All The Angles Padel Business Podcast S2 E5: Focus on Premier Padel Part 2

THIS IS PART 2 OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH PREMIER PADEL

In 2002, the first Premier Padel events appeared on the professional padel circuit, alongside the decade old World Padel Tour. By 2024, the World Padel Tour was no more, and Premier Padel was hosting 25 different events across 18 countries.

The evolution of the pro scene, with Premier Padel now firmly at its heart, has been nothing short of remarkable.

Managing Director David Serrahima and Commercial Director Rob Mitchell are among the chief architects of the tour and join All The Angles for a special two-episode interview as we probe the history, the present and the vision for the future of the Premier Padel and the global ecosystem generally.

Transcript

Introduction

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 0:10

The business of padel podcast worldwide, powered by the Hexagon Cup. This week, our objective is to give you, our audience, a unique insight Into premier padel, understanding its status, its vision, and its commercial realities. I'm joined this episode by Rob Mitchell and David Serrahima. We couldn't have two more high profile and knowledgeable people talking about the journey that Premier padel has been on up till now and what it's got lying ahead of it. Rob Mitchell has spent 30 years around sports sponsorship, marketing and commercial across rugby, football with the English FA, triathlon and also as well on the agency side and is now the Premier padel's commercial director. David Serrahima has another 20 yearsOctagon before he joined Premier padel, but he also has tremendous marketing and sales experience across his career through tennis and golf, amongst other sports. Thank you both for joining us. Before we get started, if you enjoy this episode or have benefited from previous ones, please share, subscribe, it helps. I wanted to turn a little bit now to two points of tension and get your views on them. The first is the tension that exists between Spanish speaking world and the history of padel, and, The expectations, that was set up by the World padel Tour, where you had around 70 percent of the events were in Spain. And it was clearly a very Spanish centric or Spanish speaking centric product. Now you've got this explosion in market interest, whether it's the Middle East, whether it's Europe, whether it's North America, whether it's Asia, whether it's Australasia. And, as you mentioned, Rob the desire. Ab initio is that this is a global tour how do you surely that tension still exists, right? You've got I think spain have got about six events on the calendar which is you know a healthy amount does that reflect where you feel? The history is appropriately positioned in the circuit and how do you, I guess my question is how real is that tension in what you guys are doing and working and building and how do you deal with it? Because it's, I think it's quite a real one and

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 2:28

see it as tension. I see it as balance. We're creating a global tour. It's important to remember the heartland of the sports and there's tournaments in Spain, but also across Latin America with, the unbelievable tournaments in Argentina, in Chile, in Paraguay, in Mexico. You know that they're important, but they come with different colors and flavors and experiences and cultural experiences. And that's that's hugely important. Then, yes, we have the, the heartland of Spain and we have some extraordinary tournaments in Madrid and Barcelona and Malaga, etc. And then we go into new markets. Italy is a huge petal market and with the Italy major. We have the Milan tournament. We had a tournament in Genoa and in Genoa last year and got to do amazing things of playing padel on an aircraft carrier. The Giuseppe Garibaldi. We've had some fun along the way and we've got to just shine an extra light on the tour but it's important that we go to new places where you've got strong federations, Belgium is an interesting one where it's a not the biggest country, but it's a very strong a padel marketplace. It's a very strong national federation, Dennis Flandern. We've got a very strong tournament in Rotterdam and a huge participation program that sits around that tournament. And I think this is where you've got slightly different cultural references around each of the tournaments. And then, Roland Garros, with the ability for the players to be playing instead of Roland Garros is quite extraordinary. I think in the first year we had players walking out on center court with kind of tears in their eyes. We're opening up a new world. And I think we've got to keep pushing when we go to the U S and go open up new markets. It's all about balance.

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 4:09

I really like that concept that Rob just put on the table: balance, but it's clear that our ambition is to be a global Turk. And that's 100 percent clear in our strategy. We will need some time to be everywhere where we want to be. But the first step, for example, as Rob has said, it's about U. S. and we are landing with a new tournament this year. But because our Olympic ambition through the International padel Federation, we cannot forget other big markets like China, Australia, and some others. And step by step, there is no doubt that we will be ending as a real global tour with the right balance, as Rob has said. But we are looking for some opportunities everywhere, not only on the Latin or the Spanish, that we fully respect their interests, as we have said. But we are a global tour, and that's our ambition, and we will not wait for moving forward in new territories if there is the right opportunity. We

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 5:26

coming in as well. So it's balanced right across the board.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 5:32

you mentioned about players, which is what the second area that I wanted to, explore. The world has changed super drastically for players in the last five. For the last 10 years, let alone five years in terms of, as you said, Roland Garros, the size of these events, the nature of the deals that they're getting, the markets that are making appeals to them. How do you deal with player expectations? We've seen in the last few months. The player association seeming to increase its desire to have an input, if not control over the global padel scene. There was talk about a ranking system. That transcends specific tours. so what is premier padels take on these developments and the roadmap as it relates to players and player expectations.

