Christian Collange: “Without the masses, there will be no elite in French padel” and launch of the label “Padel Future'

On the occasion of French Youth Padel Championships 2026 at WinWin Padel Cabriès Christian Collange shared his perspective on the evolution of French youth development. He has been involved in youth development within the French system for over ten years. PACA League He sees the national level becoming more competitive and believes in the upcoming emergence of French players capable of establishing themselves high in the world rankings.

His credo remains unchanged, however: before talking about very high level, it is necessary to build a sufficiently large base of young practitioners.

In the PACA region, a youth policy was implemented starting in 2014.

The PACA region's regular presence in the later rounds of national competitions is no accident. Christian Collange points out that the League began structuring its work with young people very early on.

"We launched these gatherings in the PACA region back in 2014. I focused directly on young people because I understood that they were the ones who would take padel to the top."

Gatherings, dedicated circuits, competitions, and talent identification have gradually created a pool of talent. This policy has also been pursued for several years in Occitanie, another region historically very present in national youth competitions.

For Collange, this continuity partly explains the current results.

The priority: broaden the base before seeking the elite

This is the central idea defended by Christian Collange: Training cannot be limited to the best young players already identified. .

"If there's no mass, there are no good players. If there isn't that pyramid at the bottom, that mass at the bottom, nothing will happen."

The goal is therefore to bring more children to padel, to multiply opportunities to play and only then to allow the best profiles to emerge.

This approach requires the involvement of the entire chain: clubs, coaches, committees, and leagues. It is also with this in mind that Collange launched the label in the PACA region. Padel To come up , intended to highlight clubs that are genuinely invested in youth development.

The French Youth Championships, "one of the FFT's great successes"

The 2026 edition, organized in Cabriès, confirms, according to him, the growth of youth padel in France. Christian Collange even considers these national events to be one of the major successes of the policy implemented by the FFT.

"The French youth championship, the Interleague, is a real success."

One figure in particular caught his attention: 14 leagues were represented at the 2026 U12 Interleagues .

Beyond the number of participants, Collange emphasizes the quality of the meetings, the atmosphere, and the increasing structure of the supervision. National programs, from the CNE at the TNJ , now complement the work carried out throughout the year in the territories.

PACA and Occitanie are in the lead, but the gap is narrowing.

PACA and Occitanie regularly meet in the later rounds of national competitions. However, Christian Collange refuses to speak of a true "domination".

Both regions benefit from a long-established youth policy, numerous specialist coaches, involved clubs and, for these southern territories, a certain proximity to Spain.

But the landscape is changing.

"The level of competition is getting much closer, and we can see that in these championships."

Christian Collange cites in particular Île-de-France and Réunion among the leagues capable of posing serious problems to the historically most successful teams. Matches become more competitive from the quarter-finals and semi-finals onwards, and some encounters are now decided by very small margins.

He therefore expects a much more open national hierarchy in the coming years.

Few surprises in the U12 and U14 categories, but greater depth.

In the first categories contested in Cabriès, the favorites generally lived up to expectations. U12 as in U14 The young players and pairs already identified as leading figures of their generation found themselves in the final rounds.

Christian Collange, however, is less concerned with the absence of surprises than with the gradual reduction of the gaps.

"No big surprises. But a level of competition that's getting tighter, yes."

This snapshot is obviously still provisional for players this young. At these ages, six months or a year can be enough to completely change the hierarchy and bring forth new profiles.

Can France produce a player who would be in the world's top 20?

This is now one of the major challenges of this training policy.

Christian Collange acknowledges that France remains behind Spain and Argentina , two countries with a much stronger culture and history in padel. But he also believes that the gap is starting to narrow.

"We are behind, but it's a normal delay, one that we are currently catching up on. There is a real French identity today."

The structuring around the CNE The increase in youth competitions and the gradual arrival of the best French players on FIP tournaments should help to support this transition to the top level.

And when asked if France could one day place a male or female player in the world top 20 Collange is not closing the door:

"We hope there will be a top 20 in the world. It's not a given, but why not?"

He specifically mentions the results already achieved by young French players against the best nations and believes that several profiles now have the potential to progress significantly.

His first horizon is relatively close: three to four years to hope to see French players establish themselves much higher in the world rankings.

More than just the results, these 2026 French Youth Championships will have allowed us to measure the overall progress of French padel.

More competitive leagues, closer matches, more professional structures and training that is gradually being organized across the country: for Christian Collange, the momentum is clearly underway.

"We saw some great matches, a great atmosphere. It's becoming more professional. That's the most important thing."

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.