Off the wall: what next for padel – one of the world’s fastest growing sports?

The rapid growth of padel (pádel) – a happy hybrid of squash and tennis that emerged in Mexico in the late 1960s – is showing no signs of abating. According to Playtomic and Monitor Deloitte’s 2023 Global Padel Report, the sport has an ecosystem valued at around EUR2 billion; and the number of courts worldwide is expected to increase from 40,000 to 85,000 by 2026.

As padel continues to break down proverbial (and build literal) walls in new countries, the sport – from grassroots to national and international federation level – will need to ready itself for further growth and greater legal attention and scrutiny. In this article, we look at some of the legal and regulatory topics facing the sport.

1. Governing bodies – positioning padel for future success

Padel’s intrinsic link to tennis raises questions as to how best to structure its governance. Put simply, is it better for the sport to leverage the expertise and reach of international and national tennis federations (as a satellite sport of sorts) – or forge its own path to growth?

At an international level, the question reared its head in late 2022. The International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) AGM agenda included a resolution to broaden the ITF’s scope to develop and govern padel on behalf of its national member associations (many of which have jurisdiction over tennis and padel). The proposal failed to achieve a majority, but not before the International Padel Federation (FIP) had admonished the plans.

As the sport continues to grow – and with countries positioned very differently in terms of their needs to develop the game – it remains to be seen if there will be a shift towards bifurcation (i.e. splitting off into separate padel and tennis bodies) or coming together of national federations.

2. Instilling integrity – from anti-corruption to anti-doping

The FIP has both a padel anti-doping programme and a uniform padel anti-corruption programme in place to maintain the integrity of the sport. Membership of the FIP is conditional on member federations to embed and effectively incorporate the programmes at a local level.

The proliferation of the sport – from participation through to the number of sanctioned events and prize money – will in time mean that the ‘stakes are higher’ for players, officials and others involved in the game.

Against this backdrop, close attention will need to be paid to ensuring the integrity of the sport through effective anti-doping and anti-corruption proactive (education) and reactive (enforcement) controls. This may require further reform – such as rulebook changes or even a need for an independent integrity unit.

3. Commercial arrangements fit for the future

2022 saw the introduction of Premier Padel – a professional circuit which merged with the World Padel Tour (WPT) in 2023. This year, Premier Padel has 25 tournaments taking place across 18 countries and five continents.

The acquisition of the WPT by Qatar Sports Investments, a subsidiary of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, has recently received clearance from the Spanish competition authority – subject to commitments guaranteeing players’ freedom to participate in other competitions in Spain. The acquisition is significant and is expected to facilitate even faster growth of the sport in the future.

By extension, the proliferation and popularity of events and increasing profile of players will likely lead to a significant uplift in the value and importance of sponsorship and rights (including broadcast) agreements; as well as a heightened need for robust event cancellation and other insurance arrangements to be in place.

This will all result in opportunities for those within and on the fringes of the game. Making sure the commercial and contractual agreements which underpin the growth of padel are commensurate with the sport’s heightened visibility will be especially important in the next few years.