the Pro Padel League (PPL), North America’s first professional padel league, is announcing the acquisition of the Houston franchise by Sergio Ortiz and partners. Ortiz is the former United States Padel Association President (USPA) and current President, and CEO, of Sports Facilities Investment Group headquartered in Woodlands, Texas.
The tenth PPL franchise purchased since 2022, the Houston Volts have appointed Juani Mieres as Sports Advisor to the team with Diego Pezzoni named their Head Coach. Miernes is the former No. 1 ranked player on the World Padel Tour (WPT), former No. 2 WPT player for six years, four-time World Champion, winner of 22 WPT titles, and eight-time Spanish Champion. Pezzoni has been the USA Junior Padel Team Head Coach since 2019.
“We are honored to have former USPA President, Sergio Ortiz, be the owner of the new Houston franchise,” said Marcos del Pilar, PPL Commissioner. “Along with his great partners, Ortiz is contributing to growing padel in Houston by opening a world-class facility next year that will be home to the Houston Volts. We are excited for his team to compete in our 2024 season.”
Sponsored by major Spanish apparel brand JOMA for their training and travel apparel, the Houston Volts carefully selected their team’s name to mirror the spirit of a city that is alive with energy and rich in diversity. The fourth largest city in the U.S., Houston is a popular international destination and is to home to the NASA Johnson Space Center and some of the best professional sports teams in the country. These include the Houston Astros, Houston Dynamo, and Houston Rockets who all have names related to energy and space like the Houston Volts.
Coinciding with their acquisition, the Houston Volts are announcing their recently signed players to the team. Providing them with an opportunity to launch their careers by being a part of the PPL, the Houston Volts are aiming to develop the next generation of champions with their young talent and build a winning team for the future.
“Joining the PPL as Houston’s franchise owner made a lot of sense to my partners and I since we are developing PELOTA Padel Club, a new, prestigious padel venue in Houston,” commented Sergio Ortiz, Owner of the Houston Volts. “Selecting young, talented players for our team was the easy part. I firmly believe the future of the sport belongs to the youth in the world, and it is from the youth that padel will enlighten our everyday lives!”