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 6:18

We are always talking and listening them. Not sometimes it's not in a formal room in a formal meeting, but we are all together traveling around during 25 tournaments. During the year. And there are a lot of conversations going on daily basis, and I promise you that we are listening carefully every single conversation. But it's also true that we are having more formal meetings with them in order to make decisions together and to get open debates about rules and draw sides and calendars and other topics. But it's not only about players. There are all the other stakeholders that are around, like the promoters, like the sponsors, like the TVs that are also being part of those conversations. And sometimes someone has to make the decision. And that's Premier padel. This is more a commercial aspect. FIIP it's a more sportive side, but we are full committed to work together with players and associations. And also, it's fair to say that also they internally have some different views sometimes because the top ten they have a view, the top hundred they have a different view, and we need to mix All these different views and interested in a decision that sometimes it's made by a set of people or premium depending on the topic. But we are close to them and we want to be more close to them because we feel that the players, as we said, it's the heart of the project from day one, but also promoters and other stakeholders that they have to be part of the conversation.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 8:00

And just to build on that point, David obviously you've got the PPA, the IPPA, those are kind of player associations, separate entities. You've got premier padel. In tennis you have a very different model. You've got players a part of the membership of the atp. You've got a player council that is within that structure. Even though you've got now this kind of ptpa. So it's a bit messier but I guess what i'm trying to get a sense of is what formal and informal avenues are used by the players to communicate because press releases from the players association, tweets from players. Players are notoriously, I speak from personal experience, difficult to Shepard into a unity, let alone through a channel. It's very difficult to go: players, if you have this concerns, here's your hotline or here's your email. They always want more opportunities or they want to speak to someone more senior or How do the players at the moment, how do they get their point across to you in the best and most constructive way?

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 9:01

We are all making a big effort them players, men and women, and us, and FIP. We are all committed to make it work, and sometimes, as I said, we are talking just in a tournament, in an informal way, but we also have created a committee that are meeting in a formal way for talking about specific agendas. And we are in a learning process, the three of us, associations, FIP and Premier, how to build that relationship. But I'm sure that because the efforts that both sides are making in a daily basis, we are going to make it work in a more easy or more proper way in the future. And I have to say thank you to everyone involved on those conversations because They are not easy. They are not easy. It's too easy to make an opinion. But we all know that when you start to list topics, at some point you have to make a decision, and every single decision sometimes it have an impact on the top of the ranking, and sometimes they have an impact on the bottom of the ranking, and that's challenging for everyone. I've been talking with some of the players that now they are part of this committee and when they have to make a decision, now they are feeling the pressure that it, what it means to make a decision and then to go back to the group and defend what they have been discussing. And it's challenging for them and it's challenging for us, but there is no doubt that there is a common commitment to make it work together on the more professional way. And again, it's a year one and we are in a learning process together, but there is no doubt that we will make it work together.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 10:44

And before we head

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 10:46

Okay. I was a great friend. I didn't get to see them all. But I did see a couple of them. And I was like, I hope they never come back. I'm a big fan of them so I'm going to say a few words about them. I'm going to say a few words about

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 11:09

the iceberg here, but how would you summarize 2024 for premier padel? And what was your highlights? What is it that you're most proud of having achieved?

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 11:18

Let's say makes it happen. Because sometimes we don't realize how much hard work is behind to deliver 24 or 25 tournaments worldwide with a new property. And we make it work. All together again with Premier padel, FIIP, and the players. And our ambition, as we have been saying during all our talk today, is keep growing in every single area of the organization. That's a must. The other one is the excellence of everything we are doing. It's something that our Chairman and CEO and the President of FIIP is putting in our mind, in every single decision that we are making on a daily basis. But again, for me, the highlight on 2024 is that we make it work all together. And for 2025, we have, again, a lot of challenges to achieve. And it's a growing process. We are not sprinters. We are marathon runners. Let's call it like this. And every single step, it counts. And to make the right small decision, it counts. And we want to make the path or the journey on that way, thinking big, thinking globally, thinking differently, but always a step by a step in a slow motion, but in a strong way. And again, all together within promoters, players, FIP, premier as one entity, that's the only way that we can manage to make it work and properly.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 12:51

Rob.

