Interview with Mike Rose, Padel Point NRW, about running a padel facility.
Hello Mike, with Padel Point NRW you were one of the first padel locations in Germany. Tell us briefly how you got into padel and what fascinates you so much about this sport.
I discovered padel more than 10 years ago during a professional trip to South America and was immediately fascinated. The close atmosphere on the court, the permanent exchange with the playing partner and the unbelievably spectacular rallies, which are possible at almost every level, impressed me immediately and have not let me go since.
And when did you decide to operate your own padel facility?
After almost 10 years abroad and the sale of my small company, it was clear to me that I would open my own padel facility when I returned to Germany.
What did you learn about padel and attracting new padel players during this time?
Padel is a sport that can also work very well in Germany. Everyone seems to have their own method of "recruiting" players. I can only speak for myself, but our way with tournaments and directly approaching potential new players has worked very well.
So the be-all and end-all of a successful padel centre is player activation?
That's right, but unfortunately, in the current situation in Germany, it's not enough to simply set up one or two courts and hope that they will be played on regularly. Daily activation is necessary and a person is needed to take care of these issues exclusively. However, this is also where the attraction lies and it is nice to see players coming off the court happily every day, some of whom didn't even know that padel existed a few weeks ago.
You will soon have a new capital - you want to expand and are looking for a new location. What exactly is your goal?
We are looking for a location that will allow us to operate more courts and host larger tournaments. Specifically, we are looking for a new hall to continue to offer padel on a commercial scale. Whether we rent into an existing tennis hall or open a completely new facility certainly depends on the respective possibilities.
After almost 4 years in our facility, we have the impression that padel could make the breakthrough in Germany and maybe it will even come to a boom :).
Do you want to do it alone or can you also imagine partnerships?
I am still completely open in my decision. But that would certainly depend primarily on the respective partner. I think as the operator of the first successful indoor facility in Germany, I certainly have the most experience and can therefore also very well imagine an investor model or a partnership.
I think that could be interesting for some. What is the best way to contact you?
The best way is by email: padel.nrw@gmail.com or mobile: 0175-7155494
Finally, I would like to know how you assess the player potential in Germany.
From my point of view, there is still a lot of room for improvement, both in the competitive and the amateur sports sector. There also needs to be a lot more girls on the courts. Padel is the perfect mix of fun and exhaustion. Once you've played, you're usually immediately hooked.
Thank you very much for the interview!
We keep our fingers crossed for your padel projects and hope that padel tennis continues to spread in Germany - because we also see enormous potential!
Enclosed are a few impressions from the Padel Point Herne in the gallery!