Contemporary Padel Sponsorships

From Banners on the Court to Supporting Real Padel Communities

sponsors wall

In contemporary sport marketing, visibility has become a commodity. Attention, on the other hand, is a privilege.

For years, sports sponsorship followed a simple rule: place a logo on the court, on a jersey, or on tournament materials and hope someone would notice. This model worked when television and major media concentrated attention. Today, the landscape has changed. Players, fans, and local communities expect more than just a logo.

The Origin of the Word: What “To Sponsor” Really Means

The word sponsorship comes from the Latin spondere, meaning to solemnly promise, to guarantee, to take responsibility. Originally, a sponsor was not someone who bought visibility but someone who supported a club, a player, or an event to help it thrive. Returning to this meaning is crucial to understand why padel sponsorship needs to evolve beyond simple branding.

Why Banners Are No Longer Enough for Contemporary Padel Sponsorship

In sport, you see this everywhere, but only once a certain level of mass visibility is reached. Courts plastered with logos, ads surrounding tournaments, and pre-rolls you didn’t choose to watch. Messages reach people even when they are not mentally engaged.

The paradox remains the same: the more brands shout, the less they are noticed. However, this logic applies mainly to sports and moments that reach significant television exposure. TV metrics work, but only for major events. Even in tennis, outside Grand Slams and top-tier matches, viewership drops dramatically. Lesser tournaments attract limited attention, both live and on screen. This is true across many sports.

As a UK sponsorship expert once said when speaking about sports like cricket or rugby:

“Sometimes audiences grow at night, thanks to people who can’t sleep and leave the TV on.”

In other words: we end up chasing insomniacs. But is that really a winning metric? Television undeniably delivers big numbers, but it is also one of the least traceable media channels. It works when scale is massive, when the event is global, and when reach alone justifies the investment.

old sponsorship model vs new model

What Happens to Local Sponsorships?

So what happens when we move away from major events? What happens to:

• local tournaments

• local clubs

• emerging sports

• community-based competitions

  
  

In these contexts, TV visibility disappears, but real relationships begin. This is where traditional sponsorship metrics stop working, and where new models based on community, participation, and measurable engagement must take over. This is what we mean by "contemporary padel sponsorship".

What Sponsoring Really Means Today for Padel

Sponsoring a padel club, tournament, or league today means:

helping the club or players excel and creating value for the padel community.

The brand becomes an enabler, not just an external logo.

From Padel Court as “Venue” to Padel Community

A padel club is more than courts:

• a community sharing a love for the sport

• a hub for social connection

• a source of content and stories

• a place of belonging and identity

  
  

Sponsoring means engaging with this community, not just appearing in front of it.

The New Role of Brands: Supporting, Not Occupying

A forward-thinking brand in padel:

• supports events, tournaments, and social activities

• enhances the member experience

• makes the sport accessible to more players

• creates moments for connection, learning, and fun

  
  

Here, logos are secondary; value is primary.

Examples of Sponsorship as Real Support in Padel

1. Supporting Access to Padel

Brands fund courts, free play hours, beginner sessions, or inclusive tournaments. They also create specific content to be shared.

2. Supporting Community Growth

Corporate leagues, recurring local tournaments, and player workshops strengthen club identity.

3. Supporting the Experience

Recovery areas, branded gear, nutrition stations, and tech for training enhance the player experience.

4. Supporting Storytelling

Content, videos, and social media campaigns that tell the stories of players, coaches, and communities.

From Visibility to Utility

In a world saturated with messages, visibility is no longer a competitive advantage. Attention is. Brands should ask:

“How can we be genuinely useful to this padel community?”

Being useful creates memory. Being coherent creates loyalty.

Attention as the New Currency

In a crowded ecosystem, attention is the scarcest resource. People do not lack content; they lack focus and mental space. Effective padel sponsorships:

• do not interrupt play or enjoyment

• do not compete for visual space

• earn attention by providing real value

  
  

A padel club is a rare space where attention is authentic, voluntary, chosen, and sustained.

Sponsorship as a Medium- to Long-Term Relationship

The best padel sponsorships:

• extend beyond a single event

• develop over months or seasons

• accompany the growth of the community

  
  

Value is in continuity, not in a single peak moment. Value is in the community. How do we build it?

Conclusion: Returning to the Original Meaning

Sponsoring today means:

• supporting

• enabling

• taking responsibility

  
  

A brand sponsoring a padel club does not buy space: it invests in relationships.

Our Message:

To Brands:

Stop asking where your logo will appear. Start asking what value you can create for players and communities.

To Clubs and Organizers:

Stop selling visibility. Start building experiences, connections, and community.

The future of padel sponsorship belongs to those who take care of the people who live and breathe the sport. That is where real value is created, shared, lasting, and memorable.

What if sponsorship is sitting in the wrong budget line?

Not branding. Not PR. But media with unexpected tax advantages.

More on this in the next article.