New shareholder strengthens World Padel Tour
The operation aims to increase the number of international events and to support the players in promoting the Tour and its brand
Damm, the main shareholder, has decided to strengthen the shareholding structure of World Padel Tour by bringing in a minority partner to help boost international growth.
Demetrio Carceller Arce, executive chairman of Damm, will chair the Setpoint Events board, the company that organizes the Circuit. Ignacio Aguillo will join the board as representative of Rucio Investments, a group which has been in the sports business for over 30 years. Ramon Agenjo continues as President of world Padel tour and Mario Hernando as Manager Director of the company.
From May 2021 there will be several additions to the organisational structure of World Padel Tour, the company that runs the world professional padel tennis tour. These additions will contribute to achieving WPT’s long-term objectives. Damm, the company that has led the growth of WPT over the last decade, has decided, at a time of uncertainty for professional sport because of the health crisis, to step up its commitment to the Tour, ensuring its viability and bringing on board an international partner to speed up the roll out of the Tour’s global expansion project.
Rucio Investments’ entry to the organisation as a minority shareholder will be led by Ignacio Aguillo, who has been appointed to the board of directors. Aguillo has had an extensive international career in positions of responsibility in sports organisations such as Atlético de Madrid or RC Lens in France, as well as other clubs and sports leagues in Europe, Asia, and North America. He shared his vision for WPT: "Over the last few months, we have become convinced of the global potential of the Tour. We are very excited about supporting a group as solid as Damm, and the WPT team, who have been able to build up the competition and create a platform with huge future appeal for fans, players and brands, linked to a sport with great values".
The main objectives of the company, whose executive team will continue to be led by Mario Hernando, will be to increase the number of international events and to support the players in promoting the Tour and its brand. "The international growth of the Tour and its development in digital channels will be the key to increasing the interaction of WPT with its fans, who increasingly demand greater access to content and experiences related to our events," said the Managing Director of World Padel Tour.
Demetrio Carceller Arce, executive chairman of Damm, will chair the Setpoint Events board, the company that organizes the Circuit. Ignacio Aguillo will join the board as representative of Rucio Investments, a group which has been in the sports business for over 30 years. Ramon Agenjo continues as President of world Padel tour and Mario Hernando as Manager Director of the company.
From May 2021 there will be several additions to the organisational structure of World Padel Tour, the company that runs the world professional padel tennis tour. These additions will contribute to achieving WPT’s long-term objectives. Damm, the company that has led the growth of WPT over the last decade, has decided, at a time of uncertainty for professional sport because of the health crisis, to step up its commitment to the Tour, ensuring its viability and bringing on board an international partner to speed up the roll out of the Tour’s global expansion project.
Rucio Investments’ entry to the organisation as a minority shareholder will be led by Ignacio Aguillo, who has been appointed to the board of directors. Aguillo has had an extensive international career in positions of responsibility in sports organisations such as Atlético de Madrid or RC Lens in France, as well as other clubs and sports leagues in Europe, Asia, and North America. He shared his vision for WPT: "Over the last few months, we have become convinced of the global potential of the Tour. We are very excited about supporting a group as solid as Damm, and the WPT team, who have been able to build up the competition and create a platform with huge future appeal for fans, players and brands, linked to a sport with great values".
The main objectives of the company, whose executive team will continue to be led by Mario Hernando, will be to increase the number of international events and to support the players in promoting the Tour and its brand. "The international growth of the Tour and its development in digital channels will be the key to increasing the interaction of WPT with its fans, who increasingly demand greater access to content and experiences related to our events," said the Managing Director of World Padel Tour.
WPT, a record-breaking brand
World Padel Tour is one of the professional sports competitions that has best withstood the impact of the health crisis, managing to increase the Tour’s followers and activity during the pandemic, mainly by boosting digital channels. The first WPT tournament of the 2021 season had more than 17 million views on YouTube and the Tour is close to having over 2 million social media followers.
World Padel Tour, which is in 15 countries, has seen a substantial increase in followers in Italy and Northern Europe (especially Scandinavia, Belgium, and Holland), which now account for more than 50% of its audience, added to already consolidated countries such as Argentina, Portugal, Mexico, and Brazil.
Despite the restrictions linked to the pandemic, WPT has confirmed 25 tournaments for the 2021 season. The Tour will be broadcast in new countries via Sky (Italy), NENT (Nordic countries), Telenet (Belgium), and TNT (Argentina).
