James and I got into Padel a couple years ago. We were both Rackets professionals in Montreal and Manchester respectively. We both love all sports and are willing to try any sport there is out there. After playing a few times in Cheltenham and Swindon we thought there must be potential for a business. After exploring the world of padel and seeing the boom in Sweden and other European cities we found out that England was also taking off.
Perhaps a couple years too late to the party James and I got right on it, it’s one of those classic examples of the more you know the less you know! James and I have really started to understand the complexities of both of the business and the game. We both play regularly in Oxford at MVP Padel and as we learn the game we understand how much more complicated it can be. These are the joys of padel. It’s easy to play, fun to play but also the more you know the less you know.
It’s going to be interesting seeing the new clubs being set up around the country and how each company adapt to the challenges that the padel community faces. There are companies out there that are putting a lot of money into the game and building big clubs and luxury sites who will be hoping the game grows as we all expect it to be. However, there are smaller companies like James and myself who need to be a bit more savvy about the way we enter the world of padel. Looking to work with landlords and existing companies to show why we are the best people to partner up with is key, we are lucky to have a background in coaching and running clubs along with hospitality so we understand what a thriving club looks like.
We both are keeping eye out for new padel companies in different counties as the world we are in at the moment, means the more clubs that open and the more people play the game, the better it is for the sport and for the clubs that have opened.