Valérie Touchain: “The padel, that's the tennis of 20 years ago ”

Valerie Touchain, President of the Bailly Noisy Tennis Club, tells us about his atypical story which begins in Cameroon, his unwavering link with tennis but also his experience and his opinion on the evolution of tennis and the latest comer: the Padel.

Yaoundé Tennis Club: My second family

I discovered tennis as a teenager in Cameroon at the Yaoundé Tennis Club run by Marie -Claire and Zacharie NOAH.

I spent my days at the club even when I wasn't playing! It was my second family.

When I returned to France, I did not find this atmosphere, this sharing.

So I did not take up tennis again but I discovered squash; I played as a team for a club in the east of France and then the detours of life made me quit as well, having other priorities.

I came back to tennis with my eldest daughter who joined the TCBN tennis school at 5; and then everything happened: vice-president for 4 years then president of TCBN for 20 years and still full of projects in my head to see this club grow that I have in “catheter”.

From tennis to padel

The municipalities of Noisy le Roi and Bailly are twinned with Godella, a town in Spain on the outskirts of Valence.

For several years, via the twinning committee, we have organized exchanges with young people from the TCBN and those from the Godella tennis club; we went for a week for the All Saints holidays with about fifteen young people from the TCBN and in return we received the young people from the Godella tennis club in April / May.

So it was in Godella that I discovered the padel and young people spent a lot of time on the slopes padel. They were having fun… and the adults too!

Le padel being attached to the FFT, the town halls followed my request for a project to create 2 padel while tennis, at club level, was in a period of exhaustion.

Diversification: an alternative

The diversification of the offer proposed within the club seemed to me an essential alternative to revitalize the club.

With the investment of town halls and financial assistance from the FFT, in November 2018 the padel was born at TCBN and he is growing up.

The club also benefits from a very unifying and extremely motivated element in the person of Yann AURADOU, DE and player, who has carte blanche for the development and development of the club. padel within the Club.

Le padel re-energized

I am an emotional and an emotional: we had a padel - P250 this weekend incredible with very tough matches and an atmosphere that brings back memories.

It was a great pleasure to experience this tournament with the padel filled from morning to night and to share these sporting moments after this Covid period which has upset our daily life and our sporting practice.

The daily life of the presidency of a sports association goes through ups and downs: also when you have the chance that your club, after a period of nothingness, lives such a weekend, then yes, I am definitely boosted for the future and I project myself with enthusiasm and passion for the TCBN to grow at all levels.

Tennis is a traditional sport that has been running out of steam for a few years, even if this season (before Covid) was promising.

In my opinion, tennis faces strong competition from “immediate effect” sports: running, triathlon, fitness…

Societal evolution has gone through this with a new approach to sports and competition; this must be taken into account: “sporty click & play” is a recipe for success.

Le padel is in this spirit: fun, convivial, accessible to all; the padel has undeniable qualities and we quickly go from “padel skeptical to padel addict ”. I bet on it.

Le padel in France is in its infancy and, in my opinion, it has a bright future. It is anything but the enemy of tennis: it is an additional asset in our sports offer; through his practice in doubles, he creates social links, he brings back the pleasure of play.

With padel , I relive the tennis years of 20 years ago… The spirit of ”community padel ”Is very present.

Over time, this link has been diluted in tennis but it has gradually returned with the FFT's awareness of this dilution over the past 3 years and the actions taken to remedy it: the evolution of tennis must focus on new on the pleasure of play and promote access to recreational and easily accessible competition. The creation of free matches is part of this new sporting dynamic.

• the tennis galaxy which succeeds the traditional tennis school,
• free matches for young people and now adults,
• federal digital deployment via TEN'Up, among others,

• renovation of the club house,
• troisième padel are on the program,