- December 25, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Interest is picking up in a sport that is relatively new to Sarasota: padel.
Somewhere between squash and tennis, padel (pronounced “paddle”) features courts punctuated by nets, mesh cages and walls that balls can bounce off of during play. The area’s first indoor padel facility — called The Pad Sarasota — opened in July near the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and word has been spreading about the sport.
“We have a lot of the international crowd, then a lot of people who are visiting for the holidays,” says Ellie Berdusco, manager of The Pad, in a December interview. Some athletes from IMG Academy in Bradenton have also checked out the facility.
The facility even has star power: Tennis stars Tommy Haas, Sebastian Korda, Thomas Johansson and Kei Nishikori have played at The Pad Sarasota too, Berdusco says.
In addition to renting out courts for open play, The Pad has been hosting padel tournaments. Canadian company Red Padel, which markets and hosts events around the sport, sponsored a tournament there in October featuring $5,000 in prize money, which Berdusco says generated interest.
“Then in January, we are so excited to host the finals of America's Cup,” Berdusco says, bringing together the top eight padel teams from the United States and Canada. The finals are scheduled for The Pad on Jan. 17.
In the months since opening, The Pad has launched its own padel league, which Berdusco says has been helpful in bringing people together at the facility consistently.
The Pad also coordinates a WhatsApp group of 215 people who connect about the sport, and it puts together events so players can get matched up.
Birthday parties are another way people find out about the facility, which also had a country club bring in its tennis players to try their hand at the sport, Berdusco says.
In November, The Pad hosted its first corporate event, for Sarasota tech company CMPSE, where “we had 50 newcomers to padel,” Berdusco says.
People are “still finding out” about padel, Berdusco says. “They’ll come in and say, ‘My friend who lives in New York has played’ or ‘I’ve seen YouTube highlights’” of padel and want to play.
“There's a lot of momentum, and it's circulating a lot,” Berdusco says about the buzz around padel. “Word is definitely out there.”
Padel originated in Mexico in the 1960s and spread to Europe and South America. Some Europeans who have discovered The Pad Sarasota have thanked her, Berdusco says, for bringing them a taste of home.
“Globally, it’s a huge success story,” she says of the sport. “It’s easy to learn, and it’s good for all ages. You can pick it up right away — it’s a game where you can start having good points and fun rallies the first time you step onto the court.”
In recent years, the sport has caught on in parts of the United States, and its popularity is growing. There are now padel facilities in Miami, Texas, New York and southern California. Palm Aire Country Club, a few miles away off University Parkway, has one outdoor padel court. In Pasco County, Zephyrhills has courts outside, too.
Padel can provide endless opportunities to advance, according to Berdusco. “There’s so much to learn, with the walls and the timing,” she says. “You can play right away and get hooked, but you can really improve after that. ”
Before launching The Pad, Berdusco worked as director of content and social media for Red Padel. Three people from Red Padel, including its CEO, are now partners in The Pad Sarasota, according to Berdusco. They are lifelong tennis players who live in Canada and spend time here as well, she says. The partners include Charles Messow, Coulter Wright and Chris Ritchie.
Together the partners signed a long-term lease for the 19,000-square-foot space on Bio Tech Way near the airport. The entity Pad Sarasota LLC, according to a public SEC filing dated March 8 and signed by Berdusco, seeks to raise up to $1 million to support the business. ($10,000 is the minimum investment.)
Inside The Pad Sarasota are four padel courts as well as tables and chairs where people can socialize and watch the game. The business also has a retail component where it sells Wilson & Slazenger merchandise, and it recently added showers to its locker rooms.
In previous interviews, Berdusco has declined to disclose the investment required and the capital raise, talking generally about the process. She writes in an email: "The startup costs are not insignificant. Unlike a pickle court, a padel court is more of an endeavor to install. And we also strive to make The Pad a very comfortable place where people can not only come to play, but also hang out for hours and socialize and watch."
