When I first started researching the padel media landscape a little over a year ago, the one name I came across time and time again was Ben Nichols, who is the founder and CEO of Padel 22, a U.K.-based communications consultancy focused on helping ignite an all-out global padel revolution.
Much like me, Ben comes from a tennis and squash background, and also much like me, after playing just once (in his case on a work trip to Dubai in 2020), he became determined to find a way to make padel a major part of his life, both personally and professionally.
Love at first set
In a recent conversation, Ben told me, “Once I had my first game, I was hooked. However, back in the U.K. there were few, if any, courts close to where I lived.
Fast forward to 2022, when I was running my own consultancy and doing a contract for the LTA (Britain’s tennis governing body that has since assumed responsibility for padel). As it happened, in this role, I found myself back in Dubai and responsible for PR for the British padel team at the World Padel Championships, and meeting lots of people from the padel industry –- entrepreneurs setting up clubs, investors, players, you name it.
With my role at the LTA soon to end, I realized I was in a great position — with my sports communications experience on one hand, and knowledge of this growing sport on the other — to establish the English-speaking world’s first padel-dedicated communications consultancy. I’ve always been one to embrace exciting opportunities and this was one of those moments where I thought, ‘there’s a gap in the market, I have to do this.'”
New sport, old goal
While Ben’s love of padel is relatively young, his dream of working in the sports world is anything but.
As he explained to me, “I always wanted to work in the sports industry. At the heart of my strategy was the importance I placed on ‘earning my stripes’ as a student by working in the press offices of the top sports events such as Wimbledon, the British F1 Grand Prix, and the Australian Open.Â
I went on learn the ropes of sports PR by working at the ATP in Florida, within agencies in London, and then, in my first career milestone, working as Chief Press Officer of the award-winning ATP – WTA Dubai Tennis Championships for two years. This is where I cut my teeth, at a young age, and learned what made a major international sporting event click.”
After “learning the ropes” Ben went on to do everything from working as a Senior Press Officer of the Lotus Renault GP F1 team… to leading media relations for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)… to managing communications for the Commonwealth Games… to organizing PR for Olympic medalists including Rio 2016 Gold Medalist, Callum Skinner.
“As someone that’s embraced challenges and opportunities, these experiences combined gave me the confidence I needed to establish Padel 22,” Ben explains.
He continues, “Eighteen months and countless long days and long nights later, I’m proud to say I managed to build up Padel 22 into something unique in the market — a consultancy that worked with the top operators in the U.S. (such as Taktika and Padel Haus), the Pro Padel League, London’s top padel facility, Padium, GB Number 1 Tia Norton, new racquet sports conference and expo RacquetX, leading umbrella group LeDap, and others.
To start working with businesses and brands on a retained and project basis so early was testament to the hard yards I’d put in to create something special from scratch. However, most rewarding has been the opportunity to put the brand of padel on the map in mainstream media from the likes of the Financial Times, CNN International, and elsewhere.”
While Ben admits that there are plenty of challenges that come with being at the forefront of promoting a sport that is brand new in many parts of the world, he says, “It’s been a pleasure to work with a range of different clients, at different stages of their journey.
I’ve particularly enjoyed working with some of the pioneers in the U.S., not least Eric Loftus and his team at Northeast Padel given their huge professionalism in the court construction industry, and of course Ryan Redondo and his Taktika team, who are doing great things on the West Coast and have a really positive outlook about the prospects of the sport.”
Prognosis positive?
When I ask Ben about his outlook for the padel revolution in the U.S., he immediately responds, “The sport of padel is going to be significant in the U.S. Look beyond the pickleball horizon and I truly believe padel will be the next sport to turn heads. We’re already starting to see a step change in terms of awareness of the sport compared with 6 or 12 months ago.
Celebrity endorsement will aid that further — such as Eva Longoria’s involvement or Jimmy Butler’s — but we’re going to see increasing numbers of facilities built (I heard of two more on their way in the Northeast U.S. this week alone). Yet, there’s a huge amount to still develop in terms of the infrastructure with getting padel into schools and colleges that will need to happen, too.
I’m excited about where the sport is headed in America. I’m in little doubt that it’s one of, if not the, market to watch over the next 5-10 years. I’m delighted to be there at the forefront of the sport’s promotion in the U.S. as I’m a big believer in its prospects in the world’s largest sports market.”
To contact Ben Nichols or learn more about his services, please visit Padel22. And next time you’re on the way to or from a padel match be sure to check out his podcast.