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 12:52

I don't quite know where to start. But reflecting on 2024, it really was quite an extraordinary, quite extraordinary year. And in some parts, it's quite overwhelming when we reflect on what actually has been achieved in the last year. But it's hugely uplifting as well. From the tournaments in new markets, in different situations, to new partners coming on board, to new broadcasters coming on board, To new digital products when we look at certainly the last six months of the year with those tournaments, with the crowds just got bigger and bigger. We had exceptional crowds in Madrid, as you would expect. But then, if you think about Dubai and the full house in the final stages in Dubai, it was just extraordinary. And, there's some amazing drone footage of these shots. But we've been to Quite extraordinary venues. Different countries have different experiences. And I think, not just the tournaments, but we've had, unbelievable kind of exhibition events with Formula One drivers. We've had our media events at the Grand Egyptian Museum, which isn't even open yet, and playing in front of the Pyramids of Giza. It really was just taking the tour to a different level. We've got new partnerships and, by then opening up new audiences with it. And at the heart of all of this, Alex, I think what's probably the most rewarding, is just the relationships that have been forged in a very short space of time. It's not always perfect, but I believe we've got strong relationships across the whole ecosystem where we can have the conversations with promoters, with broadcasters, with partners, with players and engage fans as well. I think that's a pretty, rewarding piece. And I think the final bit is I mentioned, it was kind of year one last year. Actually, we've talked about last year being year zero, really just us getting going. And, this year is, we now have on the eve of the new season. We'll be back in Riyadh in two weeks time. And, it's extraordinary to see the preparation from our promoter in Riyadh compared to a year ago and how we support them as well. And it's been really robust, really. Strong working relationships building up, under review sessions after tournament. So it's brilliant. We're trying to share best practice from across the tour as well. We're already onto Gijon, we're onto Cancun, Miami, Santiago. We're already a way ahead of where we have been in the past.

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 15:17

Actually, this week we have people in Cancun, in Chile, and Buenos Aires, and some leaving to Riyadh.

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 15:24

Yeah.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 15:26

And so now I think I wanted to turn to the future. So 2025, I think if you were to ask most people what grabbed the headlines about premier padels plans for 2025, it's probably the Miami addition to the calendar. And it dovetails nicely with the Miami open from tennis with racket X conference. So there's going to be a lot of activity in Miami, in and around Miami for padel and racket sports. So I think it's going to be a real highlight, but. What are we missing? What are the things already been announced and, people shouldn't forget or people shouldn't overlook? Or is there anything else that, you've got in the pipeline for 2025 that you think it's really worth people Kind of staying tuned for and really paying attention to because it's going to be a key marker for how the premier padel grows.

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 16:12

Yeah, obviously the new tournaments are an easy one, but I think if I step away from the tournaments, it's our ability to tell the story of padel and Premiere padel and introduce the players. I think padel has been strong historically at pointing live TV cameras at matches and showing those. Now we need to tell the story of the players. We created our first kind of padel Life, a series of episodes last year. There's four more about to release and there's another 12 in the hopper to be made through this year. And that's just one element of where we can start to tell the stories of what is going on behind the scenes in padel. Because, in other sports, people know who the stars are. People, even if they're not a football fan, they know who. Cristiano Ronaldo is, they know who Rafa Nadal is. But we need to tell the stories of the players as well as the overall tour and drive that connection with fans.

