The Pro Padel League (PPL) – North America’s first professional padel league – announced they are entering the largest sports market in North America, signing New York as the eighth and largest expansion team.
The decision to enter the largest sports market in the U.S. was a strategic move, with numerous investment firms bidding for the New York franchise in a competitive process. Following the conclusion of the inaugural season, interest in the league has surged. New York is the eighth franchise to be acquired in less than six months as team valuations have soared into the seven figures.
“We have tremendous interest from cities across North America who want to join the PPL,” said Marcos Del Pilar, Commissioner of the PPL. “We wanted to be thoughtful about our expansion and focus on opportunities in locations with histories of iconic sports teams, passionate fan bases, and infrastructure to support the growth of padel in the U.S.”
Eligible to play next season, later this summer the New York franchise will be releasing more details about their ownership group behind the investment as well as plans for the team in 2024 and beyond. Throughout the remainder of the year, key priorities for the New York franchise will be recruiting exceptional padel athletes from around the world, building key relationships with sponsors and other partners, and setting the foundation for padel in New York and around the world.
“Padel has already caught fire globally and attracts millions of fans and hundreds of millions in sponsorship dollars,” a New York team spokesman said. “Gameplay is fast and electric, perfect for the North American audience and we look forward to bringing this incredible game to the greatest city in the world.”
Following their historical inaugural season, this month the PPL Championship Match was aired on CBS Sports Network in a two-hour special. Global celebrities and professional athletes already part of the PPL include Daddy Yankee (Orlando franchise owner), who is one of the best-selling Latin music artists known as the “King of Reggaeton,” 2009 US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro (Strategic Advisor to the Miami Padel Club), former ATP #2 singles player Tommy Haas (San Diego Stingrays owner), international soccer star Miguel Layun (Cancun Waves owner), and MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto Polar Bears owner).
“As made evident by Formula 1 and Major League Soccer, there is insatiable demand for high-octane sports with global popularity penetrating the North American market with massive success,” added Del Pilar. “The sport of padel is an incredibly marketable and exciting product, very similar to F1, and we believe this is the beginning of the next major sports league in the United States.”
The PPL’s mission is to create a premier sports league providing a national stage for the sport while generating nationwide awareness and excitement for padel.
Currently, padel has over 25 million players worldwide and is growing in popularity in the U.S. with the number of padel courts set to double in 2023. Over 8 million players are projected to be playing in the U.S. by 2030.
For more information on the New York franchise, visit www.newyorkatlantics.com
