As if there weren’t already enough excitement in the padel capital of the U.S., this Thursday, January 16th, will bring the launch of the bold new 6LoveSports Miami Women’s Padel League at the pristine, recently opened Reserve SoLe Mia in North Miami.
But as I learned from a recent conversation with the visionary founder of the event, Andi Neugarten-Maio, this is far more than just a women’s padel league. It’s the beginning of an entire movement.
In fact, one of the first things the South African native tells me is, “My ultimate goal is for the No. 1 women’s padel player in the world to get the same kind of recognition as someone like Serena Williams one day.”
A Bit Too Ambitious of a Goal?
You might be tempted to think so at first. But after talking to Andi for a few minutes, you’ll quickly realize that if anyone can pull off such a feat, it might just be her.
Case in point… despite having only started playing padel about a year ago (!), Andi recently represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina and competed in this past weekend’s RedPADEL Master’s Finals at The Replay Club in Palm Beach, FL.
While Andi comes from a strong competitive tennis background, she admits she was initially a bit reluctant to dive into the growing padel craze. But that quickly changed the more she watched others not just playing the sport, but also embracing the culture around it.
She tells me, “I was just watching the community here. And I was seeing people playing, and seeing the courts. And I thought, ‘This has got to be fun. I’ve got to try it.’ But the challenge was deciding where to play and how to start. It was really intimidating.”
“It actually took me three months to finally get to Ultra, get onto the app, and get into a lesson that was the right level so I could know where I was at [skill-wise] and start meeting other people at my level to play. So that was a journey in itself,” she adds.
From Journey to Mission
“As I got started I realized the women’s [padel] community down here in Miami was very scattered. There were just a bunch of little isolated pockets. There were a few advanced girls who were going around to play tournaments. There was a whole bunch of what I’d call ‘intermediates’ playing a lot socially, and then lots of beginners coming up,” Andi explains.
Seeing both a challenge and an opportunity, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She tells me, “It has taken me a couple of months, but I’ve pulled together this incredible community through the league I started. We have 130 people signed up and a whole waiting list for the first league, where we’ll be having weekly events.
Before I even thought about doing the league, I started doing these weekly tournaments with my advanced group. And we would sell-out 12 to 16 spots every single week. It wasn’t to make money, it was just to have the continuity of playing with [people at the same level]. Then a couple other girls started doing the same thing at other clubs and the communities just starting blowing up — and they’re still blowing up.”
She is also careful to point out that her league is not “club-based” and explains, “Each club brings its own something special to the whole equation, but our league is just focused on the women’s community. So, it doesn’t matter where you play or where your coaches are. We just want you to come and be part of the women’s community. Our thinking is: let’s all get together once a week to socialize, network, and play padel.”
Only Just the Beginning
Despite having yet to officially kick off the Miami-based league, Andi already has big plans to expand the concept nationwide.
She proudly and confidently states: “I definitely want to start a league on the West Coast. And somewhere in the middle of the U.S. — probably Austin or maybe Houston, both have great padel communities. And definitely New York. I also want to follow with a series of tournaments and events. But this is more than about just the league…
This is about educating, communicating, and getting more women to come out and play padel and play in tournaments. Right now, at USPA and Red Padel tournaments, we just don’t have enough women showing up. And I want to help completely change that.”
Of course, she knows this will be a challenge. But, again, if anyone can do it, it’s probably Andi. Especially given her competitive drive, relentlessly positive attitude, and the happy-go-lucky manner in which she wrapped up our recent conversation:
“Yes, I obviously have some big plans and goals. But you know… when something feels so right, doors just kind of start opening up in front of you. You kind of set the path… and then, suddenly, the path just lights up in front of you. That’s how it has been with this league.”
6LoveSports Miami Women’s Padel League play kicks off this Thursday, January 16 at Reserve SoLe Mia. For further information and details, please visit their website.
Want to get cutting-edge padel news and updates like this delivered directly to your inbox each week? Simply click here to sign up for our free “State of the Game” newsletter now.
