Life wouldn’t be the same if I couldn’t practice this sport

Marcos Miró is Ibiza Padel Indoor co-founder, a padeland leisure club expanded over 10,000 square metres that opened in January 2017 with the idea to become a unique social club. Marcos wanted to attract people with a competitive and sportive spirit and create a big family.

This Ibizan entrepreneur combines his passion for sport with another business, Exclusivas Miró, a family run company dedicated to distributing spirit that is now leader not just only on the island but also nationwide.

Why do you recommend our readers to visit Ibiza? And Formentera?

Both islands are spectacular, however for me Ibiza is unique. It has a special magic and charm unrivalled by any other tourist destinations. Also, in this island you can enjoy much more than just amazing nightlife, you also have beautiful beaches in the areas of San Juan and San José, gorgeous countryside, culture, and above all… its people.

What makes the islands that special in winter?

The tranquillity and relaxation. However,I feel like the island is not promoted enough in terms of all the activities that can be done here in winter, especially sport activities. The low season is perfect to practice tennis at Club de Campo with its amazing clay courts orplay padel tennis in our club as it features indoor and outdoor padel courts, plus an increasing number of members. Then you have a wide selection of water sports, cycling and hiking routes that lead you to secluded places. The smaller affluence of tourist allow you to enjoy all these activities fully.

What is your favourite spot in Ibiza and Formentera?

I have several. In Formentera we love Cala Saona and in Ibiza S’Illot des Renclí and Cala Xarraca, although the crystal waters in Cala Comte and Portinatx are also perfect to enjoy with the family.

Let’s talk about your industry. What makes Ibiza Padel Indoor different from the rest of sport clubs on the island?

We are the only club that features indoor courts, we have six courts inside our indoor sport hall. This allows the players to have the same quality and conditions all year round. The rain, wind, humidity, cold or heat do not affect the game, but I must say visitors love to play outdoors in summer because it is sunny and, during the first and last hours of the day the temperature is ideal to play.

Another feature that differentiates us is that Ibiza Padel Indoor is focused on being a social club with spaces to enjoy a drink with your friends after the game, also as a meeting point to interact with potential new opponents or partners and to play tournaments that gather 300 players and are ideal to make new friends and create that family club vibe.

We have also created two physiotherapy rooms to treat emergencies or injuries and a Kids Club where parents can leave their children while they are playingpadel, host birthday parties or even enrol them in the summer or Christmas camps.

Does padel attract more followers in summer?

We have players all year round. We have even lots of expats and island visitors that come to play a game and then they bring their laptop to work from here. Since COVID we have noticed an affluence of this type of customers who have moved their permanent residence to the island.

The main two countries that developed padel were Spain and Argentina, with numbers increasing year after year. However, it is curious that some of the countries that did not practice or knew about this sport are now the ones where padel is growing exponentially, places such as United States, Asian countries and some parts of Europe. For example, every year we welcome more and more players from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany, people who had never played this sport before and favoured tennis instead. Now they have become our regulars.

When you started working on this project what did you exactly want to create? Have you achieved it?

I had a clear idea because at that moment I could see the sport’s potential. We were the first ones to build a glass court in Ibiza; before then, they were made from concrete walls. Then the building technique evolvedPerspex was used and now courts are made from semirigid glass;an incredible contribution. I built the first courttogether with my partner and then we slowly started to build more and more.

I could say we have achieved our goals and now we are continuously evolving. We have requested to host the Spanish championship for next year, which will be celebrated in May. We do not know exactly which of the categories, just that it will be an absolute and that the Spanish federation is happy to host it here as the destination and club are ideal for a competition of this calibre.

Would you like to expand Ibiza Padel Indoor and take it to new points on the island?

I have a several ideas in mind as in Ibiza there is a lack of this type of installations; there is more demand than offer. Right now, we have lots of people trying to book courts, but we do not have enough, so I believe we could build another club on a strategic location. However, Ibiza is very complicated and expensive in terms of plots of lands. We also must remember we are renting courts for just a few euros so the investment cannot be too high to make it profitable.

Do you have any fun anecdote about celebrity sportsmen coming into the club?

In 2018, Juan Lebron, world’s number one in padel, asked for a bucket of balls to coach his friend. Our manager did not realise who he was and when he saw him playing, he was so shocked that he insisted on playing with him. We have also welcomed football star Ronaldo; he often comes in and sits here to watch the games.

I always say the club is like the sport version of Lio, celebrities go there for the nightlife and come here for the sport.