As padel surges in popularity, attracting millions of new players across the globe, there’s an increasing demand for a unified, system-agnostic rating engine that brings clarity and consistency to the sport. Similar to what SquashLevels has achieved in squash, the creation of a dynamic and precise global rating system for padel would offer immense value for players, clubs, and organisations. In this piece, we explore why such a system is essential, the challenges of building it, and how LevelTech is poised to lead the way with an advanced ratings engine that works for everyone.

The Success of SquashLevels: A Proven Model

Let’s start by looking at the success of SquashLevels. Over the past few years, this dynamic rating system has become the go-to for squash players worldwide, offering a calibrated, data-driven solution that helps players of all abilities track their progress and see how they rank compared to others across the globe. The key to this success is not just the simplicity of the ratings but also the sophistication behind the scenes.

What makes SquashLevels unique is the fact that the algorithm goes beyond maths to take behavioural modeling into account. This isn’t just about who wins and loses, but about understanding the context of a match by narrowing in on the points score whilst considering behavioural factors that will effect the outcome – This depth of insight is a crucial element in building a truly reflective and accurate rating system.

What SquashLevels has done for squash, LevelTech aims to replicate and expand within the padel world, introducing a unified, global system that can operate independently of specific platforms or organisations.

The Problem: Fragmented Ratings in the Padel World

Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports globally, particularly in countries like Spain, Sweden, and across Latin America. However, as the sport grows, so does the fragmentation of player ratings. Different booking platforms and various national federations each have their own rating systems. While these systems may work locally or within their own networks, they create inconsistencies when players move between regions, clubs, or platforms.

This fragmentation makes it difficult for players to know where they stand on a global scale. It also hampers the sport’s development by limiting cross-border competition and making it harder for tournaments to fairly seed players from different regions. Without a unified standard, players can’t easily compare themselves to international competitors, which inhibits the creation of a global community within the sport.

The Vision: A Unified, Global Padel Rating System

A unified, global rating system for padel would revolutionise the sport. It would allow players to track their progress accurately, whether they’re playing at their local club in Barcelona or in an international tournament in Buenos Aires. With a system-agnostic engine like LevelTech’s, this global vision becomes possible.

By partnering with clubs, booking tools and national federations, LevelTech’s API-driven model can offer a unified back-end solution that works seamlessly across multiple platforms. The goal isn’t to replace existing systems but to complement them. Players would still book courts, enter tournaments, and manage their memberships through their usual platforms, but their ratings would be powered by LevelTech’s behavioural engine – a system designed to facilitate growth through partnerships allowing the whole ecosystem to thrive. 

This collaborative model is not about competition, but about cooperation. We believe in working with existing platforms and federations, empowering them to maintain their core business models while adding value through advanced ratings. By doing this, we strengthen the sport as a whole, bringing players together into a more cohesive and globally connected community.

The Importance of International Calibration

One of the most crucial aspects of a global rating system is international calibration. In squash, SquashLevels has successfully built a model that calibrates players across different regions, allowing them to compete fairly and transparently no matter where they are in the world. This is exactly what we envision for padel.

Calibrating across time and space is a complex challenge. Players’ performances can fluctuate depending on various factors – their opponents, match environments, and time away from the sport. Our system uses behavioural modeling to address this complexity, ensuring that player ratings remain accurate and relevant over time.

The importance of calibration cannot be overstated. Without it, a player ranked in Sweden may have no idea how they compare to someone of a similar level in Spain. Unified ratings bring clarity and fairness, helping players know where they stand, no matter where they are. A player with a 3.1 rating should hold that same level in both territories if we’re to create a true global system. Calibration is crucial to achieve this, but it’s challenging, especially in regions where isolated pockets of players exist. However, this is exactly what LevelTech does – ensuring ratings are accurate and comparable worldwide. It’s no good allowing players to feel confident in their level within a weaker country, only to be outclassed when they compete in Spain or Italy by opponents supposedly at the same rating. True competition and fairness across borders depend on this consistency.

Why Building a Rating System is Hard – And Why It’s Best Left to Experts

While many platforms treat ratings as a secondary feature, building an effective rating system is an incredibly complex task that should not be taken lightly. It requires a deep understanding of player behaviour, statistical modeling, and game dynamics. SquashLevels succeeded because it was built by experts over the course of a decde who understand these nuances, and LevelTech brings the same level of expertise to padel.

Creating a rating system that works across different platforms, clubs, and regions requires:

• Extensive data collection and aggregation.
• Sophisticated algorithms that account for not just match results but the context of those results.
• Constant recalibration and refinement to ensure accuracy over time.
• And most importantly, global collaboration to bring all the pieces together.

These are not trivial tasks, and it’s why LevelTech positions itself as a partner to existing platforms rather than a competitor. Our API-driven model allows for seamless integration, enabling platforms to outsource the complexity of ratings to experts, while they focus on their core business – bookings, tournaments, and player engagement.

LevelTech’s Solution: An API-Driven, System-Agnostic Engine

At LevelTech, our vision is to build a unified rating engine that benefits the entire padel ecosystem. Our API model allows any platform, club, or federation to tap into our rating system without having to overhaul their entire infrastructure. We take care of the ratings – the calculations, the behavioural insights, and the calibration – while platforms can continue to focus on their unique selling propositions like tournaments, bookings, and community-building.

We’ve already seen the value of this model in squash, and now we’re ready to take it to the padel world. By providing a unified ratings engine, we help:

• Players: Know where they stand, no matter where they play.
• Clubs and Platforms: Offer better match-making and more competitive tournaments.
• Federations: Create fair, globally calibrated competitions.

Conclusion: Building the Future of Padel Together

The future of padel lies in collaboration and community-building. By working together to build a unified, system-agnostic rating system, we can unlock new levels of growth and engagement for the sport. The complexities of ratings should not be treated as an afterthought – they are central to the player experience, and outsourcing this to experts ensures that platforms can deliver the best possible experience to their users.

At LevelTech, we are committed to creating a global, connected padel community, and we invite everyone – from platforms to federations to clubs – to join us on this journey. Together, we can build a rating system that empowers players, strengthens the sport, and drives the future of padel forward.

Next Steps:

If you’re interested in learning more about our API model or how LevelTech can integrate into your platform, reach out to us today.