PLAYERS
PLAYERS is a French indoor sports operator running LE FIVE (five-a-side football) and 4PADEL (padel) networks across 33-34 complexes in France and 2 in the US, serving 3.5 million+ annual participants through hourly facility rentals, events, and youth programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What PLAYERS does
PLAYERS (operating as La team PLAYERS) is a privately-held French indoor sports facility operator founded in 2008 and headquartered in Créteil, France. The company runs a multi-brand network of complexes across France (33-34 locations) and the United States (2 facilities in Sacramento, California, since 2019), built around two core verticals: LE FIVE, the dominant five-a-side indoor football brand in France, and 4PADEL, the country's leading padel tennis network with 16 clubs and nearly 100 courts. Supporting brands include ZIDANE FIVE CLUB, a youth football academy hosting 8,000+ children annually, and PLAYERS EVENTS, an agency that organizes approximately 600 corporate and private events each year. PLAYERS reports over 3.5 million annual participants across its facilities.
The underlying platform is a digital booking and payment system enabling online reservations, split payments, individual and team statistics tracking, and video footage services. PLAYERS monetizes through four streams: (1) hourly rental of football pitches, padel courts, and indoor sports facilities on a usage-based model; (2) PLAYERS EVENTS corporate event services on a professional services basis; (3) franchise fees from LE FIVE and 4PADEL operators; and (4) low-cost or free daytime access programs supporting youth and social initiatives, structured as recurring subscription-like engagements with associations and schools. The company operates both directly-owned and franchised complexes and serves individual sports enthusiasts, sports associations and schools, corporate clients, and franchise partners.
The business was formed through the parallel development of LE FIVE and SOCCER PARK networks starting in 2008, their merger in 2016, and the subsequent launches of the 4PADEL brand (2018) and US expansion (2019). The company is owned and led by three cofounders — Guillaume Debelmas, Joseph Viéville, and Tony Jalinier — with no disclosed external institutional investors. PLAYERS has positioned itself as one of the European leaders in indoor sport, with social impact embedded into its model through 400 annual social agreements and 15,000+ hours of social game time.
PLAYERS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PLAYERS
- Legal name
- PLAYERS
- Website
- https://lateamplayers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- PLAYERS is a French indoor sports operator running LE FIVE (five-a-side football) and 4PADEL (padel) networks across 33-34 complexes in France and 2 in the US, serving 3.5 million+ annual participants through hourly facility rentals, events, and youth programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PLAYERS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indoor Sports Facilities
- NAICS
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arenas & Indoor Sports Centers (MPAKAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tennis & Racquet Sports Clubs (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Squash) (MPAKABAF), Venue Booking, Ticketing & Event-Day Services (Box Office, Guest Services) (MPAKAEAO)
Keywords
Where PLAYERS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
PLAYERS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Sports Facility Rental: Revenue from renting 5-a-side football pitches, padel courts, and other indoor sports facilities on an hourly basis
- PLAYERS EVENTS: Corporate and private event organization through the agency's 600 annual events
- Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise partnerships expanding LE FIVE and 4PADEL networks across France
- Daytime Access Programs: Low-cost or free daytime access to facilities for youth programs and social initiatives
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Standard hourly rental rates for sports facilities |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
PLAYERS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PLAYERS operates a multi-brand portfolio of indoor sports facilities across France and the USA. Its core offerings include LE FIVE five-a-side football complexes with synthetic turf pitches, sports bars, and online booking with split payment; 4PADEL padel tennis courts forming France's leading padel network; ZIDANE FIVE CLUB youth football academies; and PLAYERS EVENTS, a corporate event agency organizing approximately 600 events annually. The company also runs a digital booking platform with player statistics, video highlights, and franchise expansion opportunities for both LE FIVE and 4PADEL.
Product overview
PLAYERS operates a multi-brand portfolio of indoor sports facilities across France. The core offerings include LE FIVE (five-a-side football with 34+ facilities featuring online booking, digital statistics, and video highlights) and 4PADEL (France's leading padel tennis network with 16+ clubs and ~100 courts). Supporting brands include ZIDANE FIVE CLUB (youth football academies) and PLAYERS EVENTS (corporate event agency handling ~600 events annually). The company pioneered digitalization in the French indoor sports market, enabling online reservations and split payments, while also operating sports bars at its facilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 4PADEL: Padel tennis courts and clubs, the leading network in France with multiple indoor and outdoor facilities
- LE FIVE
- ZIDANE FIVE CLUB
- PLAYERS EVENTS
Products and services
- LE FIVE LE FIVE is a network of five-a-side (foot5) indoor football complexes with synthetic turf pitches and sports bars, offering online booking, split payments, and digital player statistics and video highlights. It serves individual players, groups, and corporate clients across France and La Réunion, with locations in Paris (Paris 13, Paris 18, Villette) and other French cities.
- 4PADEL 4PADEL is a network of padel tennis court facilities forming France's leading padel network, with both indoor and outdoor courts across 16 clubs and nearly 100 courts nationally. It serves padel players of all levels through hourly court bookings and integrates with the PLAYERS digital booking platform.
- ZIDANE FIVE CLUB ZIDANE FIVE CLUB is a network of football academies and sports camps for children, offering weekly training sessions and development programs for young players. It welcomes over 8,000 children annually across PLAYERS' facilities.
