Fritidsbanken

What Fritidsbanken does

Fritidsbanken is a Swedish non-profit association (ideell förening) founded in 2013 that operates a free library-style lending system for sports and leisure equipment. Borrowers can take items for up to 14 days at no cost, with no deposits, fees, or late charges. Over 90% of local branches are operated by Swedish municipalities, which fund local staff, premises, and operations; the national kansli in Karlstad handles franchise establishment, quality assurance, partnerships, brand, and communications. The organization has scaled to 131 locations across more than 40% of Sweden's municipalities and circulated 2.2 million articles in 2025.

The core technology is Bankboken, a proprietary digital lending system provided to member municipalities that handles equipment registration, lending logistics, and automated performance statistics. Beyond general sports and outdoor gear, Fritidsbanken has built out specialized programs: a school lending program (Skol-lån) for recess and PE, an adaptive-equipment vertical (Fritidshjälpmedel) for persons with disabilities integrated with healthcare referrals (FaR prescriptions, BUP), and an event-based certification model for accessible cycling races co-developed with Swedish sports federations. Strategic partnerships include Swedish Sports Confederation, Svenskt Friluftsliv, Swedish Cycling Federation, and the EU-funded ReSolutions project.

Revenue mechanics are non-commercial: the national entity is funded by grants from foundations (The Crown Princess Margaretas Foundation, Family Erling-Persson Foundation, Freemasons Foundation, etc.), regional governments (Värmland, Västra Götaland), and the Swedish Sports Confederation; local branches are separately funded by their host municipalities. Donations of equipment and money are accepted from companies and individuals. The organization is statutorily prohibited from operating for profit. Recognition includes twelve awards since 2013, including Årets Samhällsaktör 2024 and Årets barnrättsinitiativ 2025.

Name

Fritidsbanken

Legal name

Fritidsbanken Sverige

Website

https://fritidsbanken.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fritidsbanken is a Swedish non-profit association that lends sports and leisure equipment free of charge for 14 days through 131 branches operated primarily by municipalities, circulating 2.2 million items in 2025. It serves private individuals, schools, and persons with disabilities through a national network coordinated from Karlstad.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Equipment Lending Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling (HSAKALAI)

Keywords

• Sports equipment lending
• Equipment library services
• Municipal leisure programs
• Adaptive sports equipment rental
• Circular economy sports