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 17:07

Yeah, I would say that we are not looking for a wow in 2025, let's call it like this. We still need to be working on the most professional way on operational excellence. That's a must for 2025 integrating in our structure innovating. That's something that we are looking for especially on TV, on digital. And we're trying to add innovation on all the TV product and something that we are going to test shortly in Riyadh on how we make the tv ceremony and in a different way, always working on the global visibility as a brand: that something that we still need to make some homework. We need a premier padel as a brand most well known and why we are here. We need to explain our history to everyone. Data is something that we are working with and we have put Nick on front of the digital area to work on that territory in a strong on a transfer role that I think it's very important for everyone. And then the Olympic pathway, it's always there. And it's something that together with FIIP, we need to keep working together. And finally, the team. We need to finalize all the team and the new hirings that we want to add to the team to be able to deliver what is expected from us. It's a Small things, but in the end it has a strong impact in the future for sure. And we need to consolidate what we are bringing in the year zero and the year one, but again, on this marathon mindset. Every one small step it comes and it still needs to make the right decision one

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 18:57

And I wanted to talk about Red Bull for a second. I know it's a bit abrupt, but Red Bull is a big deal. I think by any definition, by any sport, by any entertainment product, having Red Bull involved is a serious before and after moment. So I just wanted to get a sense of. that relationship, it created a stir. I think we can all say safely that's what happened. But can you tell us a little bit more about how it came about, and what it now includes and ultimately why are they so excited about padel and Premiere padel?

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 19:28

Yeah, sure. It is it is an extraordinary partnership. The more we have conversations with them, the more we understand about the group and the network, and more opportunities become available to us. But if I can back up, really, from the early days of premier padel and part of the media rights conversations, the team at Pitch International having a conversation with Red Bull T. V. and over the course of well, the first two years we developed this partnership which evolved. And evolved originally from being a media rights agreement to something far more kind of complex, media rights production and sponsorship to it as well. On the media right side we're streaming live the quarter finals to finals of all the tournaments. Red Bull TV is available for free, free to download and access without subscription in over 130 countries. We have created highlights programming, which is now being consumed in different ways by different markets. So we see that USA and Brazil are two of the top markets for highlights, whereas the top markets for live on Red Bull TV will be Spain, Argentina and Italy. It's really interesting to start to understand these dynamics as we move forward. But then we then understand how do we work with the Red Bull network and the media network that they have. The platform is available through Samsung TV and LG and Roku, etc. There are eight playgrounds that they have. How do we cross collaborate across the playgrounds? How do we work with their new media technology teams to create graphics, to create new games, to create new ways of engaging fans as we move forward? They obviously have a history working with athletes, with Ali Galland, Juan Lebron and now Bea Gonzalez. So how do we then bring on more players? into telling the story of padel and premier padel rather than just Red Bull sponsored athletes. And I think that's one of our challenges is we've got work with the players to do to explain how Red Bull TV is effectively Premier padel TV as well, and it's there for everyone, and we're creating programming with padel life. All of these are massive accelerators that if we try to do all of this ourselves. We just wouldn't have been able to be, as far on as we are. And we're only really getting started and that's a really exciting thing. We're only just getting started. We're obviously as we enter the US, we have the tournament in Miami. And the US is a big deal for Red Bull TV. They have a big out of home network with atmosphere of 100 million homes. We have all these opportunities to open up. And then on the sponsorship side, they have some assets that sit in around the tournaments, but that helps them create some content. So they have a moment out of the court and really trying to elevate, show the skill to the community to padel fans and to new people entering the sport about these incredible points where people are running out the courts, etc. We have some voting as well, which we trial during the finals. And with no trailing or marketing, we 18, 000 votes around some of the out the court moments. And so there's a lot of, a lot of fun there. We're just getting started on all of these things. And another thing that Red Bull have is. The Red Bull content pool. And that almost acts as a kind of proxy press office for us as well; where we've got Reuters and all the key media operators around the world who are accessing the Red Bull content pool to access archive, press coverage, photography. So that helps us again extend the reach of the tour, which just wouldn't be possible if we tried to do all the heavy lifting ourselves. So it's a big accelerator and a really exciting time for us.

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 23:03

It's a very good partnership as Rob has been, let's say, defending during his speech, but I really love the partnership with Red Bull. And I used to say that the best way to evaluate or to rank property, it depends on which type of partnerships and partners they have engaged. And to Premier Padel being engaged with Red Bull, is a clear message to the marketplace that it's a good property to work with, and that it helps us a lot to get credibility of what we are doing in the marketplace. As much brands as Qatar Airways or Red Bull we have on board, it means that more credibility we have on the marketplace at our offering. It's the right one to be engaged and obviously red Bull is one of the top brands in the sports marketing territory and getting them onboard it, it's help us and support us a lot when we are in the marketplace selling our property.

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 24:06

And I think we want an extra point on the Red Bull piece. It's a global deal working with the global office out of Salzburg, but we engaging with all the local markets.

