Sport Lovers

What Sport Lovers does

Sport Lovers Unipessoal, Lda. is a Portuguese B2B brand representation firm founded in 2016 and headquartered in Maia, Portugal. The company holds exclusive representation rights in Portugal for four international racket sports brands: Tecnifibre (French manufacturer of tennis, padel, and squash equipment; represented since January 2022), Lacoste Sport (French tennis and golf apparel/footwear line, represented since 2016), Celabasa (Spanish manufacturer of clay court surfaces, construction, and maintenance products since 1984, represented since 2016), and All American Education (US university tennis scholarship advisory service, represented since 2016). The portfolio spans the full racket sports value chain — racquets, strings, balls, apparel, footwear, accessories, court infrastructure, and complementary athlete services.

The company operates a distribution network reaching sports clubs, academies, and specialized retail stores across continental Portugal and the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. Retail partners include ProTennis (Lisbon/Oeiras area), Racket City (Porto, two stores), and VTennis (Porto), with dozens of additional tennis, padel, and squash clubs purchasing directly. Sport Lovers does not sell to individual consumers. The go-to-market blends channel partner distribution with event-driven promotion: the company sponsors national and regional champions across padel, squash, and tennis, and maintains an active blog plus social presence on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp Business to support B2B engagement.

Revenue is generated through hardware sales margins on represented equipment, apparel, accessories, and court surface products sold B2B. The company is privately held as a Unipessoal, Lda. (single-member limited liability company), with no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or revenue figures. Founder Sérgio Horta leads the firm, and headcount sits in the 11–50 range.

Name

Sport Lovers

Legal name

Sport Lovers Unipessoal, Lda.

Website

https://sportlovers.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sport Lovers is a Portuguese B2B brand representation firm founded in 2016 that exclusively represents Tecnifibre, Lacoste Sport, Celabasa, and All American Education in the Portuguese racket sports market, distributing equipment, apparel, and court surfaces to clubs, academies, and retailers nationwide including the Azores and Madeira.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports equipment brand representation and distribution

NAICS

Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42391), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Racquet Sports (Tennis/Pickleball/Badminton/Squash) Retail (CRAMABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Racquet Sport Footwear & Apparel Retail (CRAMAFAI), Racquet Stringing, Grips & Customization Supplies Retail (CRAMAFAF), Racquet Sport Balls & Shuttlecocks Retail (CRAMAFAH)

Keywords

• Racket sports equipment
• Sports brand representation
• B2B sports distribution
• Tennis padel squash
• Clay court construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Maia

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Brand Representation and Distribution: Sport Lovers generates revenue by acting as the exclusive representative and distributor of international racket sports brands in Portugal. They sell equipment, accessories, and apparel to businesses, clubs, and associations in the B2B market.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sport Lovers is the exclusive Portuguese representative of four international racket sports brands: Tecnifibre (tennis, squash, and padel equipment including rackets, strings, balls, bags, and apparel), Lacoste Sport (tennis apparel, footwear, and accessories), Celabasa (clay court construction, terra batida, and court maintenance products), and All American Education (US university tennis scholarship advisory). The company sells these represented brands' products exclusively on a B2B basis to sports clubs, federations, associations, retail stores, and tournament organizers across continental Portugal and the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.

