Less than four months after a first edition that was unanimously praised, the  FIP Bronze from Marnes-la-Coquette  is already back, from  August 31 to September 5 Sporting ambitions, the experience offered to players and spectators, the development of partnerships, and the desire to establish the tournament as a lasting fixture in the French landscape:  Victor Teboul and Adrien Westermann  they discuss the issues at stake in this second edition.

 Padel Magazine Just four months after a successful first edition, you're already back. How are you approaching this second edition? 

 Victor Teboul: 
With a lot of serenity… but still a little bit of stress, obviously.

In May, we discovered the organization of an international tournament. Between the expectations of the players, their families, the FIP, the FFT, the Île-de-France League, Forest Hill, our partners and the local authorities, we quickly understood that an event like this was based on an extremely delicate balance.

This balance remains fragile, particularly from a financial standpoint, but the feedback has been very encouraging. We feel we have laid a solid foundation. Now, our only objective is to move forward.

We are also fortunate to be part of a fantastic dynamic surrounding padel in the Île-de-France region. With our tournament, and then the Alpine Paris Major at Roland-Garros  From the very next day, nearly two weeks of top-level competition will be offered to players and enthusiasts alike.

We hope that many will take advantage of this great opportunity to fully experience padel in the Paris region.

 Padel Magazine The May edition benefited from ideal weather, a great sporting scenario and excellent feedback on the organization. How to do even better? 

 Victor Teboul: 
By staying tuned.

The feedback was very positive, but we were mainly looking for those that could help us improve.

Every detail counts: the players' welcome, the living spaces, the schedules, the catering, and even the information. We tried to look at our own organization with great humility.

Our ambition is not to change everything, but to do a little better everywhere.

 Adrien Westermann: 
That's exactly our mindset.

Some things worked very well. Others were still a bit rudimentary, which is quite understandable when you're organizing a first edition.

We have therefore worked on everything that contributes to the overall experience: better welcoming players, producing more content, offering more visibility to our partners, strengthening our digital presence and, more broadly, contributing even more to the development of padel in Île-de-France.

FIP MARNES: Victor Teboul and Adrien Westermann

 Padel Magazine This edition was originally intended to be a FIP Silver. Why was the Bronze format ultimately retained? 

 Adrien Westermann: 
The main reason is obvious: being held just before the Paris Major, there were concerns about the level of competition being too high, which would deter some French players who are primarily focused on earning points. Some players had even told us that they might consider playing elsewhere, even paying more than staying in Paris to participate in this tournament, if it remained a Silver event. Indeed, the FIP Bronze will still be a very good tournament, but having too many players from the world's top 50, for example, wouldn't have been beneficial for the best French players.

 Victor Teboul: 
After several discussions with the FIP, the FFT and Forest Hill, we felt that this was the most relevant format today.

We prefer to build a solid tournament rather than trying to grow too quickly.

The FIP Bronze remains extremely attractive. It allows many French players to earn their first international points and maintains a real close relationship between players, spectators and organizers.

This friendly atmosphere is now part of the tournament's identity and we want to preserve it.

 Padel Magazine What will be your main objectives this year? 

 Victor Teboul: 
From a sporting perspective, we would like to welcome more female players. Diversity is part of padel's DNA, and we would like our tournament to reflect that.

From an organizational point of view, our ambition is simple: to offer the best possible conditions to the players and to ensure that everyone leaves with the desire to return.

 Adrien Westermann: 
We also have an important focus on digital.

In May, thanks to the work done with Padel Magazine, Neo Padel and all of our media partners, the tournament generated nearly  850,000 views on social media in about ten days .

We would like to reach the one million view mark this time.

Not simply for the numbers, but because this visibility benefits the players and our partners, while also contributing to the growth of padel.

 Padel Magazine So, what are your key takeaways from this first edition regarding the partners? 

 Adrien Westermann: 
The hardest part of sponsorship is often getting that first "yes".

But the real challenge begins next: living up to the trust placed in us.

We are therefore particularly happy to find  HEAD, Vitamin Well and Cupra Rueil-Malmaison who have chosen to renew their commitment. This is probably the greatest recognition of our work.

Our ambition is to build an ecosystem of loyal partners, capable of growing with the tournament.

At the same time, we are not hiding behind this satisfaction. The economic balance of an international tournament remains extremely fragile. This is the reality of sport today, particularly for independent events like ours.

We are therefore continuing discussions with several new partners. Some companies finalize their decisions very late, and we naturally remain open to all meetings.

Each new partnership allows us to concretely improve the experience offered to players and the public.

FIP MARNES: Victor Teboul and Adrien Westermann
FIP MARNES: Victor Teboul and Adrien Westermann
FIP MARNES: Victor Teboul and Adrien Westermann

 Padel Magazine Why would a company choose to support a Bronze FIP? 

 Adrien Westermann: 
Because padel is currently experiencing exceptional momentum.

Between the clubs that are developing all over France, the Alpine Paris Major, initiatives like FIP Promises, which remarkably highlighted the young generation this summer, and all the players who contribute to growing this sport, we are happy to also contribute our own piece to the puzzle.

Our ambition is not to compete with the biggest events.

The aim is to create a warm, accessible and human-sized event, in an exceptional setting on the outskirts of Paris.

For a company, this is an opportunity to meet nearly  200 international players their entourages, several hundred enthusiasts present during the week and a digital community that continues to grow.

We strongly believe in this closeness and authenticity.

 Padel Magazine Doesn't organizing a tournament at the end of August complicate things? 

 Adrien Westermann: 
For partnerships, this is obviously not the ideal time.

Schedules are full, many decision-makers are still on vacation, and some budgets are only approved at the last minute.

Fortunately, we had initiated many of the discussions back in May. This allows us to approach the start of the new academic year with greater clarity.

But if some companies still wish to join the adventure, there is still time to talk.

 Victor Teboul: 
From an organizational point of view, this also requires a lot of anticipation.

Fortunately, we can count on the support of Forest Hill, the FFT, the Île-de-France League and all the teams involved in the tournament.

We also learned a great deal during this first edition.

All we can do now is cross our fingers and hope for weather as pleasant as in the spring!

 Padel Magazine : If you had to convince a padel enthusiast to come to Marnes-la-Coquette, what would you tell them? 

 Victor Teboul: 
Let the show begin right from the qualifying rounds.

Registrations are open until  20 August  and we hope to welcome many French players.

For spectators, the meeting point is...  August 31 to September 5 , just fifteen minutes from Porte d'Auteuil.

The setting is magnificent, access is easy, entry is free and it's an opportunity to see international players up close, in a friendly atmosphere.

The finals will take place on Saturday in the early afternoon to allow players who wish to do so to join Roland-Garros and participate, from Sunday, in the start of the Alpine Paris Major qualifications.

We felt it was important that these two events flow together naturally. Each has its own place, identity and audience, but together they offer players and enthusiasts alike nearly two weeks of fantastic padel in the Île-de-France region.

This is excellent news for the development of our sport.

 Padel Magazine One last word? 

 Victor Teboul: 
We dream that this week will become, over the years, an eagerly awaited event on the French FIP calendar.

With great humility, we want to build a tournament where players enjoy coming back, where partners find meaning in their commitment, and where enthusiasts know they will have a great week of padel.

We still have a lot to improve, but this continuous progress is part of the project.

To extend this great run in the Île-de-France region, we will also offer all players registered for the qualifiers before the  15 August  a place to attend the Alpine Paris Major between Sunday and Tuesday.

A way to celebrate together almost two weeks of very high-level padel in Île-de-France and to create a real common thread between our tournament and the Alpine Paris Major.

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