Alain Henry, owner and co-manager of Padel Club du Mas in Perpignan, shares with us the story of this family club which made a radical transition by transforming all its tennis courts into tennis courts. padel.

The history and evolution of the club

“I am both owner and co-manager of the Padel Mas Club, with Frédéric TAP, and am also a coach of padel. Our club was originally a family establishment launched in 1981, mainly focused on tennis with 4 courts. In 2005, we diversified our offering by adding 5 squash courts. The adventure of padel began in 2012, when we transformed an unused space into a track padel. At the time, there were very few sites that offered padel in France.

fred tap and alain henri club du mas

Faced with the growing enthusiasm for padel, we gradually replaced our tennis courts with tennis courts. padel. This evolution led us to a radical transition since we went from 100% tennis to 100% padel. Today, we have 6 indoor tracks and 4 outdoor tracks, which, I believe, places us among the rare clubs to have achieved such a metamorphosis.”

The transition from tennis to padel 

“The transition from tennis to padel was stimulated by the growing interest in this sport, which was still little known at the beginning. In 2012, there were only around a hundred players from padel regular. The growing demand generated a dynamic which prompted the development of the club to respond to this enthusiasm. After the competition arrived and we had to develop the club a little more to support the expansion of the padel. 

When we only had 2 out of 4 tennis courts left, maintaining tennis became a challenge. In 2021, the decision was made to remove the last two tennis courts, due to the low number of tennis players remaining. This approach allowed many tennis players within the club to discover the padel. Some of them have definitely adopted the padel and are still active members of the club.”

Padel Mas Club

Strategies to promote padel

“In our department, the padel is hyper developed, and our club has had a reputation in this sport since 2012. To attract players, we have organized tournaments and events. Beyond these initiatives, we have not had to deploy specific strategies to promote padel. The enthusiasm for this sport in our club has spread mainly through word of mouth. The satisfaction of our members played an important role as they recommended us to others, which contributed to the increase in our popularity and player base.

We generally organize 1 or 2 approved tournaments each month, which seems to us to be an ideal balance to cater to both competitive players and those who are simply looking for the pleasure of playing. Each month, a weekend is dedicated to our monthly tournament. Exceptionally, during the summer, we increase the pace by offering one tournament per week.”

fonteny boronad alain henri
club du mas perpignan

Anticipation of the evolution of padel

“Currently, there are no plans to add new fields to the club. Our strategy consists rather of anticipating the evolution of padel in the next 3 to 4 years, by planning our actions to stay ahead of trends, rather than reacting to changes as they arise. This has always been our approach, and we continue to adopt it to maintain our lead. When it comes to expanding our facilities, the club space limits us a bit.”

Dorian Massy

New follower of padel, I am fascinated by this dynamic sport which combines strategy and agility. I find in the padel a new passion to explore and share with you on Padel Magazine.

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