This episode we do something different.

I play devil's advocate and put forward a proposition. And I ask some experts from the industry to agree or argue.

This first debate asks Soul Padel's Mark Hewlett, InstantPadel's Christoffer Granfelt and Taktika Padel's Ryan Redondo to question whether the sport of padel is being positioned and promoted as a pasttime for the affluent and elite. Is the reputation of the sport and its ecosystem veering to hard towards luxury, celebrity and premium? And if so, what are the benefits and dangers of that perception, or indeed reality?

The conversation demands a bit more opinion, and taps into concerns.

However you look at this issue, there are some interesting points and counterpoints presented by our industry heavyweights.

#padel #padelbusiness #padelmarketing #padelbrand #padelperception #premiumpadel #elitepadel #luxurypadel #luxpadel #sportsbiz #sportbusiness

Perhaps the only thing better than playing padel is playing padel in a beautiful and inspiring environment.

Travelling for padel is becoming a big business so we decided to get a better understanding on the state of the sector and what the path ahead looks like.

From the resorts and destinations part, we have Tom Bergqvist of Croatia's beautiful Padel Solta alongside Guillermo Del Grosso, the Operations & Events Director from the world famous Nueva Alcantara Club in Malaga. Joining them, are two entrepreneurs from the padel travel agency part: Alessandro Di Stefano, who set up Padel Travel in 2018, and Fabio Zecchini, who launched Weebora last year.

If you are looking to understand this part of the padel industry, then look and listen no further.

#padel #padelbiz #padelbusiness #padeltravel #padeltourism #padelholiday #sportsbiz #sportbusiness #racquetsports #padeldestinations

On the 2nd February 2025, in its freshman season of the Hexagon Cup, the Kru Padel by Taktika team took the trophy after the NextGen women's pair clinched the third match decider.

This was a team that picked up some of the non-franchise players from the other existing franchises, sprinkled on some celebrity stardust in the form of Sergio Aguerro and Leo Messi and came through to make history.

But not much is known about how this team franchise project started, who came to who and who convinced who, how did the consortium behind the brand come together.

In this week's episode, Alex Ponseti of Padel World Summit and Gabriel Perez Krieb of Taktika Equity talk about how a mixed group of padel lovers and business entrepreneurs came together to assemble, build, launch and ultimately succeed as a winning professional franchise team.