The Afzal Bhatti Player Development Programme

The FLO Sponsorship Programme is built around one simple idea:

We grow with the player.

We do not want to simply give someone a racket, clothing and a bag, place a FLO logo on them and call it sponsorship.

We want to build a genuine relationship with the player.

We want to understand what they need, support where they are going and involve them in developing the equipment they use along the way.

Because a sponsored player should not merely represent FLO.

They should become part of building it.

Their Racket

The process begins by understanding the player.

What are they playing with now?

What do they enjoy about it?

What would they change?

Which shape, weight and balance suit their game?

What combination of foam and face construction gives them the response they want?

How does the racket behave during defence, volleys, overheads and high-pressure competition?

From those conversations, we can begin developing a specification around the player.

That first specification becomes V1.

The player trains and competes with it. They tell us what feels right, what does not and what they begin noticing after spending meaningful time on court.

As their game develops, their requirements may develop too.

Their swing may become faster.

Their technique may improve.

Their tactical role may change.

Their preference for weight, balance, firmness or manoeuvrability may evolve.

The specification should be allowed to evolve with them.

V1 can become V2, V3 and beyond.

Not because newer automatically means better, but because development gives us the opportunity to make increasingly informed decisions.

Their Clothing

We want the same relationship with FLO apparel.

A sponsored player does not simply wear the clothing for a photograph.

They train in it.

Compete in it.

Sweat in it.

Move, serve, stretch and recover in it.

That creates practical questions that cannot be answered by appearance alone.

How does the shirt feel during a long match?

Is the fabric breathable enough?

Does the fit restrict the player when serving or reaching overhead?

Are the shorts the correct length?

Can the pockets comfortably hold padel balls without interfering with movement?

What works in hot outdoor conditions?

What changes when the player competes indoors?

The answers help us move beyond designing clothing that merely looks appropriate for padel.

They help us develop clothing that works for padel.

The sponsored player does not just wear FLO apparel.

They help us improve it.

Their Bag

The same thinking should apply to the player’s bag.

Players who regularly travel between school, work, training and competition understand what a padel bag actually needs to do.

Where should the rackets sit?

How much space is needed for shoes?

Where should wet clothing go after a match?

Can balls, water, grips and accessories remain organised?

Does a junior player need space for school equipment?

Does a travelling player need a protected laptop compartment?

Is the bag comfortable when carried for a long time?

These are not questions best answered from behind a design desk.

They should be answered with the people who use the bag every day.

We listen.

We prototype.

We test.

We improve.

And, just like the racket, Bag V1 can eventually become Bag V2.

A Living Product-Development Programme

This is what we want FLO Sponsorship to become.

The player becomes part of our real-world research and development process.

• Rackets
• Clothing
• Bags
• Balls
• Grips
• Accessories
• Future equipment

They use these products during real training and competition.

They tell us what works.

They tell us what does not.

They help us identify problems that may never become visible during a short product demonstration.

FLO Lab can then help investigate the measurable characteristics behind that experience, while our designers and manufacturing partners explore how the product could be improved.

This creates a continuous development loop:

Listen → Design → Prototype → Play → Measure → Improve

And as the player becomes stronger, faster and more experienced, their requirements may change.

So FLO changes with them.

The Player Remains Part of the Experiment

Measurements matter.

But the player’s experience matters too.

A test may tell us the racket’s weight, balance or rebound behaviour.

The player tells us what that combination feels like during a difficult defensive rally, a fast exchange at the net or a pressured match situation.

Both forms of information are valuable.

When a player says:

“This version moves better at the net.”

Or:

“I like the response, but it becomes tiring during longer matches.”

Or:

“The shirt feels good until the conditions become humid.”

Or:

“I need quicker access to my grips and accessories.”

We have something worth investigating.

The player gives us the real-world question.

Testing and development help us search for the answer.

More Than Sponsorship

We are not trying to turn young players into walking advertisements.

We want to build relationships with players whose journeys we genuinely believe in.

FLO supports their development.

They contribute to ours.

Their feedback helps us understand how products behave beyond a factory or testing environment.

And the lessons we learn with them can eventually improve the products used by ordinary club players too.

A sponsored player may help us discover:

• A more forgiving racket specification
• A better-positioned bag compartment
• A more comfortable competition shirt
• A more durable accessory
• A problem that had previously gone unnoticed

The individual player benefits from equipment developed with greater attention to their needs.

The wider FLO community benefits from what that development teaches us.

Growing With the Player

Traditional sponsorship can sometimes feel like a transaction.

The brand gives the player equipment.

The player gives the brand visibility.

Visibility still has value, but we believe the relationship can become more meaningful than that.

Our model is built around mutual development:

FLO supports the player.

The player helps develop FLO.

And we grow together.

That does not mean every suggestion automatically becomes a product change.

It means every piece of thoughtful feedback is listened to, considered and—where possible—tested.

The objective is not endless change.

It is better understanding.

FLO Sponsorship in One Sentence

A long-term partnership in which players are supported with rackets, clothing, bags and equipment selected or developed around their needs—while their real-world experience helps FLO continually improve its products.

Not just sponsored by FLO.

Part of building FLO.