Today,  Padel in France is officially organized by the  French Tennis Federation. But this situation didn't happen overnight. Padel's integration into the federation's ecosystem was a gradual process, sometimes in a tense context between several organizations vying for representation of the sport.

2013: A first attempt was rejected

Even before padel was officially integrated into the statutes of the FFT, the question of its affiliation arose.
En  2013 the federation  initially refused to include padel in its statutes .

At that time, the discipline was still marginal in France and its organization was fragmented.

A conflict between French padel structures

Before 2014, two main organizations attempted to structure the discipline:

  • la  French Federation of Padel 
  • la  National League of Padel 

Both organizations are developing circuits and seeking to officially represent the sport. This situation creates a  form of institutional competition , with several points of contact for clubs and practitioners.

2014: The State makes its decision and entrusts padel to the FFT

The situation is clarified in  2014 .

Le  24th June 2014 A ministerial decree published in the Official Journal grants to the  French Tennis Federation  the delegation provided for in article  L.131-14 of the Sports Code  for several disciplines:

  •  tennis 
  •  courte paume 
  •  Beach tennis 
  •  paddle 

This decision puts an end to the uncertainty.
ELLE  brings everyone to an agreement in the conflict opposing the French Federation of Padel and the National League of Padel .

From this date,  The FFT officially becomes the body responsible for representing and organizing padel in France. .

The Ministry of Sports grants padel to the FFT

2014: Padel is integrated into the statutes of the FFT

In the wake of this, the federation integrates padel into its  statutes and administrative regulations .
The discipline then officially appeared alongside tennis and beach tennis among the sports organised by the FFT.

This recognition marks the  institutional starting point of French padel under federal authority .

2018: a true strategic turning point

Although the delegation dates back to 2014, the real political turning point came a few years later.

En  2018 , the FFT appoints  The first elected official in charge of padel: Hubert Picquier .

Upon taking office, he clearly announced the federation's new direction:

"From now on  Padel and tennis are equal .
The FFT is going to change its approach. The FFT will not only support this sport, which is currently taking a very interesting direction,  But we're going to put many things in place to boost it.  »

This statement marks  a radical change in federal policy towards padel .

Hubert Picquier: “99% of subsidies can go to padel”

The beginning of strong growth

From this period onwards, the development of padel accelerated in France:

  • structuring of federal competitions
  • development of national leagues and circuits
  • rapid multiplication of land
  • arrival of major international events

In just a few years, the discipline went from being a still niche sport to  one of the most dynamic sports in the French sporting landscape .

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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