From production to padel – directors play their part in promoting Malaysia’s padel scene

What began as a pastime among office colleagues and friends just a year ago has since become an obsession for Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin Tengku Noone Aziz and his partners at Directors Think Tank, one of Malaysia’s leading production houses.

Their passion for padel drove Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin – better known as Maurice Noone – and his partners to open a padel club in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

“It was my partners who came up with the idea to open a padel club, as everyone in the company enjoys the sport, and it is growing in popularity in Malaysia,” said Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin.

“They’re so serious about it that they travelled to Phuket, Thailand, and Bali, Indonesia, to play and train.”

While in Bali, they met Carlos (Carrillo), the CEO of APPT (Asia Pacific Padel Tour), and went on to watch several tournaments,” he added.

Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin said several of their friends entered various amateur tournaments, further convincing them that opening a club was the right move.

“We started building it in June, had a soft launch at the end of August, and officially opened Joy Division Padel Club in September,” said Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin.

“We are thrilled with the response, and we are honoured to host Malaysia’s first Asia Pacific Padel Tour tournament, which ends on Sunday.”

The tournament has attracted 211 players from 37 countries and offered US$6,500 in prize money.

Last month, Joy Division Padel Club helped several Malaysian players compete in the Asia Pacific Padel Cup in Bali, Indonesia, where the team finished fourth.

From directing to sports

Lights, camera, action! These are words Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin is typically associated with as a co-founder of Directors Think Tank.

So, why the switch from creating advertisements, television series, and movies, to sports?

“We’ve always been strong believers in giving back to the community. When we started playing padel, we noticed it was bringing people together,” said Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin.

“We saw the opportunity and how it united us in having fun. What started as a side project gained so much momentum.”

“Being a production company, we already have a strong rapport with leading brands, some of whom are also interested in the sport. So, we managed to get some of them on board.”

Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin said he and his partners leveraged their expertise in shooting videos to create promotional content and helped Australia’s Matty Thomas, one of the world’s leading padel coaches, produce training videos.

“So, besides organising tournaments, we are also promoting the sport. We want to raise the profile of some of our players since padel is still a relatively new sport in Malaysia,” he explained.

“The players who went to Bali had only a month’s training. The Philippines team is supported by their government and enjoys a high profile, as one of their players is a senator.”

“They train in Spain for three months each year, so their level is much higher.”

Getting organised

Tengku Mu’amir Izzuddin said Malaysia doesn’t have a national body for padel, but he is hopeful the country will have one by next year.

Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Negeri Sembilan are working on forming state associations, and once these are in place, he believes it will be easier to establish a national federation.

“There are three or four clubs in Kuala Lumpur ready to form an association. Selangor and Negeri Sembilan are also on the verge of doing so,” he said.

“Joy Division Padel is doing our part to help players, but there must be a concerted effort to take Malaysia to the next level.”

“Once we have a national federation, it will also be easier for players to secure sponsorships,” he added.