Padel convert to Coach

Steve at Oliva Nova Golf & Beach Resort.

Meet Steve Cutler. Our new coach at Oliva Nova Resort in Spain. Born in Hampshire, Steve grew up in Sussex.

But how did he end up here? I spoke with him to find out why, and what his aspirations are for our flagship Spanish padel club.

Steve’s always been into sport. Having played football to county level in Sussex as a boy, and then hockey, four years ago after moving to Spain padel became his new obsession.

Steve quite literally got obsessed with the game: “My friend asked me to come play padel and after that game I got hooked. I would play two to three times a day, most days and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

After getting involved with a kids club, Steve’s involvement with coaching the game took off: “I got asked to help out with a kids club, a lot of kids were there but not a lot of coaches. It just exploded after that. Parents would come up to me and ask about adult lessons. I then realised, if I want to do this then I might as well do my Padelmba, that’s when I completed the first course.”

“I went in doing three to four hours, then suddenly it was twenty hours a week. In the blink of an eye, I was pretty much a full-time coach.”

Steve’s life changed in only a matter of months. He was recommended to do our Certified Coaching Course: “I went online, spoke to a local place in Spain and they said to just do the Padelmba course. It was handy as it was taught in English as usually most courses here are in Spanish.”

But while speaking English, playing like a Spaniard worked to Steve’s benefit: “I was worried I was going to be the guy on the course who didn’t know much. But I didn’t feel out of my depth and this was all down to me playing the Spanish way rather than the English way. The Spanish way is very relaxed, nothing is rushed. It gave me an advantage going into the course.”

How would you describe the course?

“Eye opening, I realised it doesn’t matter the level of person I was coaching. I’d be able to coach them comfortably. Enjoyable and hands-on. The course wasn’t all in the classroom, it was very much on court the majority of the time. I definitely learned more from it being hands-on.”

But how did Steve end up at Oliva Nova doing our CPC Plus? Let’s rewind. Steve is very much an advocate of using Facebook to promote locally:

“I got a message on Facebook from a lady, asking me if I could help with a ladies’ day she was hosting. She needed a coach to help.”

It happened to be the case that Abbey Rose [Breakfast Club Founder at Oliva Nova – previous blog] was there and she was talking to me about Oliva Nova. I said why don’t I bring a group of ladies that I coach to her club for a big tournament of 48 players for a league-style event. This is where I met James [G4P’s National Development Manager] and the rest is history. They wanted me to come and help grow the club.”

It just shows you what can come about from a simple Facebook enquiry. But what does Steve hope to achieve at Oliva Nova?

“My main task is to improve court utilisation – to put on events and pretty much work with what we have and make it bigger!”

Oliva Nova Padel Club isn’t well known in the surrounding area and this is something Steve wants to change: “I live half an hour away and I didn’t even know about it. I can’t believe how this club with seven amazing courts isn’t permanently busy.”

“I want Oliva Nova to become the home of padel in the Costa Blanca.”

Steve is very determined and has already said the key is to: “get people here and retain them”. He’s already made contact with local charities to hold events here.

It’s clear Steve is passionate about the club and it will be exciting to see how it grows in the coming months.

Something I was keen to find out from him was why people should pick up a padel racket?

“It’s the perfect sport to stay fit and healthy, great social side and is ideal for meeting like-minded people. A funny thing at Oliva Nova is the number of people who have picked up padel who are estate agents – they know it's their best marketplace. They don’t need to advertise as word of mouth does it for them. There are often three or four estate agents all playing at the same time!”

What advice would Steve give his previous self before undertaking our CPC Plus course?

“I would take my time more as a player, relax more. And I would have focused more on my preparation. It’s also more about what you do off the ball than hitting the ball, where you place it.”

Any final words?

“Game4Padel have been vital to this journey 100%. I am really excited for the challenge here at Oliva. It’s also part of a bigger thing – a growing phenomenon in the UK. It’s nice to be a part of something”.

A huge thanks to Steve Cutler for chatting to me. The Game4Padel team wishes you every success in growing the club at Oliva Nova.

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