There's no doubt that Padel — a trendy racket sport that can be best described as the love child of tennis and squash — has gained immense popularity in a relatively short space of time, Polygon says.

In the past decade, the number of people playing Padel worldwide has more than doubled from approximately 12 million people in 2014, to around 30 million people in 2024, leading to it being dubbed the world's fastest-growing sport. And with fans that include David Beckham, LeBron James and even Serena Williams, this racket sport is predicted to someday eclipse tennis as the sport of the affluent, Polygon adds.

South Africa is no exception, with Padel courts popping up rapidly all over the country. Polygon says that there are currently around 200 Padel venues in South Africa, with over 650 courts — and more are popping up all the time. 

Remi du Preez, Managing Director at Polygon, says "Due to the cost of equipment and court hire, Padel generally attracts an upper income, professional audience with disposable income. It's not only a fun and competitive sport, but it's also used as a meeting point where business associates can establish and maintain relationships — like with golf — in a sociable setting."

Digital billboards at Africa Padel venues have been integrated into Polygon's aggregated digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) network. Large format digital screens are located between Padel courts and are optimally viewed from the venues' restaurant and bar areas, which are generally frequented after games, Polygon says.

Du Preez says, "Our network is programmatically connected and available for Google-based programmatic traders. We also have the means to activate campaigns on the mobile phones of visitors to Padel courts. This dual-screen targeted approach ensures a higher ad recall and receptivity for brands advertising to these audiences."

"Polygon can accurately measure campaign attribution, meaning that we know whether consumers are going to an advertiser's store or visiting their website after coming into contact with the brand ad and upon leaving the court. Anecdotal feedback from our first advertisers is that since flighting campaigns across the Padel network, they've seen a marked increase in sales," du Preez adds.

Mark Murphy, Head of Commercial at Dream Box Media, says "The secret behind the explosion of Padel is that it's a fun and inclusive sport that caters to players of all ages and physical conditions. Many of our venues are in sought-after neighbourhoods and in multiple sports complexes, extending our reach to an energetic clientele."

Murphy adds, "The early advertiser adopters on our screens are benefitting from reaching affluent men and women during their leisure time — ideal conditions to connect with them. Our programmatic offering has done really well since the onset, and we look forward to driving further growth in the year ahead."

"This integration will allow our clients to access a high SEM professional audience, which holds considerable purchasing power," concludes du Preez. 

For more information, visit www.pdooh.co.za. You can also follow Polygon on LinkedIn. 

*Image courtesy of contributor