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 24:16

Yeah

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 24:16

at each around the tournaments, we can bring in the local markets with the global team working with the promoter to help promote, to drive engagement, to bring DJs, to bring live entertainment acts in around those tournaments. We had 39 Red Bull markets localized activity through last season. That's quite extraordinary when you stand to think about it. And we had 25 local markets translate into their local languages as well. There's a high level engagement, even though we're just getting started on these things. And we have to continually just educate the market, not only the players and promoters, our partners, but also the fans as to where to go and discover, make it easier to discover coverage as well, and how we're building value not only for Red Bull, but for the whole tour through the partnership.

Premier Padel and the wider pro events/circuit ecosystem

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 25:05

also the agents.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 25:06

So we're coming towards the end. I've got a few more questions. We're recording this right at the end of January. So reserve cup was last week. This week we're at the start of the hexagon cup. Premier padel doesn't live in a vacuum, even though world padel tour is, acquired. There's A1 Padel, there's other exhibitions, there's the PPL. This is a very multi calendar, multi pronged environment and ecosystem in terms of highlights for padel players and professionals. I guess the question for me is. What did you think is necessary for there to be more synergy rather than tension between these different entities, these different organizations, these different events, these different circuits? Obviously the players get to pick and choose and dot around, and there are advantages and disadvantages to each of these types of events, whether it's an exhibition or whether it's a professional tour. How do you as Premier padel see this working at its optimal?

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 26:03

I would say that actually, and you are totally right, there are different products on the marketplace: Reserve, it's a product itself, Hexagon Cup, It's another product. They are both offering a different type of competition and that's fine. And we are comfortable with that. But premier padel is the only competition where the players plays for earning something more than just a tournament. It's where they build the history of the sport. It's where they are fighting for being the number one player in the world. And that's it changed totally the proposal that we are putting on the plate. Premier Padel is where the best players on the world are playing every single week or 25 times for being the number one player in the world. And thanks to that, They are making the history of the sport and being part of the history of the sport. And also because our joint venture or our partnership with FIIP, there are also participating in the World Cup and the team's World Cup and the Pairs World Cup. That again, there are two magnificent tournaments that they are helping them to be part of the history of the sport. Finally, we also managed to be an Olympic sport that there is no doubt that we are going to keep focus on that one. Our proposal as Premier padel, as FIIP it's another type of the best of the best. And that's what we're Why we always think that it's fine that there are other events around, no problem at all. And that's part of our initial thought when we were back in 2021 in Doha during the World Cup. But our proposal, it's a total different than the others. And we are happy to make it work together and to find at some point synergies, but premier padel it's where the players make history. That's clear because it's where they can be number one on the ranking. And that's makes totally the difference, in my view.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 28:06

And Rob, do you feel like, just to build on that point, do you feel like Premier padel needs to collaborate or work more closely with any of these third party events? Or actually it's, they do their thing. You guys do your thing. You don't need to necessarily collaborate or align or reach consensus on different things. And I guess linked to that is, is there any concern about an understanding that, these weeks are premier padel, we shouldn't be getting involved in those weeks. Do you foresee a time where that might not be the case? Where people start competing with premier padel in their weeks? I don't know, a Chinese tour appears and it says, you know what, we're going to do a separate tour. But we're not going to respect your weeks and, may the best tour win. We are inn a world where that doesn't necessarily exist today. Is that something that you're concerned about going forward?

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 28:58

There's quite a few things there. I think at the heart of Premiere padel when we set out the project was collaboration from QSI to Premiere padel to the International Federation to the Players Associations. ANd then when you then take that forward with the players, promoters, partners, broadcasters, that's important. And as we look at, yes, there's other properties in the marketplace. And I think, we're open, we're always open to conversations and understanding. By definition, we have to be close because we've got players participating on both of those properties. Some of those are preseason properties. Some of those are warmups and then the tour will kick off in the next few weeks. And as David has already mentioned, this is the spine of the premier panel calendar of the season where there's FIP ranking points available throughout the season. We've got the FIP international championships as well that are really driving reach, access and visibility for the sport as a whole and probably helps some of these other properties as well. But yeah, our focus is on premier padel. And really building the very best tour we possibly can for all our stakeholders, driving those standards for the players, for the promoters, for partners and broadcasters reaching new markets. Ultimately the fan. I probably haven't talked enough about the fan, but that's really, we need to focus a lot of our time and effort on the fan and driving that engagement with them as we move forward and grow. So that's occupying our time. I

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 30:27

so what does, what help does Premier padel need? So my broader question is, what needs to happen internally and externally to really help Premier padelachieve the e vision for this sport globally. This iss almost like a call to action for suppliers and collaborators. What more can sponsors, broadcasters, what do you think outside world can do to help Premier padel really go to that next level, to that next phase of maturity and recognition and clout.

