This weekend, watching Casa's P1000 matches via Facebook Padel, I was surprised to see that there was little audience at the edge of the field and few people watching at the same time as me. We were around 80 people to watch the final, especially professionals from padel, players, equipment vendors or others.

Of course, Padel Magazine provides superior visibility to an event. We can see figures that are sometimes much better during retransmissions. The number of impressions (Impressions measure the number of views of a publication) on Facebook often exceeds tens of thousands of people. So inevitably, it remains very interesting.

But I wondered whether organizing a tournament was profitable?

In this article, I do not want to raise any controversy, but simply to react on the state of padel in France.

Every week we promote upcoming tournaments and we provide feedback on the results of each tournament so that all enthusiasts are informed of the activity. padel. Our goal is to invite you to get closer to the clubs as players, but also and above all as spectators.

We frequently announce, and we hear it on all networks, that the padel is the fashionable sport, which has its membership in constant increase. But wouldn't it only attract gamers?

I would like to take a simple example:

A club with 4 lands decides to hold a P1000 on 2 days, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday he decides to make chickens and Sunday the final table. For the hens, 4 pools of 4 teams, and for the final table we will say at least 8 more teams, seeded. In total we have 24 teams.

The commitment is almost the same between a P100, P250, P500 or P1000. So 24 teams of 2 people multiplied by 20 € on average give 960 € of commitments. Since we will have sponsors who will help finance the tournament, I will get at least 500 € more, a total of 1460 €. For a P1000, I have to donate at least 1000 € in donations, I get into my fees and even earn a little. I can even tell myself that the public will be attracted by the seeded and that I would gain money on the spot with the sale of drinks and catering.

But this is not the case

Sorry to say that, but the seeded, our best French players (which I really admire) do not move crowds (for now). So why would a club bend over to make a P1000 with great players who do not bring the audience? For prestige?

Currently, I think the P250 and P500 are the tournaments that attract the most players. We feel more identified in these tournaments than in P1000 where we have no chance. The positive point of these tournaments are the pools. If you play hens, you will play padel even if you lose. For the clubs, the P250 and P500 allow to earn even more money because the endowments in the end are lower for the same number of players at the start.

The Padel Tower ?

They have created in recent years several tournaments grouped into a competition: National Padel cup, Padel Infinity, My Padel Tower, Head Padel Turn and I pass. In general, these are organizations that are stepping up the competition and looking for land. The clubs let themselves be guided and get part of the winnings. For the assiduous players who follow each step, it is very good because there are often nice gifts, but the first goal is to earn money (cqfd). Once again little or no public.

THINGS TO DO

Only your opinions count, but I do not find it normal that the price of a registration for a P100 and a P1000 is the same. I do not find it normal that higher category tournaments do not attract the public they deserve. As I often write, the padel is a party and I think that for our sport to continue its rise, it is important to attract an audience to the events and to keep them there. You are free to invent but I am convinced that the future of padel and their good health will depend on play and especially on life around the fields.

Julien Bondia

Julien Bondia is a teacher of padel in Tenerife (Spain). Columnist and advisor, he helps you play better through his tutorials and tactical/technical articles padel.

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