Premier Padel will come to South Africa for the first time at the end of July, marking a milestone for the sport’s growth in the country.
The tournament will bring the world’s top players to South African soil for official competitive action.
Just a year after most of the world’s top 20 padel players featured in a friendly exhibition at the SA Invitational hosted by Gayle and 360, the stars are ready to get serious under the lights at SunBet Arena in Time Square, Pretoria, from 27 July to 2 August.
On Tuesday, Primedia held a launch event at Balwin Padel, Waterfall City, to welcome the Premier Padel Pretoria P2 to South Africa and give media and stakeholders more information on the event.
A concern among the broader padel community was ticket prices after the high cost of tickets to the SA Invitational. However, Primedia Sport vice-president Tobie Badenhorst said pricing had been made more reasonable so that the event was accessible to more people.
He said the most expensive ticket in the stands would be R1 250 for the days of the semi-finals and final, while VIP tickets were expected to cost R5 000.
For those who won’t be able to make it to Pretoria to watch it live, the tournament will be streamed globally on Red Bull TV, the official broadcast and streaming partner of Premier Padel.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, ESPN Africa (available on DStv Channel 218 and StarTimes 248) will deliver full live coverage of the tournament. The broadcast will also be available on the ESPN linear channels on Disney+ in South Africa. Furthermore, the tournament will also be carried on Canal+ (French-speaking only platform).
A chance for local talent to shine
Badenhorst confirmed that qualifiers would take place for South Africa’s elite players, with spots for four men’s teams and one for a women’s team. Two men’s teams will have to go through the tournament’s qualifiers and two teams will be entered straight into the main draw.
Players such as Adam van Harte, Richard Ashforth, Warren Kuhn and Luan Krige are expected to relish the opportunity, particularly with strong home support behind them.
The same group of players will also soon be competing in the 360 Diamond League, which is a franchise team league that brings South Africa’s elite players under one roof.
“The official launch of the Pretoria Premier Padel P2 represents a defining moment for South African sport,” said Badenhorst.
“Hosting a world-class event at the SunBet Arena at Time Square not only delivers a premium experience for fans, partners and broadcasters but also creates meaningful opportunities for local players to compete on the global stage.”
Where to now for padel in South Africa?
South Africa has made drastic strides in padel since the first court opened at Val de Vie Estate in Paarl, Western Cape in 2019.
There are 1 513 courts and 458 clubs across 30 cities in the country, with players playing an average of more than four times a month, according to data from Playtomic — the official application that connects Padel players throughout the world.
Last year saw 131 new clubs open in the country and 387 new courts. Gauteng and the Western Cape together make up 67.7% of the country’s courts.
There are about half a million amateur players in South Africa, however the data shows that there are only about 70 000 to 90 000 active players a month.
South Africa ranks in the top five for player bookings on the Playtomic app and is in the top five for viewers of Premier Padel on Red Bull TV.
Romandi de Jongh, Playtomic country manager, explained that the country was in the post-boom of the sport and should manage it well to avoid a collapse.
The three key ways to do that, she said, was for a more inclusive community as padel was viewed as an elite sport; the need to expand in other provinces beyond Gauteng and the Western Cape; and to avoid bad practices like price wars between clubs.
De Jongh said as the sport was starting to show signs of a post-boom period in South Africa, making it a great time for Premier Padel to come to the country.
Padel has experienced significant growth in the country and this will be the first time that the world’s best take part in competitive action at Time Square Arena in July and August
