Ehrnvall on the future of padel: ”America, America, and America”

Swede Andreas Ehrnvall has recently returned from the Padel World Summit. In an interview with Padel Alto, he shares his experiences and reflections on the future of padel.
— It's going to be the big thing in America, he says. 

Most people in Sweden probably know the padel profile Andreas Ehrnvall. He was early to open a padel centre in Sweden and has recently taken on the role of expert for PadelDirekt (Alto's sister site) and in the podcast Mr. Padel. 

A podcast that quickly became a favourite among padel enthusiasts in Sweden, where Andreas Ehrnvall and the famous journalist Jesper Hussfelt discussed the latest in the padel world. In April 2023, after almost 80 episodes, the podcast journey ended.

But now Ehrnvall is finally back in the padel media with exciting reflections from the big congress, the Padel World Summit, in Malaga.

What are your thoughts after the event?

— America, America, and again America. It's going to be the big thing, really the big thing, when it comes to Padel. I'm absolutely convinced of that after meeting the entrepreneurs and the people around padel sports in the US who are really passionate about the sport. They're going to take a lot of what we've discussed, building it from the ground with kids and youth and then on to college. And they understand the importance of this, says Ehrnvall.

Padel became extremely popular in Sweden in the 2020s, with a large increase in players and newly built padel facilities. The sport's social and accessible aspect attracted many people, leading to a construction boom of padel centres across the country. However, over time, this rapid expansion proved to be excessive.  

As a result, many centres were forced to close or struggle with profitability. 

— They (America) won't make the same mistakes we've made in Sweden. It will take over from countries like Spain and Argentina, but it will take many years before they get there. But they've already started with their league, and that's absolutely right.

”I hope to contribute.”

Andreas Ehrnvall points out that one advantage of countries like the United States is that they require many permits to build padel facilities, which makes it harder for over-establishment.

Ehrnvall now hopes to contribute to developing padel in more countries.

— In some countries, it's not possible, like in the US. There you can forget about it (building centres) if you don't have all the permits. That's something we noticed, including me, when I was there. There will always be people looking for quick profits in the US. I noticed that Swedes were running around the fair, which had been doing it for a while, and now maybe hoping to get a place in the US. But forget it; it's not going to happen. Let the real entrepreneurs, those with the heart for the sport, do their job. Then the sport will work in any country.

He continues:

— I think it's a simple explanation. I say what I think and don't care if someone disagrees with me. I hope to have a role where I can contribute, depending on the situation. I've learnt a lot in the ten to twelve years I've been doing this. I can quickly see who really wants to do something for the sport and who doesn't. I hope to contribute to the development of some of these countries.