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 31:02

Obviously, the more conversations we can have, the more we want to be telling the story of Premier padel. We want to be having more brand conversations, broadcaster conversations, promoter conversations, which open up new tournaments, countries, markets, opportunities. new use of technology. How do we enhance the broadcast product? Graphics data. How do we create the betting operation as well? How do we do that with all the right governance that's in place? So we have all of these component parts. We've got much to do. We're only really getting started. And it's quite easy to forget that we're three years old, if that, but the tour, we've had our first full year or year zero, as I said. We are not complacent. We're very restless to drive that growth. But we also need a degree of patience as well, to make sure we get it right.

What Does Success Look Like?

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 31:53

Internally, Alex, we have been talking a lot on how we are building, how we are working, the processes, the team, etc. But if I think externally I would like to make us an effort to better explain to everyone our why we are here, why Premier Padel is in the marketplace and what it's our offering to every single stakeholder on the sports territory. As I said externally, I will please ask everyone to trust us. And again, for being trust, you have to earn it in every single decision that you are making. But I would like the external people to call us, to ask us, to be in contact with us. We are open always to have any conversation with any third party, and we are open to listen, to learn, and to consider any proposal for any third party. What I would like to ask the external, as you have called it, it's to be free to reach to us every time that they wish to know more about us. Because we are there: open mindset for every single proposal that someone could make us for making that sport grow globally. Again my request to the external, it's please call us, reach us. We are ready to work.

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 33:19

And I guess my last question is, sports are always evolving. A tour never ends. So it's difficult to ask this question, but what does success look like for the premier padel? When will you be able to say We've made it of course, like I said, it's always evolving. It's always growing. But is there a sense that you need to see certain things in place before you can pat yourself on the back and go, you know what? we've made it. We're mature. We've got to the point where we really wanted to get to. Is there a sense of that kind of goal that you guys are driving towards?

david-serrahima-artiga_1_01-29-2025_150729 33:53

Let me be a little contradictory: I would say never, that's the easy answer uh; and every day at the same time. Because I promise you that every single day, it's a 12 hours, 60 people, plus all the external working together in a very strong way. Again, easy way is to say never. We need to always to improve and keep working, but I'm more than happy to say, wow, every single day. And that's something that we need to be very proud, especially the team, and I joined at, I'm the last, let's say, in that way. But the job and the hard work that everyone is putting in every single day, it's amazing. From the top of the company, our chairman, our CEO, and the president of the International padel Federation. are engaged more than 10 hours a day, I promise you. And that's something for me, that it makes me feel very proud. It's again, never, but every day, it makes a huge thank you to everyone.

rob-mitchell_1_01-29-2025_140730 34:58

Yeah. I think the thing that underpins a lot of what we've talked about today is, we've had this mantra of we're transforming the game into a global sport. And that means we pull on many levers. I think again, taking the UK perspective, when we get more players into the top rankings. That's an important step forward. When we go to new tournaments and new markets, that's an important step forward. When we really, achieve hopefully the Olympic ambition for the sport. That's a step forward. It's not an end in itself. It's just a means to the continual kind of evolution and revolution the sport. All of these are important things. The more engagement, the more investment. So, as I said, we're pretty restless. We definitely take some moments to celebrate some of the amazing things that have been achieved so far. We're very quick to move on to the next thing because we're all pushing each other very hard. And, from the myriad of WhatsApp groups, to calls and inquiries that come in each day, it's no way that we can rest on our laurels.

Outro

alex_1_01-29-2025_140729 35:59

That about wraps up what I think is pretty confidently a double episode. Please like share and subscribe if the content was thought provoking. Please comment on LinkedIn or Twitter. If you have any recommendations around our format, topics we should devote an episode, to questions we should ask, and speakers that we need to bring on. We want you all those driving the next phase of this industry's future to tell us what you want to hear about and who from. Thank you, Rob and David for this incredibly long, but incredibly detailed and open episode. And for joining us today. Will keep doing our best to cover all the angles of the business around padel episode after episode. Until the next one.