The question: How do we grow UK padel together? 

Hosted by Emily Kilner, a presenter, host and commentator, we sit down with George Modler of The Padel Directory, a website designed to do exactly that: connect the UK industry. 

With the first UK Padel Convention coming up next week, it's especially fitting discussing the current state of this industry often described as the 'wild west'. Rapid growth comes with it's challenges, and George is in an excellent central position to see how important it is to connect the dots, celebrate all levels of growth, and bring people into the same room to appreciate healthy competition. 

If you're going to be at the convention, see you there! If not, let us know what you think of the episode, and what you would look to do to connect this rapidly growing industry across the UK. 

A Question of Padel: Answering Padel's Biggest Questions, One Episode At A Time. 

The question: How do we connect amateur and professional padel?

Hosted by Emily Kilner, a presenter, host and commentator, we speak with the Hexagon Cup Managing Director Astrid Thams. We dig into Hexagon's aims and ambitions to not only be a hugely successful celebrity team event, but build and grow amateur padel alongside it to close the gap between amateur and professional levels. We discuss how we create more true fans of the game, how important getting excellent content and broadcasting is for the sport's growth, and where Hexagon's ambitions lie in the next few years. Astrid shares a vision that anyone involved in padel will admire. 

In our second episode with Ben Nicols (of Padel22), we explore the question of whether padel can truly go global. 

Hosted by Emily Kilner, a presenter, host and commentator, we dig into the definition of New World Padel and what these markets have in common. Ben shares his insight into what makes healthy competition in emerging markets, how we leverage it, what it will take for padel to become an Olympic sport, and his opinion on what the next country is to have a player make it into the FIP Top 50 rankings. 

The question: What does padel's current image mean for the sport's future?

Hosted by Emily Kilner, a presenter, host and commentator, we chat to Ben Nichols. The founder of Padel22, coined as the 'world's leading PR & Comms consultancy for the New Padel World', alongside roles in Proprty+Padel, Cage91 Co, Club Aguilas, The Anglo American Cup, Insider22... Ben knows what's what in the emerging padel scene, and has witnessed the growth, challenges and worked with the leaders at the forefront directly. We chat in detail about the image of Padel in emerging markets, particularly in the UK, including the celebrity aspect, accessibility and pricing, market maturity and the roles of federations in positioning padel alongside tennis. We particularly hone in on the image of padel in the media, and how to tap into sources and celebrity elements to drive awareness and benefit the sport, rather than hinder it's attraction. 

A must listen for invaluable insights into the state of padel in the New World, and how to tap into the opportunities presented by it's current image, to ensure growth continues in the future. 

The question: How do you build a community at a padel club? 

Hosted by Emily Kilner, a padel presenter, host and commentator, we chat to Sam McKibbin, an Irish national team padel player and club manager, boasting a huge amount of experience and success stories across multiple countries in his padel career. We dive into the basics behind creating a community at a club, starting from the moment a player walks through the door to the most important physical aspects of clubs to foster the right environment, and the kind of team needed to bring that feeling to life. Do you want to understand how to make members feel valued, get further into the details of what we can learn from Spain & Sweden, and how to find your identity as a club to create an environment players want to come back to time and time again? If yes, then Sam's candid, honest storytelling is a must listen. 

The question: What is the role of social media in the growth of padel? 

Hosted by Emily Kilner, a sports presenter, host and commentator, we chat to Holly Brazier. Open any form of social media these days and you are bound so see something to do with padel. Brands are jumping on the trend and it feels like there's a new business or creator jumping into the space every few minutes! So what is the role of social media in this booming sport? Holly, aka PadelWithHolly, has just celebrated 1 year of her page, where she's known for sharing informative content on UK padel, including club and apparel reviews, events and even how to book your games using the different Apps. A truly positive light in the UK padel scene, Holly provides her view on why social media is so key in driving the sport forward and connecting people together, as well the challenges she faces and difficult conversations it brings up. 

A Question of Padel: Asking padel's big questions, one episode at a time. 

The question: How do you build a padel business?

Hosted by Emily Kilner, a padel presenter, host and commentator, we chat to Max England. Known for bringing a padel business to Lord Sugar's attention on BBC's The Apprentice, he is a driving force in UK padel, both for his racket brand (MaxPadel) and his ambitions for a new club business. Sharing his transition from tennis into padel, his trial and error phase with rackets, and the challenges he's now facing with building a club, host Emily Kilner digs deeper into how to actually build a padel business.