We must not get carried away, this 42 track club project is not yet realized. But if everything goes as planned, it will become the largest padel club in the world.

Although in the majority of cases, collaboration between the associative world and the private sector goes well, it sometimes happens that this agreement falls apart, and not necessarily to the benefit of padel...

The promoters of this megaproject are facing a problem that they did not see coming: “our project scares associations that at the same time have the ambition to invest in padel in a nearby sector”.

The two project leaders, who prefer to remain discreet until everything is validated, have shared with us some elements of this adventure and denounce a real war between the associative sector and the private sector, observed by these two SME managers.

NB1: To date, the two sites concerned do not offer any structure dedicated to racket sports.

NB2: The two associations concerned are not attached to the French Tennis Federation.

A 42-court padel club: 2 possible sites but…

“The project, which will be located in the Paris region, will offer 42 padel courts, at least half of which will be indoors. The targeted areas are the west and south of the second ring of Paris. Everyone knows that the problem is land, which is very difficult to find and with very high prices. But this is classic and it is not the subject of our criticism.”

“We have identified two areas. If one of the sites were to materialise, that would obviously be ideal. Work is scheduled to start in the first half of 2025. However, we have two radically different options before us.”

“Padel is a sport that can be expensive, and naturally, we have to target a CSP+ clientele. We don’t really have a choice given the scale of the investments.”

“But the biggest problem remains the tensions we see between the private sector and the voluntary sector.”

“Once you have found a field, the non-profit sector can become a significant obstacle, even a source of blockage. I do not want to generalize, quite the contrary, but it is clear that some people have difficulty moving with the times.”

“The real challenge with this type of large-scale project is that it will become a driving force for padel, not only in Paris but also on a national and perhaps global scale.”

Please note that the associations concerned are not affiliated with the French Tennis Federation. In fact, they do not currently offer any racket sports.

An association fears for its investments with our project

“The club will attract, we hope, a large audience. But when we hear that associative actors, who manage some padel courts, advise us not to set up in certain places on the pretext that it would create competition… it’s absurd.”

“To be more precise, an association in a key area of ​​Paris is critical of our project, because they themselves have had a padel project running for longer, and they fear that we will ruin their efforts and investments.”

“You might think that it is not so serious, but when an association is clearly powerful, the town hall may be afraid to do its job.”

“It’s the world upside down. Fortunately, we have a solid financial base, the project is 100% financed. But when you set up a project like this, it is essential to have the support of the town hall and local stakeholders. If this is not the case, it can delay applications for building permits and other administrative authorisations, for purely political reasons.”

“For now, we are remaining discreet while denouncing certain behaviors that are little known to the general public.”

“We hope to be able to tell you more by 2025 and officially announce the good news: the opening of our padel complex with its 42 courts.”

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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