At last year’s inaugural RacquetX expo in Miami, there was much talk about the emergence of the so-called ‘cross-court consumer.’ We were told about a new breed of player who doesn’t monogamously stick to one racket sport but revels in the market’s increasing diversity.
As padel emerges, pickleball proliferates, tennis preserves its strong base and squash rides its Olympic wave, there has never been more choice for those who want to spend their leisure time smacking a ball. Historically, rackets sports players have tended to ‘stay in their lane’, but cross-pollination is growing and the days of each sport eyeing each other up suspiciously are ending.
Thus we have seen the opening of multi-rackets facilities seeking to tap into this new spirit of togetherness. Nicol New Jersey (padel, pickleball and squash), Ballers in Philadelphia (padel, pickle, squash, golf simulators and more) and Padel + Pickle in St. Louis (the name says it all) are just a few.
Now we have another, VIVA Padel & Pickleball in downtown Philadelphia, set to open in spring on an elevated 30,000 sq ft plot on the site of an old parking lot.
Denizens of Philly with a tennis background will probably recognise the club’s CEO and co-founder Mehdi Rhazali. The Moroccan was recruited on a tennis scholarship at Drexel University in 2008 before becoming its head men’s and women’s coach at the age of just 23. He later did a Masters in Sport Business and built impressive tennis, pickleball and padel programs during a 10-year stint at Philly’s prestigious Germantown Cricket Club.
Mehdi has now hooked up with co-founders Kai Lee (who has over 10 years’ experience in strategy and technology consulting) and Andrew Eisenstein (founder of real estate business Iron Stone and now a local small business investor).
VIVA Padel & Pickleball will have four padel and four pickleball courts (all outdoor), with viewing sections, changing rooms, showers and a pro shop in a very funky ‘silver bullet’ airstream trailer, open seven days a week from early morning to late at night.
So, once open, what level of cross-over does Mehdi anticipate between his padel and pickleball players? “Oh, that’s a good question,” he tells The Padel State. “We’ll learn that as we go.
“We have interesting demographics in downtown Philadelphia. It’s like starting at a new school. In the school yard you’re initially trying to see who your new friends might be. We’ll be the advisors, guiding them and making them feel welcome and included, trying to put them with the right groups and peers.
“If they have already played, they will probably go to that sport directly and will then hopefully get educated about the other sport. But for people who are coming in brand new, they may just want to break a sweat and meet new people. Their decision might be based on just getting out of the house and doing something, rather than specializing in one sport over the other. We’ll have so many different programs that they will have a huge choice of what to get involved in.”
Mehdi also says he and his staff will deliberately foster an inclusive racket sports culture, building on the environment he built at Germantown Cricket Club. “We intend to elevate both racket sports,” he says. “If the two groups don’t like each other, our goal is to change that and get them to appreciate that we’re all in this together.”
The VIVA Padel & Pickleball membership model is intriguing. Members will have equal access to both padel and pickle, but court booking will be slightly more expensive for padel. The expectation is that there will be more programming for padel due its slightly more sophisticated technique and strategy.
Membership will start at $50 per month for students, nurses, first responders, juniors and seniors, with individual memberships at $60, couples at $105 and further options including premium and premium plus for more regular players. There will also be pay-and-play options for non-members.
There will be lots of open play sessions and a bespoke VIVA booking app where members can arrange matches with opponents of an appropriate level. “It’s our responsibility to put four strangers on court together and give them a good time,” explains Mehdi.
After almost two decades of playing and coaching, Mehdi is now taking a big new step within the Philadelphian rackets world. “I’ve used my coaching, education and managerial skills. Now I want to do something entrepreneurial and own something. I’m going to be a founder and CEO in an industry I understand very well.
“Further on, the goal is for multiple locations, but our initial aim is simply to increase participation in both padel and pickleball. We want to improve people’s toolbox and give them more options than just hitting the gym. People are getting healthier and more community-focused. We feel it’s the perfect time to enter the market.”