- PLAYERS EVENTS PLAYERS EVENTS is a corporate event agency that organizes approximately 600 events per year, including tournaments, team-building activities, and company events across PLAYERS facilities. It serves corporate clients seeking turnkey sports-based event organization.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3.5 million+ participants annually across all facilities
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PLAYERS
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PLAYERS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
PLAYERS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Emmaüs SolidaritémajorOfficial host venue for Emmaüs Solidarité associative championship with 12 teams from September to February. Sport as vector for inclusion linking different Emmaüs structures.
- EntouragecoreLong-term partnership supporting programs: Entourage Local (neighbor-homeless connection), Entourage Pro (employment support), and Entourage Sport (social links through sport). Includes annual charity tournament organization.
- UFOLEPmajorPartnership with Union Française des Œuvres Laïques d'Éducation Physique for inclusive sports activities including ultimate, olympiads, and cooperative games. 10-day sports program at LE FIVE Marville.
- INDEMEcoreHumanitarian partnership supporting women, children, and people in precarity. Includes 'Un ballon, un sourire' (A ball, a smile) action bringing sports joy to hospitalized children.
- Graines de FootballeusescorePartnership promoting women's football and supporting young female players. Weekly training sessions and events in LE FIVE centers with professional athlete interventions.
- AFM-TéléthoncoreCharity partnership organizing tournaments in LE FIVE and 4PADEL centers with 100% of benefits going to neuromuscular disease research. 8 tournaments organized in November 2024, raising €3,200. Plans to expand to padel and pickleball.
- FACE (Fondation pour l'Inclusion)coreNational partnership to deploy 'Match pour l'Emploi' (Match for Employment) in all PLAYERS centers. Concept combines job dating with sports activities to connect companies with job seekers in precarity. Initiated at FIVE Bezons with 12 pilot events before national rollout.
- AS Sourire aux bouts des piedsminorClothing and equipment donations (balls, shoes) redistributed to children in Africa in precarity. Deep solidarity commitment from LE FIVE/4PADEL Fleury.
- Mon Bonnet RoseminorBreast cancer awareness partnership during October Rose month with various tournaments and events across 4PADEL and LE FIVE centers.
- EuroclearminorCorporate partner participating in social events with Entourage at LE FIVE Paris 18.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PLAYERS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Decathlon: Global sporting goods retailer that increasingly operates in-store and standalone sports venues (including football-5 and padel) — competes for both the consumer wallet and for retail/digital mindshare across PLAYERS' sports verticals.
- Basic-Fit: Europe's largest low-cost fitness chain operating thousands of clubs across multiple countries; overlapping demand for casual indoor recreation but with a gym (not court) model and much broader geographic footprint than PLAYERS.
Emerging players
- Tennis/racket club networks in France (FFT-affiliated clubs): Traditional tennis and racquet clubs across France, many of which are now adding padel courts — a fragmented, member-based competitor cohort for the recreational padel customer that PLAYERS' 4PADEL courts serve.
Direct peers
- UrbanSoccer: French operator of indoor five-a-side football complexes with online booking and multi-site rollouts across France — the closest direct comparison to PLAYERS' LE FIVE network on product, customer base, and operating model.
- Set et Match: French multi-sport indoor facility operator combining five-a-side football, padel and other activities — overlapping brand portfolio and customer experience with LE FIVE/4PADEL.
- PadelShot: Pioneering French padel club operator with multiple premium indoor padel venues, competing for the same urban padel players and municipalities as PLAYERS' 4PADEL.
- WeArena: French indoor sports complex operator (formerly Five/GO Fit network) offering five-a-side football and padel via franchised venues — a closely comparable multi-brand indoor sports model to PLAYERS.
- PADEL HORIZON: One of the largest padel club operators in France, building, owning and operating indoor and outdoor padel courts — directly comparable to PLAYERS' 4PADEL network for category, customer, and venue economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PLAYERS social profiles
Digital presencePLAYERS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PLAYERS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
PLAYERS subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
PLAYERS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PLAYERS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PLAYERS
What does PLAYERS do?
PLAYERS operates a multi-brand portfolio of indoor sports facilities across France and the USA. Its core offerings include LE FIVE five-a-side football complexes with synthetic turf pitches, sports bars, and online booking with split payment; 4PADEL padel tennis courts forming France's leading padel network; ZIDANE FIVE CLUB youth football academies; and PLAYERS EVENTS, a corporate event agency organizing approximately 600 events annually. The company also runs a digital booking platform with player statistics, video highlights, and franchise expansion opportunities for both LE FIVE and 4PADEL.
Is PLAYERS a public or private company?
PLAYERS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PLAYERS founded?
PLAYERS was founded in 2008. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is PLAYERS based?
PLAYERS is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does PLAYERS make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Sports Facility Rental is the primary driver. The others are PLAYERS EVENTS, franchise Fees and daytime Access Programs.
Who are PLAYERS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Decathlon and Basic-Fit. Tennis/racket club networks in France (FFT-affiliated clubs) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are UrbanSoccer, Set et Match, PadelShot, WeArena and PADEL HORIZON.
Does PLAYERS have an API?
No public API is recorded for PLAYERS.
What industry is PLAYERS in?
PLAYERS's product category is Indoor Sports Facilities. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAEAB, Arenas & Indoor Sports Centers, with a secondary code of MPAKABAF, Tennis & Racquet Sports Clubs (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Squash). Its NAICS code is 713940 and its SIC code is 7997.