So, it’s the defining ‘thing’ of our times. Noise, that is. Yes, you heard that right, noise is the defining thing of our times. Everywhere we turn, there’s a cacophony of noise. It’s becoming increasingly hard, if not, nigh on impossible, to avoid the noise because unless you literally live under a rock (and even then it might be hard to avoid noise in today’s world), then there’s little getting away from the ubiquity of noise.
It’s noise from the digital world, mainly. Each and every direction we turn in today’s society, certainly in the West, we are bombarded with messages. Usually messages trying to sell us something, convince us of something, generally trying to grab our attention. Well, aren’t you, Ben, responsible for some of that noise. Well, yes, hands up, in my own very small way, yes, what I do in my own day job is to create - if you can allow me not to use the word ‘noise’ - attention. Attention for the people, players, businesses, clubs, brands and movers and shakers I’m fortunate enough to work with. It is, after all, our profession to bring attention to the sport. For us, our mission is to grow the padel movement. A movement which, if you’ve joined by stepping foot on the 10m x 20m (32.8ft x 65.6ft) glass-come-mesh-tennis-court-come-squash court enclosure, you’ll become a convert of, and fast (I’d bet my bottom dollar you will). And that’s because padel’s a sport the like of which we’ve never seen before. A sport that’s not only easy to pick up, unlike its rackets cousins tennis and squash - both of which I love by the way as they formed the basis of my childhood and youth - but because there’s constant learning. It’s a sport for which the learning curve goes on, and on, and on. “Easy to learn, hard to master”, goes the phrase.
And perhaps - if I was to put my finger on one reason why padel has become the sport that’s got the world talking - that’s exactly why it’s become such a craze. Such a lifestyle. Because it is such an addiction. And what’s better than that? It’s a positive addiction. There’s human nature and what’s good for us, all wrapped up into one, folks.
However, while padel has got the world talking, has it yet got America talking? In a word, “yes”. And that’s largely down to the breakthrough year that has been 2024.
Now, back to that rock. Well, if you’re in the padel world, and unless you have been living under that proverbial rock, you will know that 2024 has been big, very big, for padel. Having the privilege of leading the US’ go-to padel communications company, I’ve been fortunate to have had a front row seat of some of the big moments for padel stateside and the last 11 months have, let’s make no bones about it, been transformative for the sport of padel in the US. Let’s look at a few of the major wins for American padel in 2024.
- US Open – get this, just 12 miles south west of the home of US Open Tennis, Flushing Meadows, sits Padel Haus Dumbo – the home of the first ever US Open Padel Championships that took place in October. Won by US No.1 Britt Dubins and her partner Carla Rodriguez Sanchez in the women’s, and Juan Manuel “Guga” Vazquez and US No.1 Jose Carlos Gaspar Campos in the men’s. An auspicious start to US Open’s newest kid on the block, not to mention a home run for the US Padel Association for getting this show on the road.
- An abundance of Padel Clubs – in the first six months of 2024, I counted no fewer than 25 new clubs announced. Given America’s short padel history, and the pace of club arrivals until this year, this marked a significant pace of change for padel’s growth nationwide. With new clubs being announced everywhere from Texas, to Louisiana, and Colorado to Illinois, the land grab for prime padel real estate had begun.
- Birth of New Businesses and the Padelvestors – there’s been a big uptick in the number of new businesses. From America’s renowned padel investment expert Alan Flatt’s new Investtrek Capital, to Off the Wall Consulting, led by Steve Long and Bianca Vanrell, there’s a plethora of new businesses landing on the padel scene. Oh, and what about the Padelvestors? Well, padel giants Taktika entered the Hexagon Cup scene (which already has a franchise team co-owned by Eva Longoria) to partner with Lionel Messi and Kun Aguero, the latest example of “Padelvestorship” in action.
- Padel hits the Mall – The decline of the shopping mall, no longer. Well, not if padel has anything to do with it. This summer saw Alessandro Bennett’s Pura Padel land at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks LA, and then Padel Up announced their arrival at the coveted Westfield Century City just up the proverbial road. Go figure?
- GOATS talk Padel – One GOAT (AKA Novak Djokovic) spoke to the threat padel and pickleball presents tennis clubs, not least in the US. Meanwhile, another GOAT (AKA Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi) put down some $$$ on team ownership in Hexagon Cup with Kru Padel by Taktika. One way or another, the GOATS have entered the American padel scene, and I don’t see any sign of it stopping in 2025.