While other padel-related events like RacquetX and the Padel World Summit may get more attention, for my money the most interesting and intriguing one of the year will take place this September 21 - 22 at the first-ever Padel Relations member meet-up in New York City.
That’s because, unlike RacquetX, this two-day event will focus solely on padel (rather than the racquet-sports ecosystem as a whole) and, unlike Padel World Summit, it doesn’t require a multi-day transatlantic trip smack dab in the middle of one of the busiest times of the year for me racquet-sports-wise (though I’ll admit there are certainly much worse places to go than Barcelona in late May!).
Combine this level of convenience and padel-specific programming and you’ll start to get some sense of why everyone from the U.S. tech duo set to reshape how we play padel to Antonio Goes, the Founder of Courtr (which is an official partner of the event along with Weebora), has told me they’ll definitely see me there.
(What’s more, I’ve even talked to friends from the padel world who are considering traveling to the event from places as far flung as Budapest and Guyana.)
Standing Out in the Crowd
With so many padel-focused networking groups and associations out there (and more popping up all the time), it can admittedly be hard to keep track of them all. So, if you aren’t already familiar with Padel Relations, here are a few quick details you should know:
- It was founded by Victoria Pahlett, a Swedish-born, Luxembourg-based former Division 1 tennis player (for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers), who has over five years working hands on in the international padel industry, including stints at Playtomic and MATCHi…
- As of this writing, Padel Relations has welcomed over 135 padel clubs, businesses, and organizations (including Padel Nation) into its global padel network from over 35 countries, including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, Türkiye, the U.A.E., the U.K., and Zambia — just to name a few (in other words, it’s a truly global padel network), and…
- To date, the network also counts over 25 U.S. padel clubs and businesses among its ranks, including Mink Padel (in Harlem, NY), Olympus Padel (in Colorado Springs, CO), Mesa Padel Club (in Mesa, AZ), Boise Padel Club (in Boise, ID), Pick and Padel and U-Padel (both in San Antonio, TX), PadelUp (in Sterling, VA), Kraken Padel Club (in Dallas, TX), Union Padel Club and Proximo Padel (both in Chicago, IL), and The Padel Courts, Pura Padel, and Padel Up (all in Los Angeles, CA) — again, just to name a few.
(Although Victoria emphasizes that non-member clubs and padel businesses are more than welcome at the event, too, because, “the goal is to get everyone involved.”)
The Event Itself
One other very notable Padel Relations U.S.-member club is Padel Haus, so it’s probably little surprise that the actual playing portions of the event set to take place both days will be held at the recently opened Padel Haus Greenpoint location.
In addition to providing attendees with ample opportunities to network, socialize, and play padel at one of New York City’s (and the U.S.’s) preeminent padel venues, Victoria is also organizing both official and unofficial event dinners at stunning locations around Manhattan, including a rooftop location that is yet to be publicly announced but is sure to dazzle anyone who decides to join the party in the Big Apple in late September.
Ultimately, Victoria tells me:
We are super excited to bring the Padel Relations Event to New York this year as we see more and more people getting involved in the U.S. padel market. We look forward to some fun days with club owners and decision-makers and can’t wait to keep growing this global padel business network!
If past Padel Relations events across Europe are any indication, this will be one not to miss — so I do hope to see you there!
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Oh, and one other thing… my brand-new 352-page padel book was just released last week. So, if you enjoy the work I’m doing in the U.S. padel space, you can support me by ordering a copy (or two!) online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Or if you’re a club owner and you’d want to carry a handful of copies in your pro shop for “padel curious” people who are interested in trying the sport out but don’t know quite where to start, let me know and I can connect you with my publisher’s wholesale department.
Many thanks in advance!