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlstad

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Municipal Funding: Local Fritidsbanken branches are primarily financed by municipalities. The local principal is responsible for ensuring funds for staff, premises rent, and other expenses.
2. Grants and Donations: Fritidsbanken Sverige receives grants from various organizations including Swedish Sports Confederation, Swedish Central Association for the Promotion of Sports, The Crown Princess Margaretas Foundation, Värmland Region, Västra Götaland Region, and The Freemasons Foundation. Additional grants from Family Erling-Persson Foundation, Kronprinsessan Margaretas Minnesfond, Radiohjälpen Kronprinsessan Victorias fond, Stiftelsen Frimurare Barnhuset i Stockholm, and others.
3. Donations: Money donations accepted from companies and individuals without counterclaims. Used primarily to spread the concept to more municipalities and continuously work with quality development at existing Fritidsbank locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fritidsbanken operates a free "library for sports and leisure items" where anyone in Sweden can borrow donated sports and outdoor equipment at no cost for a 14-day lending period. The organization runs 131 physical branches across more than 40% of Swedish municipalities, supported by a digital lending system called Bankboken that member municipalities use to manage equipment registration, loans, and reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Sports & Leisure Equipment Lending Free lending of donated sports and leisure equipment for 14 days, available to anyone in Sweden through 131 branch locations.
• School Lending Program (Skol-lån) Formal cooperation program with schools for borrowing equipment for recess, physical education, outdoor days, and after-school programs, including "mini-Fritidsbank" setups on school premises for extended lending periods.
• Adaptive Equipment Lending (Fritidshjälpmedel) Specialized lending of adaptive and parasport equipment (including terrain wheelchairs, paraboule sets, magneters) for persons with disabilities, supported by regional funding and partnerships with Parasport organizations.
• Fritidsbanken Establishment Service Membership and establishment support for municipalities and community organizations to set up a local Fritidsbanken branch, including access to the Bankboken digital lending system, training, and ongoing national coordination.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% climate impact reduction compared to linear model when maintaining and repairing equipment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ReSolutions (EU Project)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Interreg Central Baltic project 2025-2028 encouraging innovative recycling methods. Project partners include South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Kymenlaakson Jäte Ltd, Parik foundation, Föreningsalliansen Bollnäs, BORAB, Green Liberty, Liepajas RAS LTD, and Ltd. ZAAO.
• Svenskt FriluftslivcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2025National partnership to give more people opportunity to discover outdoor life and find their way to outdoor organizations. Includes QR codes at locations linking to local activities.
• Swedish Cycling Federation (Svenska Cykelförbundet)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2025Multi-year collaboration focusing on cycling in general and paracycling in particular. Now developing certification model for accessible cycling races.
• VätternrundancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership to make cycling races accessible to more people including those with disabilities. Collaborating on certification of accessible cycling events.
• Region VästerbottencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Region provides funding through Socialstyrelsen for adaptive equipment. Helps connect FaR (prescription of physical activity) patients with Fritidsbanken. Also collaborates with Parasport Västerbotten.
• Parasport VästerbottenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration to reach target groups for adaptive sports equipment in Västerbotten region.
• Scouterna, Sportfiskarna, FriluftsfrämjandetminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Initial partners in collaboration with Svenskt Friluftsliv, providing QR code links to activities offered by these outdoor organizations.
• Swedish Boule Federation (Svenska Bouleförbundet)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2024Federation received funding from Swedish Sports Confederation to purchase paraboule equipment and donate sets with soft balls and magneters to all Fritidsbanken locations.
• Swedish Casting Federation (Svenska Castingförbundet)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership to increase interest in casting sport. Fritidsbanken offers casting equipment at several locations with staff trained to help beginners get started.
• Swedish Curling Federation (Svenska Curlingförbundet)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership for floor curling sets that can be played anywhere. Equipment is portable and suitable for lending.
• Swedish School Sports Federation (Svenska Skolidrottsförbundet)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Nearly 1000 school sports clubs exist. Partnership ensures necessary equipment is available and students can borrow equipment for free time activities.
• Swedish Archery Federation (Svenska Bågskytteförbundet)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership to spark interest in archery. Due to safety risks, archery is offered at selected events with instructors rather than general lending.
• Swedish Triathlon Federation (Svenska Triathlonförbundet)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership to raise awareness of triathlon (swimming, cycling, running) and encourage more people to try the sport. Also collaborates on paratriathlon.
• Swedish Sports Confederation (Riksidrottsförbundet)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Provides grants to Fritidsbanken Sverige. Project 'SF Material och utrustning' provides funds to sports federations for adaptive equipment to distribute to Fritidsbanken and clubs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Hygglo: Swedish peer-to-peer rental marketplace for personal items including sports and outdoor equipment. Overlaps with Fritidsbanken's product domain (sports/leisure gear lending) but operates a commercial, transaction-fee model rather than a free municipal one.
• Stuffstr: Swedish circular-economy startup enabling trade-in and resale of personal items. Adjacent to Fritidsbanken's reuse model and shares Swedish origin, but operates commercially via retailer integrations.
• Fat Llama: UK-based peer-to-peer rental platform for camera, music and sports equipment. Adjacent business model to Fritidsbanken's equipment-lending concept, but consumer-paid rather than charity-funded.

Direct peers

• Library of Things: UK-based non-profit/enterprise running neighborhood lending libraries for household, garden and leisure items. Closest functional analogue to Fritidsbanken's "library of things" model, though not sport-specific.

Others

• The Restart Project: UK-based non-profit running community repair events and tool libraries to extend product life. Comparable sustainability mission, community-led structure and equipment-sharing ethos, but focused on repair rather than lending.
• Sportello / Sporthallen (municipal Swedish sport infrastructure): Riksidrottsförbundet (Swedish Sports Confederation) and its local federations are core partners of Fritidsbanken and operate complementary municipal sport-development and equipment programs. Useful peer for benchmarking public-sector sport-infrastructure models in Sweden.

Regional players

• Svenskt Friluftsliv: Swedish umbrella organization for outdoor recreation, an active national partner of Fritidsbanken. Comparable Swedish non-profit mission to enable outdoor activity for all, but focused on advocacy and outdoor organizations rather than equipment lending.

Broad incumbents

• REI Co-op: Large US outdoor equipment member-cooperative. Comparable product domain (outdoor and sports gear) and member-governed structure; differs by being a commercial retailer rather than a free municipal lending service.
• Decathlon: Global sports and outdoor equipment retailer with active operations in Sweden. Directly comparable product portfolio (sport/leisure gear) and Swedish retail footprint, but operates a buy-new commercial model opposite to Fritidsbanken's reuse lending.
• Patagonia (Worn Wear): US outdoor brand with a circular-economy trade-in and resale program. Shares Fritidsbanken's reuse/sustainability narrative and outdoor product category but at commercial scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fritidsbanken
• Facebookfacebook.com/fritidsbanken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fritidsbankensverige
• Instagraminstagram.com/fritidsbanken

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 Fritidsbanken