Product overview

Sport Lovers is a B2B brand representation company for racket sports (tennis, squash, padel) in Portugal. It represents four major brands: All American Education (academic and sports scholarships for US universities), Celabasa (clay court construction, maintenance, and accessories), Lacoste Sport (tennis and golf sporting goods), and Tecnifibre (racket sports equipment including rackets, strings, balls, bags, grips, and clothing). Tecnifibre products include multiple tennis racket lines (T-Fight, Fire, Tempo, TF-40, TF-X1), squash rackets (Carboflex, Slash), padel rackets (Bomba, Curva), strings (Razor Spin), and clothing collections (X-Loop, Pro, Club).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tecnifibre Portugal Representation Exclusive Portuguese representation of Tecnifibre, the French racket sports equipment manufacturer (founded 1979) specializing in tennis, squash, and padel rackets, strings, balls, bags, grips, clothing, and accessories. Sold B2B to clubs, federations, and retail stores.
• Lacoste Sport Portugal Representation Exclusive Portuguese representation of the Lacoste Sport tennis collection, including apparel, footwear, and accessories, distributed to exclusive retail partners ProTennis (Lisbon/Oeiras) and Racket City (Porto).
• Celabasa Portugal Representation Exclusive Portuguese representation of Celabasa (Spanish clay court manufacturer since 1984), providing terra batida (red clay), court construction, maintenance, repair, accessories (nets, posts, lines, sweeping machines, drying rollers), and training services to clubs, federations, and tournament organizers.
• All American Education Portugal Representation Exclusive Portuguese representation of All American Education's tennis scholarship advisory, helping student-athletes obtain academic and athletic scholarships at US universities while continuing competitive tennis careers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of players improved their ball trajectory when switching to Tecnifibre Curva padel racquets
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Infinite AthleticminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Tecnifibre partnered with Infinite Athletic (a Spanish company from the Barcelona area) to create the X-Loop collection - t-shirts made from recycled polyester fibers from used tennis strings. This unique and exclusive worldwide project represents Tecnifibre's commitment to sustainability and circular economy in sports apparel.
• TecnifibreflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Sport Lovers represents Tecnifibre in Portugal since January 1, 2022. Tecnifibre is a French company (founded 1979) specializing in tennis, squash, and padel equipment. The partnership dates back to the management team's connection with the brand since 2005, with the brand being represented in Portugal since 1993. Sport Lovers provides distribution, athlete sponsorship, and marketing support for Tecnifibre products throughout Portugal including stores and clubs in the mainland and archipelagos.
• Lacoste SportflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Sport Lovers is the exclusive representative of the Lacoste Sport tennis line in Portugal. Lacoste Sport is the sports division of the French brand founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste, known for the iconic crocodile logo. Sport Lovers distributes Lacoste Sport tennis apparel, footwear, and accessories to exclusive retail partners including ProTennis and Racket City.
• CelabasacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Sport Lovers has represented Celabasa exclusively in Portugal since 2016. Celabasa is a Spanish company (founded 1978, based in Carlet, Valencia) specializing in construction, maintenance, and repair of tennis and padel court installations. They manufacture terra batida (red clay) since 1984 and are the largest Spanish manufacturer. Sport Lovers distributes Celabasa's court surfaces, accessories, and maintenance products to Portuguese clubs and facilities.
• All American EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Sport Lovers is the exclusive representative of the tennis modality of All American Education in Portugal since 2016. All American is a company specializing in obtaining academic and sports scholarships in the United States. Founded by former student-athletes graduated from renowned US universities, the company helps students develop academic careers while practicing sports at a high level. Sport Lovers forwards tennis scholarship inquiries to All American.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Nox Padel: Padel equipment brand distributed across Iberia and Europe. Comparable as a padel specialist whose products compete directly with Tecnifibre's Bomba and Curva lines in Portuguese clubs.
• Karakal: British squash equipment brand with European distribution. Comparable as a competing squash equipment line competing for retail and club shelf space against Tecnifibre's Slash and Carboflex in Portugal.
• Bullpadel: Spanish padel equipment brand with strong Iberian retail presence. Comparable as a padel-focused competitor brand competing for shelf space at the same retail partners (ProTennis, Racket City, VTennis) Sport Lovers supplies.

Broad incumbents

• Dunlop Sports: Established racket sports brand with tennis, padel, and squash lines distributed across Europe. Comparable as a competing principal whose own distribution may overlap with Sport Lovers' territory.
• Wilson Sporting Goods: US-headquartered racket sports brand with own European distribution. Comparable as a competing equipment portfolio across tennis, padel, and squash in Portuguese retail channels.
• HEAD Sport GmbH: Global racket sports equipment brand (tennis, padel, squash, racquetball) with own direct distribution in Iberia. Comparable as a competing brand whose products sit alongside Tecnifibre in Portuguese retail stores and clubs.
• Babolat: French tennis and padel equipment manufacturer since 1875 with established Portuguese distribution. Comparable as a direct equipment competitor and alternative supplier to the same clubs and retailers Sport Lovers serves.

Others

• Lacoste Sport: Sporting goods division of the French Lacoste brand (founded 1933) and Sport Lovers' exclusive tennis apparel/footwear principal since 2016. Comparable as the brand principal whose apparel line Sport Lovers distributes.
• Tecnifibre: French racket sports equipment manufacturer founded 1979 and Sport Lovers' flagship principal since 2022. Comparable as the originating brand behind much of Sport Lovers' product portfolio, including tennis, padel, and squash lines.
• Celabasa: Spanish clay court construction and terra batida manufacturer since 1984, represented by Sport Lovers in Portugal since 2016. Comparable as a principal supplier whose court-construction and maintenance line Sport Lovers sells into Portuguese clubs and federations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sportloverspt
• Facebookfacebook.com/sportloverspt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sport-lovers
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportloverspt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sport Lovers