premier Padel, says Rogers. This is a wide ranging role that includes key areas such as event management, marketing, production and promoter development. “It is rare to have a new tour with so much positive momentum behind it,” he explains, “It is our job to ensure we capitalise on the excitement and have a compelling product that works for fans, broadcasters and partners.”
2024 Tour step-change
Organising the expanded 2024 programme has been a top priority in recent months, says Mitchell. “We have already broken new ground in terms of profile and commercial performance. But the 2024 season feels like a defining moment in the history of the sport. Following the acquisition of World Padel Tour, Premier Padel will be the only global tour and will expand to 24 events for the men’s and women’s tour, with an end of season finals.”
This rapid acceleration, says Mitchell, signals buy-in from event promoters and brings with it “a huge opportunity” to reach new markets. “Right now, we are focused on how we leverage this to attract fans and partners into the sport. At the same time, we’re convinced that the creation of a single global tour will provide clarity for broadcasters and audiences. This will guarantee greater emotional and financial investment.”
The strength of Premier Padel is that it combines a dynamic and captivating sport with state-of-the-art sports marketing expertise and robust financial backing
There are exciting plans ahead in 2024 with four Majors, scheduled to be held in Qatar, Italy, France and Mexico, and two further tiers of competition (P1 and P2) – similar in principle to tennis’ ATP1000 and ATP500. Active in 14+ markets from 2024, there will be two top-ranking P1 events in Spain – as well as new events in the US, says Premier Padel’s Mitchell, where he oversees commercial matters including sponsorship strategy, marketing and sales. Prize money rises as high as €525k for a men’s Major – with the total annual prize pot of €12m across the men’s and women’s competitions. Mitchell says: “the global breadth of the calendar will help drive audience engagement beyond the core markets. It will evolve to ensure we support the growth of the game across the world, and this will include tournaments in Asia and Oceania from 2025.”
Other areas that Pitch is working on include archive management, data creation, betting sales and – perhaps most importantly – sponsorship sales. Alongside tournament license fees, media rights, licensing and betting, this will be a core revenue stream, says Slipper. Currently engaged in discussions with leading brands, Pitch is looking for a tour title partner and key categories partners in areas such as data & technology and betting. There are also opportunities in areas like scoring, timing and endemic categories – such as balls and rackets. The confident message from the team is that “there is plenty of news coming about sponsors before the 2024 season”.
Data-driven insights
Slipper also stresses the importance of Pitch’s capabilities in areas such as data analytics, which are helping to “enhance fans and player engagement and unlock further revenue streams. We are collecting live-score data and will use this with additional data to support our broadcast and social media, as well as service the betting industry. Data can also play a hugely important role for explaining shots, points, the strengths of players and the narrative of matches. Providing data to Premier Padel players is another area where we can help develop the game.”
Two decades in the business, Pitch now has six well-resourced offices around the world and enjoys rich experience in established sports including football, rugby union, cricket and golf. So why has it decided to get involved in the expansion of a nascent sport? According to Slipper, it’s because an innovative and forward-looking approach is baked into the DNA of the agency: “We have always prided ourselves on our ability to identify key trends, as demonstrated by the launch of our Women’s Sport unit.”
Set up in 2018, that unit has provided a springboard for Pitch to secure key partnerships with the likes of the English FA, Women’s Six Nations Rugby and the Ladies European Golf Tour. Echoing its growth in this arena, Rogers, says: “We firmly believe Premier Padel will become an extremely popular and valuable property. This is backed by a recent report from MarketWatch. The report valued the global padel market at $198 million in 2022, a figure that is expected to rise to $337m by 2029.”
A rewarding experience
Of course, fulfilling padel’s growth potential will depend on continued momentum for the sport at all levels. In terms of participation, Pitch International managing director of rugby, football and international partnerships Henri Kamerling believes there is a lot of headroom for padel because the sport is “very accessible. The first time you play, you enjoy it, and have the feeling you can play. The sport is simple, but dynamic and fun, so it is a rewarding experience even for a beginner.”
Kamerling says padel also has unique attributes that distinguish it from other sports: “As a sport played in pairs it is extremely sociable. It is also inclusive for all genders, ages and abilities.” This view is backed by The Global Padel Report 2023, created by Deloitte and Playtomic, the world’s largest community of racket sport players. The report concluded that padel’s appeal extends beyond competition, with social interaction, fitness and opportunities to meet people all key motivators in one million new players a year sampling the sport. This social element is core to the DNA of padel and will be developed in Premier Padel, a key differentiator from other racket sports.
Data suggests padel is already well ahead of squash in markets including Argentina, Spain and Italy. It is also on a par with its more established counterpart in territories like China, France and Germany. In the UK, the sport is generating comparable levels of interest to established disciplines like surfing, hockey and netball. “The game is exploding, especially across Europe,” says Rogers. “There is also huge popularity across the Middle East, notably Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE. And there is rapid growth in the USA and Asia, where new courts are being built quickly.”
All of this bodes well for Pitch’s pursuit of sponsors – and it is also translating into investment by sports venues – many of which are converting tennis courts into padel courts to maximise earning potential. Deloitte and Playtomic predict the number of courts worldwide could more than double to 84,000 by the end of the current decade.
Padel’s Olympic ambitions
With the participation story in good shape, padel’s stakeholders are also working together to secure padel’s status as an Olympic Sport by 2032, a goal that would benefit all tiers of the discipline: “The sport is spectacular to watch,” says FIP president Luigi Carraro, “and we have ambitious plans to be part of the Olympic Games.”
The inclusion of padel at the European Games 2023 is an important landmark in the sport’s journey to the Olympic Games, says Carraro. “Padel has also been recognised by The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), a significant milestone on the road to the sport featuring in future Asian Games. The FIP and OCA are working towards ensuring padel can be a part of the Asian Games at the soonest possible juncture through the establishment of a dedicated OCA Task Force to advance steps for inclusion.”
The team at Pitch International is convinced the creation of Premier Padel also has a role to play in taking the sport to the next level – and it is anticipating a further boost following the arrival of seasoned sports marketing professional Eno Polo as CEO. “Premier Padel has the potential to inspire the next generations of padel players,” says Polo. “We are greatly encouraged by the explosion in participation and facilities. But the addition of a worldwide tour, backed by an extensive portfolio of broadcast, streaming and commercial partnerships, is an opportunity to truly globalise the sport.”
