Andrea Balducci, between padel Italian and Catalan

Born in Monza, Andrea Balducci is a pioneer of padel transalpin. Very early on in exile in Spain because of his father's professional activities, he wears several hats: owner of the brand Padel Barcelona, collaborator of the Italian women's national team and player representative, starting with Fernando Belasteguín.

From Barça to padel and vice versa

Le padel is a sport very popular with football players. Carles Puyol is the best proof. But before him, the Blaugranas had already gotten into the habit of walking the courts. The Balducci meeting with ex-Barça has thus contributed to the discovery of a sport which has become a passion and even more: “I have played all racket sports”, he explains in the columns of Corriere dello Sport. “I tried the padel for the first time in 1986. It was on the occasion of the inauguration of a field in a hall which belonged to two former players, Víctor Muñoz and Pichi Alonso ”.

His ties with Barca grew closer in 2003, when he became the first Italian to work with a club, thanks to Joan Laporta (already seen pala in hand), big favorite to become president of the Catalan club again. Eight years of good and loyal service will follow, particularly to communication and to the attention of players in the professional sections in basketball, handball, rink-hockey and futsal.

We will meet in 10 years

If, at the end of the 1980s, the Ciudad Condal did not yet have many tracks, this did not dampen its appetite for the padel, quite the contrary. In the early 2000s, Balducci belonged to the first Catalan category and became a trainer for the Spanish federation.

And despite the distance, Andrea Balducci does not forget his country of birth. It is certain that the padel can become very popular in Italy and do everything to contribute to its development: “I have always been convinced that this sport could grow in Italy. I am not surprised by his boom. Italy and Spain are similar countries ”. The case was not heard in advance and it is precisely thanks to his dual culture that he represented a link between the Iberian Peninsula and the Bel Paese: “I understood that I could be a bridge that would carry the know-how of the Spanish methodology, the material and the contacts”.

However, if some way has been accomplished for nearly ten years, there is still a long way to go, despite the recent efforts undertaken in several regions of La Botte, including to acquire indoor courts : “Having only 2-3 courts is not enough and it limits the school padel. To reduce the gap with foreign professional players, it would be necessary to invest a lot in training, coaches and players ”. This does not prevent him from being resolutely optimistic: “I am sure that in ten years Italy will reach the level of Spain”. Deal !