Club Garbí, the Catalan adventure of Sébastien Ducros

Ten years earlier, he dreamed of founding his own complex in the suburbs of Lyon. Finally, it was in Llançà, in Catalonia, that Sébastien Ducros found his sporting and human Eldorado. The Berjallien retraces his journey and opens the doors of his structure, the Club Garbí, to us.

Like the other seaside resorts on the Costa Brava, Llançà becomes more discreet when winter comes. And yet, under the gentle sun of the Alt Empordà, the cold already seems far away. Nestled about twenty kilometres from the border, this modest village of 5 inhabitants is located at the convergence of nature, the sea and the mountains. A picturesque setting in which Sébastien has found his anchor point. Between the blue of the sky and that of the Mediterranean, this entrepreneur enthusiastically shares his love for padel. Meeting.

Catalonia, land of opportunities

"I discovered padel in Llançà in 2014-2015. After playing my first game, I was tired, but I already wanted to play again. A real "sting" addicted! When I returned to France, Padel Central had just opened in Lyon and I was playing there regularly. (until its closure in 2017, editor’s note). I quickly wondered about the development of padel in France, we were then only at the beginning. Sébastien Cornet had just mounted Esprit Padel, and at that time, I was in talks with the Tennis Club of Bourgoin-Jallieu. My goal was to set up my company and form a partnership with the club to develop this sport. Unfortunately, the marriage between the private and the public turned out to be complicated. I went through with my project but the rent requested was too high to set up the structure, so I preferred to stop. I was demotivated, I really wanted to do something in France! The years went by and it became more and more difficult. In the end, the right moment came here. I sympathized with Frank Geli, the sports manager of Garbí. One day we imagined a joint reflection around the club, either to expand it or to transfer it to another field.

Time for renewal after Covid

"Club Garbí already existed when I arrived, except that it was not on the same site. It was located near the port and consisted of two padel courts, a tennis court and a swimming pool, all in a rather pleasant setting. The first serious discussions with Franc started in 2019. The idea was to wait for an opportunity to find a new location. The coronavirus put a stop to our plans for a while, but a few months later we won a tender from the town hall for a piece of communal land. In Spain, we call this a “concession”: a period of 18 years during which we can enjoy the land. In August 2022, we therefore moved and opened a new complex of four outdoor courts. We are truly 100% padel.”

A fervor that continues to grow

"Today, I am the majority shareholder with Franc. He manages the sports side while I take care of the organizational part, the development of the courses and the sponsorship. The catering and shop part is provided by Enric Baturone (Photo), our employee, who is very important in the functioning of our structure. He lives in the village and knows all the players. Since the move, we have seen a lot of interest: we have gone from 70 to 180 members, and we now have three men's and women's teams registered in the Catalan league. Being a member of a club in Spain allows you to benefit from advantageous rates in exchange for a monthly subscription. We are a hybrid structure between the business and social aspects. As for the practice, we offer courses all year round given by qualified teachers. Some people come to help us during the summer period. We also have a partnership with the local college, which allows sports teachers to take children to the slopes to introduce them to this sport.

Settling in Llançà rather than elsewhere, “a choice of the heart”

"I am 50 years old, and it will soon be 50 years that I have been coming on holiday to Llançà. I have my ties, it is a choice of the heart. A choice all the more symbolic since it is in this village that I discovered padel. I had not planned at all to do anything here, and then circumstances made me seize this opportunity that I do not regret. By dint of coming back every summer and meeting people, I started to think. I wanted to participate concretely and actively in the development of this family club."

An unforgettable event with Alix Collombon, French number 1

« Alix Collombon gave us the pleasure and honor of inaugurating the club, in mid-August 2022! I met Alix when I was playing in Rillieux-la-Pape and she was starting out. I helped her a little at the start of her career, when she wanted to move to Barcelona and see what she could do in the world of padel. I gave her a call and she told me: “Listen, you're lucky because right now I'm in Barcelona.” Despite the unfavorable weather that day, we were able to receive her and organize an exhibition. There were many women present, they appreciated being able to exchange with Alix. It was very nice. Two hours later we had a drink together and she told me that she had really felt this social and intimate side.

Iberian tactics versus French aesthetics

“In Spain, the game tends to be slower, more sedate. The first thing you learn here is to return the ball and wait for the right moment to conclude. In France, we try to finish the point faster. Above all, we try to make the par 3, the par 4 or the very good move. The Spanish, unlike the French, have been playing padel for years without necessarily going through tennis, and this has an impact on the level of play. When French people come to play against Spanish people, they think they have a nicer technique. But the science of the game of their rivals is such that in the end, they are often the ones who lose the match. That is the big tactical difference. It is what allows them to make fewer mistakes and to be, quite simply, better than us. Afterwards, the level of play is also impacted by the people who play. It is a sport that is really much more practiced by women than in France (34,9% of Spanish women compared to 13,2% of French women according to the latest figures, editor's note). »

Competing with Spain: utopia or real challenge?

"All the development of padel is linked to the French Tennis Federation. There are still means that are put in place, in particular for municipal tennis clubs, in order to integrate padel courts into their complexes. I would therefore tend to answer "why not" to this question. Now, it will take time. I think that France is on the right track: the infrastructure is becoming important, the quality of education is improving and children are interested in it. The distance is set to reduce, but there are still two worlds apart. Spain and Argentina are the two references and France is one of the emerging countries."

Ambitious projects for the future

"Our goal is to be sustainable over time. For a small club like ours to be viable, we can't just rely on the courts. It's the combination of everything, namely the padel activity, the sponsorship and the bar-restaurant part that keeps us alive. Regarding the next important dates, we have two events coming up: an approved tournament that will take place at Easter, as well as our anniversary tournament, which will take place at the beginning of August. Last year, we brought together nearly 240 players from Llançà and the surrounding villages. Internships are also offered in the months of April, May, June, September and October. Different formulas adapted to all levels are available on Racket Trip. Finally, we want to build an outdoor terrace for the bar, probably in 2026. My wish for the future? To continue to structure ourselves well and see people having fun. And above all, to keep the friendliness that is the essence of our club!

Auxence Cams

It was through his father that Auxence discovered padel, one evening in June 2016. Today, he passionately follows the international circuit and teases the pala in his training club, Toulouse Padel Club. You can also find it on La Feuille de Match and LesViolets.com, two specialist media on Toulouse Football Club.