During the  first edition of the FIP Silver Champ Fleuri  organized in Saint-Denis, Réunion  Lhoucen El Bouknifi , President of  Flowery Field Club , looked back on the history of the club, its transformation and the genesis of this first international padel tournament on the island.

Humble beginnings for a club that has become a benchmark

“When I arrived, we had around fifty members. The club had potential, but without a real structure or volunteers, which remains a challenge even today,” explains Lhoucen El Bouknifi.
He decided to take over the reins of the club: "I saw ten tennis courts, an incredible space, and I told myself that something had to be done. Three months later, I was told that the club might close. That's when I decided to fully commit myself."

Under his leadership, the club became structured and grew slowly, according to an association model based on collective reflection: "Nothing is done on a whim. Every decision is voted on, every project carefully considered."

From tennis to padel: a decisive turning point

Long focused on tennis, the club took a new direction after Covid. "Padel arrived here around 2021-2022. I had recruited a tennis coach who was passionate about padel, and he convinced me to abandon clay courts for this new sport."
The gamble paid off. Three tracks were built and quickly paid for themselves. "In less than a year, the investment was recouped. It was such a success that we added four more."
Today with  seven fields Champ Fleuri has become  the largest padel center on the island , one place at a time  friendly and ambitious , true to its associative spirit.

A historic Silver FIP in Reunion Island

Organize the  first international padel tournament  Going to the island was a risky gamble. “Nothing was planned. The opportunity arose when Mauritius opened up its dates. I accepted, even though it fell on the weekend of the Grand Raid. Any reasonable man would have said no… but I like taking risks!”

This choice presented a colossal challenge: "The work wasn't finished, everything had to be completed on time. It was unthinkable to host international players in a construction site."
Despite the lack of institutional support, due in particular to the political and budgetary calendar,  the club took care of everything "It was a financial and human risk. But a competitor thrives on challenges; that's where they perform best."

“To make Reunion Island an essential stop”

Lhoucen El Bouknifi's objective is clear: to permanently establish Reunion Island on the  FIP international circuit “I absolutely didn’t want it to be a ‘one-off’. My dream is that the calendar will read: Seoul, Ankara, Moscow, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, Rome, Paris.”

And the feedback matches the commitment: "The players ranked 37th and 39th in the world told us they wanted to come back. The messages received were unanimously positive."

A human adventure above all

Beyond performance, Lhoucen emphasizes the  human-centered approach  :
"The volunteers were incredible. We sometimes worked until 5 a.m. But the smiles on the players' faces, the thanks from the public, that was worth more than all the gold in the world."

He also emphasizes the importance of support from local partners such as  Corsair ,  Multi Auto  et  10 minutes , as well as technical assistance from  Padel Magazine  :
“Franck Binisti and Mario Cordero helped us a lot, with valuable advice drawn from their experience on other FIPs. These little details make all the difference.”

“Accepting failure in order to progress”

Lhoucen also acknowledges the difficulties: "I wanted to manage everything, centralize everything. That was a mistake. You have to know how to delegate, accept mistakes, failures. It's cultural, but that's how you progress."

And despite a  deficit budget  For this first edition, the president remains optimistic: "It wasn't a financial gamble, but a bet on the future. We have the best cards: a paradisiacal setting, a welcoming island, and passionate people. Those who come here want to come back."

A future already underway

Buoyed by this success, the Champ Fleuri club already plans to continue the adventure: "We are sponsoring a delegation from Reunion Island that will defend our colors in Mauritius, then in Madagascar. Padel in Reunion Island is on the rise."

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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