Arnaud Saurois is one of the analysts of padel in France. Player padel, but also a lecturer, he gives us his opinion on the future of padel in France with the French Tennis Federation.

Faced with themes such as a possible independence of padel in relation to the FFT or the proposal to integrate a agency of padel in the FFT, he believes that it is not so simple and that the padel might even lose in the exchange.

Arnaud argues in 9 points:

1- the FFT is an association

2- Tennis is also suffering in other countries, yet it is not the French federation which is in charge

3- It is the Ministry of Sports which manages the approvals for the federations, as for the Stand Up Paddle (between the French Federation of Canoe-Kayak and Surf), like the kite Surf, the MMA… It is not really “fashionable” at State level to create new delegated federations. Many of them try for new fashionable disciplines.

4- There are many examples of federations (and more and more) which manage several sports (cycling with BMX, mountain biking, track… - Basketball with 3 × 3 - Gym with GR etc. Internal debates are still ongoing. very animated with the historical discipline and the others, it is very old.

5- there has already been an independent federation of padel in France, there have been tracks for a very long time (80s), but it is for less than 10 years that this sport has “exploded” here

6- there is necessarily a “balance of power” to be initiated internally by the FFT to make the padel but if we are passionate about this discipline, it is necessary (for the moment) to relativize its weight in practitioners, in licensees, in volunteers, in € and in media image. The gap will narrow but it is still huge (we are not objective because we have the virus)

7- Federations like those of tennis (there are very few of them as powerful) have a very important inertia. It is necessarily too slow for us but when the machine advances, it has immense means allowing to save a lot of time for the padel

8- We will have to get involved in federal bodies, departments, leagues and federation to make the padel, some have already started.

9- the battle of associative clubs VS commercial clubs also exist in other federations (surfing, golf, climbing, horse riding, sailing, etc.) it is interesting to draw inspiration from their (sometimes long) experiences so as not to repeat the same mistakes and to move faster and harder.

Arnaud Saurois

Associate lecturer in sports management at the University of Poitiers, former director of the Regional Olympic and Sports Committee of Poitou-Charentes and former of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (to explain the perspective on other federations), and most important: PLAYER OF PADEL !