Olivier Halbout, President of the Normandy League, takes stock with us of the development of the padel in the five departments encompassed by this league, namely Calvados, Eure, Manche, Orne and Seine-Maritime.

Olivier Halbout is counting on the padel to energize the clubs

► League Center.- To develop the padel, organize competitions, train, a league should ideally be able to accommodate players and therefore have its own grounds. This is the case in Normandy, more precisely in Le Havre, where three covered tracks were inaugurated on May 21, 2022. This league center was able to see the light of day thanks to funding from the National Sports Agency, the Normandy Region, the Seine-Maritime Departmental Council and the French Tennis Federation, in partnership with the City of Le Havre.

Olivier Halbout is delighted that his league benefits from this installation: “ We wanted to have indoor pitches and we had an opportunity in Le Havre. We were able to negotiate with the Municipal Tennis Club of Le Havre and the town hall to build this complex. The club, which hosts great competitions, benefits from the slopes, as does the departmental committee 76 and therefore the league ».

Not having to go to the other end of France

► Cultivating closeness.- The president's objective is to see the birth of " departmentalized centers and therefore a local approach. In Normandy, the dynamic is really launched. The challenge for us is that each licensee in Normandy can play padel without going too far. The three main areas are Caen, Rouen and Le Havre. But we invest in the whole territory. And then, we want to densify the network of places where we practice padel. We have many projects underway to improve this network. We have many tournaments and we will continue to create them. With the energy cost and the economic cost, we are in a virtuous approach avoiding players having to go to the other end of France to participate in competitions of padel ».

► Create departmental centers.- After Le Havre in Seine-Maritime, the League of Normandy will welcome land in its four other departments. "They will see the light of day in the spring of 2023, with the help of the Normandy Region", says Mr. Halbout. Lisieux (Calvados) will host three semi-covered tracks; Evreux (Eure) will be entitled to two semi-covered courts and an outdoor track; In Saint-Pair-sur-Mer (Manche), a track will complete the one that already exists at the local club; in Sées (Orne), two outdoor tracks will see the light of day.

► Le padel benefits FFT clubs.- « Tennis and padel contribute to each other is a credo defended by Olivier Halbout. "JI echo the presidents of clubs. the padel energizes our club social life. the padel good at tennis. It is a practice that brings added value. But also an economic value. All this contributes to a dynamism. The clubs will be able to reinvest in tennis, in equipment, in training. The benefit is therefore twofold: padel develops and the economic health of the clubs is consolidated."

► Play in a club or in an authorized structure.- Normandy currently has 30 ski slopes padel, divided between tennis clubs and private authorized structures: La Pommeraie (Biéville-Beuville), Caen Padel Shot, Bazsports (Flers), 4Padel Rouen, Art'Sport café (Le Havre), Vernon, Evreux ALM, Cabourg, Bernières-sur-Mer, Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, Le Havre municipal tennis club, Rouen Padel Arena, Gisors, Maromme.

► Current projects : tracks should be built in particular in Mont-Saint-Aignan, Sées, Condé-sur-Huisne, Mortagne-au-Perche, Sartilly…

► Aid and subsidies.- Building pitches in Normandy can be done with the financial support of the ANS (National Sports Agency), via the  Program of local sports facilities. Three projects benefit from aid (Sées, Condé-sur-Huisne and Jullouville) and three applications are pending.
In addition, it is possible to benefit from the ADCP (Aid for the development of clubs and practice), an aid that cannot be combined with that of the ANS.

► Training.- The Normandy League has organized two training sessions for tennis instructors also wishing to teach tennis. padel. Sixteen candidates have thus validated their Federal diploma of monitor of padel (DFMP).

In addition, the League is now launching the TFP (Professional title) padel, which is aimed at all those who would like to teach this sport.

Six elected referents for the padel

► Many competitions.- League present in the field of competition, Normandy hosted many events last season:

– 2022 men’s tournaments: 2 P1000 (Rouen Padel arena and Padel Shot); 12 P500; 42 P250; 60 P100.
– Tournaments 2022 ladies: 1 P1000 (Padel Shot); 2 P500; 14 P250; 10 P100.
– Regional and departmental championships.
– The League has entered young teams in the French championship.

► The elite.- In September 2022, three players and four players, all licensed in Normandy, were in the French top 100.

► Structured development.- Normandy entrusted the development of the padel to an elected referent at League level (Pascal Couraye du Parc) and to elected referents for each of the departmental committees. In addition, the League and the committees provide clubs and practitioners with their specialists in equipment, competition, educational and sports development.

► Projects 2023 .- Next year Normandy is counting on the organization of four P1000 tournaments. On the training side, it will develop that of state graduates and the TFP, as well as the training of umpires. Developing schools of padel, team championships and supporting clubs and communities in the creation of new grounds is also part of the 2023 objectives.

Interview

Olivier Halbout: "Don't make the same mistakes"

Inzerillo halbout forcin
Olivier Halbout surrounded by Jérôme Inzerillo and Maxime Forcin

Padel Magazine : What is the role of your league and that of the FFT?

OH : “The French Federation supports and accompanies the padel. We will not make the same mistakes as in the past. We know that there will be vocational education. There is training, schools of padel. It's much more organized than at the time of the 5000 tennis courts operation, which had not been sufficiently supervised. »

PM: What is the difference today?

OH : “The FFT has acquired a great deal of experience. We are not in a wild but controlled densification. We have a public service mission. We are there to support the clubs in terms of advice and sometimes in economic terms. Our priority is to help our clubs develop all the practices offered by the FFT (tennis, padel, beach tennis). This also includes authorized structures (Editor's note: private clubs), with whom we have excellent relations. »

PM: What is missing from the padel Norman?

OH : “Today, it is not easy for a private investor to create a complex of 15 tracks in Normandy. Knowing that the three big cities are already equipped with tracks and clubs of padel. The only downside in the long term is the ability to organize a major international tournament of padel. Because we don't have any structures that have the necessary tracks and infrastructure to host a FIP Gold, for example. This is the only downside that I can observe. Otherwise, the synergy is at work in Normandy”.

Team Padel May

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