#218 The Business Behind America's Fastest-Growing Padel League - Luis Fernando Ramirez, CEO of NPL
Description
Welcome to episode 218 of Sports Management Podcast.
Today's guest is Luis Fernando Ramirez – the CEO of National Padel League (NPL)
We spoke about:
- Juggling being CEO of NFL with commercial responsibilities for Bull Padel
- Padel's potential in the US
- Challenges and opportunities for Padel
- The importance of digital broadcast and streaming
And much more!
Time stamps:
00:00 Intro
00:42 Why Luis rebuilt the NPL from scratch
02:10 The first version of the league — what was broken
04:03 How the NPL expanded to 42 cities
06:58 The business model behind the league
08:20 How Racket360 powers streaming + scoring
11:12 Creating the NPL pyramid: juniors → amateurs → pros
14:33 The partnership with USPA
16:48 Why amateurs are the key to U.S. padel's growth
18:26 Why padel is exploding in the U.S. (data + trends)
21:17 The long-term vision — becoming the MLS of padel
24:09 The future of pro padel in America
26:40 How to build sustainable leagues
29:55 Luis' advice for young sports professionals
35:00 Outro
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