We could see during our research that the desire of the clubs concerning the development of the padel is very random from one club to another. We then tried to understand why.

First of all, there are structures that are more vulnerable than others. You should know that an association benefits from public subsidies, but these subsidies can vary from one club to another. In addition, some clubs have fewer members and therefore less cash inflows per year. Thus, the smaller clubs in the region cannot necessarily afford to build a pitch. Indeed, we have learned that clubs in the Hauts-de-France region can benefit from indirect financial aid from the FFT via the Hauts-de-France tennis league. However, this aid is "minimal" compared to the total cost of the installation, which can go up to 50 euros with the concrete slab. The aid is up to 000 euros. We have seen that the municipal clubs must also appeal to the town hall, so that the budget is voted, and that a part is in favor of the development of the club, as we have seen with the case of the club in which François is in charge of the project padel.

Then, we were able to observe other criteria that come into account. Some clubs do not want to sacrifice a court, because they keep the priority to tennis, which is the main and basic activity. Some of these clubs do not have the area next to the tennis courts to build a tennis court. padel, so the reasoning for these clubs is irrelevant.

Among these clubs that focus on the pure practice of tennis, some also have teams engaged in competition, including sometimes several at the national level. This level requires clubs to have a number of outdoor and indoor courts. Thus, these clubs can not separate from one of their courts.

However, we have the firm conviction after this research work that tennis is in transition, and is changing cycles. The reform concerning the Davis Cup bears witness to this. Tennis has been entrenched in its traditions for several decades, however it is now taking a new form; new rules including shorter match times. We have the impression that tennis is taking on a new form, which indirectly implies a change in the offer in tennis clubs. We finally tend, among other things, to a more fun practice, which involves the arrival of new practices within tennis clubs such as the padel.

Other clubs have the place, but quite simply have other projects; renovation of the grounds, the clubhouse, the changing rooms, development of education, etc. These are all reasons that weigh in the balance.

Geographical location can also play a role. Xavier Dumortier had shown that clubs in dense geographical areas in terms of the number of tennis clubs, tended to want to develop projects more padel, because of the strong competition between the clubs to attract more and more contributors.

Finally, we observed that quite simply the profile of the president intervenes in this decision. Each officer has their own opinion about this practice, and each officer has their own interests in club policy. We could see in Dumortier's memoir that the older the presidents, the less likely they are to develop padel.

This hypothesis is therefore not validated. The desire to integrate the padel in the club varies from club president to club president.

Pierre Lemonnier

Pierre studied STAPS, and validated a master's degree in sports management, after studying in Reims, Frankfurt and Lille. I discovered the padel in 2014 during my Erasmus year in Frankfurt thanks to a Spanish friend. Damn it is good padel !

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