French Association of Clubs Padel : Assessment and objectives

THEFrench Association of Clubs Padel (AFCP) goes back on its objectives and makes a first assessment on the exchanges between the AFCP and the French Tennis Federation (FFT).

Our reflection: the development of padel

Pending a concrete return from the FFT following our exchange on July 1, 2020, it seems important to us to make known the axes that the AFCP (Association Française des Clubs de Padel) wished to address at this meeting.

All of our thinking is focused on the development of padel. We want to have as many tools as possible at the disposal of clubs in order to be able to make our sport known, and to welcome players in the best conditions, thanks for example to quality structures and competent teachers.

Here are the subjects that are essential to us and that we put on the table during our meeting with the FFT:

Competition

Energize and soften

We want to boost and make the organization of tournaments more flexible for all clubs with fields of padel. This involves small, very concrete things: shortening tournament approval deadlines, offering clubs the freedom to organize as many tournaments as they wish while trusting them to coordinate with their neighbors, developing inter- club, inter-company, inter-university with national phases, allowing players to padel to have a TenUp application as detailed and efficient as for tennis players.

To new players

It is important to note that the AFCP did not mention the padel of “high level”, nor the p2000. The Padel being a young sport in development, it seems essential to us to carry our efforts towards the new players, and therefore the tournaments and animations concerning the greatest number and especially to valorize the concept of pleasure / sharing / leisure.

licenses

AFCP knows that the number of licensees “padel”Is an essential aspect for the recognition and the development of this sport, this is the reason why we wish the creation of a license exclusively padel. This license would allow better communication with players and offer them specific offers.

Communication

Again, the Padel is a young sport that needs recognition and “showing off”. The attempt made by the FFT last year with the FFT Padel tour is from the point of view of the AFCP a failure. Indeed, despite a substantial budget, the number of new players having discovered the Padel then played in a club thanks to this event is weak, even nonexistent.

The FFT is a powerful federation also in terms of communication. This is why we believe that it must systematically integrate the padel in its multi-channel media plans (RS, BDD FFT, general media). In addition, we propose the establishment of a “day of Padel”On the whole of the territory making it possible to create a link between all the places of practice of padel in France, whatever their status. We also proposed to use the most beautiful platform for tennis in France, namely Roland Garros, to publicize our sport, by setting up real tennis courts. Padel and by organizing an exhibition tournament with sports and showbiz personalities

Training

It is essential for a developing sport to allow new practitioners to learn to play in the best conditions, with the best trained and most competent teachers. From this point of view, the current training is far from optimal since it is enough to be BE tennis and to follow a training of a few days to be able to teach the Padel.

For our part, we believe that the FFT must validate the training delivered by private organizations and allow them to deliver the future federal diploma. The FFT must also open its training courses to the best coaches in the world, the Spaniards and Argentines.

Finally, it is necessary to identify the driving forces behind the teaching of padel in France by listing the specialized teachers Padel.

All these proposals show how much we want to be a source of proposals to improve the functioning of the padel in France in collaboration with the FFT.

Now the AFCP clubs are waiting for concrete answers this summer before embarking on a new sports season with the FFT.

Relaunch of post Covid clubs

In response / complement to the competition revival plan envisaged by the FFT, we would like to ask the FFT for a revival plan for all the AFCP clubs which have all been severely affected by Covid-19.

This plan consists of financially helping all AFCP clubs to organize approved tournaments, from p25 to p500. This would provide a dynamic for the recovery regardless of the size of the club and the level of the players concerned. More competitions, an inflow of additional money for all the clubs, more licensees: it's a win / win plan!

We hope that the FFT will be sensitive to this idea which will concern all clubs and which is a variation of the high competition recovery plan launched by the FFT with the p2000.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.