On the occasion of the P2000 in Cabriès, Francois-Xavier Coninck, responsible competition and ranking , French Tennis Federation, gave an interview to Padel MagazineIt goes into detail on the important reforms that will come into force from the start of the 2025 school year, the new tournament categories, the redistribution of P1000s, but also on the role of the FFT in the development of international tournaments in France.

A new tournament category and more coaching allowed

As the Competitions and Rankings Manager, I am responsible for national competitions, regulations and the overall operation of tournaments.

From September 2025, for the 2026 sports season, an important new feature will appear: the creation of the P50, an intermediate category between P25 and P100. This will allow a greater number of players to better integrate into the competitive system.

Another major development: the coaching will now be authorized from P25, as on the P2000 currently. Each pair will be able to benefit from external advice, which strengthens the team spirit and the conviviality of padel.

P1000 reform entrusted to the leagues

The P1000 prizes will now be allocated to the regional leagues. Each league will have a maximum number of P1000 prizes to award, calculated based on the history of tournaments held in recent years.

The leagues will then have to select the candidate clubs, taking care to harmonize between neighboring areas to avoid geographic overconcentration. This reform will take effect from September 1, 2025.

Licensees still essential for organizing tournaments

The number of members in a club remains an important criterion, particularly for determining the total number of tournaments that a club can organize during the year, all categories combined.

On the other hand, this is not a determining criterion to access the organization of a P1000. A club with few licensees can very well apply for a P1000, provided it meets the other eligibility criteria. What also matters is the licensee/track ratio to ensure smooth operation.

The FFT and the organization of FIP tournaments in France

More and more tournaments International take place in France, such as in Bandol or Lyon. The role of the FFT is to support the clubs in their organization: review of specifications, advice, support on regulatory aspects, arbitration, etc.

It is the clubs themselves that formulate a request to the FIPThe French federation intervenes upstream to help structure the organization, but does not directly manage the tournaments. On the other hand, on aspects related to officials and refereeing, the FFT is very present.

How are the P2000 organizing clubs selected?

Every year, a call for applications is launched, generally between February and March. Clubs having at least 8 tracks can meet it. But other criteria are examined: ceiling height, exits, presence of warm-up tracks, quality of facilities, etc.

Then there are the members of the federal commission who validate the sites, ensuring good geographical distribution of the four annual P2000s. The final decision for next season is expected by end of June.

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.

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