Hybrid racquet sport Padel is booming globally and coming to New Zealand in a big way with WOTSO Takapuna member Julian Brown leading the charge.
“It’s commonly referred to as the world’s fastest growing sport and there was no question it was going to happen here, it was just whether I was going to be involved or not,” says Julian.
Julian founded Pacific Padel in 2023 with a strategy to get New Zealand’s major regional tennis organisations like Tennis Auckland and their clubs on board, offering a long-term rental income stream in return for setting up Padel courts and facilities onsite.
So far so good. Pacific Padel has signed leases at three of the country’s top tennis clubs: Albany Tennis Park and Merton Road Tennis Centre, both in Auckland and Wilding Park Tennis Centre, Christchurch.
Albany Tennis Park is scheduled to open in February and the others will follow through autumn with a minimum of four Padel courts at each club.
There will also be a clubhouse with hospitality and gear hire facilities, supporting initiatives to drive court rental such as tournaments, coaching and corporate days.
Momentum is really starting to build, says Julian, citing Tennis Auckland’s invitation for Pacific Padel to set up an exhibition court in the hospitality area at New Zealand’s biggest tennis tournament, the ASB Classic, during January.
“They can see how big Padel is overseas and want to associate themselves with it and show that there’s no ‘us or them’ and you can play both.”
Julian says WOTSO has been the ideal environment to start the business and enable it to grow without restraint.
“WOTSO is fantastic because of the flexibility, you don’t have to sign up long term, so that was really helpful, and also the ability to grow,” says Julian.
“We originally had a two-person office and we’re now in a five person office. We’ve earmarked another two or three person office for future growth.
“We have also utilised five other businesses in the building including architects, graphic designers, project managers, so that adds to the whole feeling of being a family.”
Padel explained: Padel is hybrid racquet sport invented in the late 1960s. It’s a cross between tennis and squash played by two teams of two on an outdoor court with a central net and tempered glass walls off which the ball can be played.
There are no singles, only doubles, instantly making it more sociable. Padel courts are four metres shorter and one metre narrower than a tennis court. The balls are less pressurised, serving is underarm and it’s easy to learn.
