Sindicato dos Jogadores

What Sindicato dos Jogadores does

Sindicato dos Jogadores (formal legal name: Sindicato dos Jogadores Profissionais de Futebol, SJPF) is a non-profit trade union founded in 1978 and headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, that represents professional football players across the country. It serves four primary member segments — professional players in Liga Portugal Betclic (I Liga), Liga Portugal 2 Meu Super (II Liga), and Liga 3; amateur players in Campeonato de Portugal and lower divisions; women's football players in Liga BPI and other competitions; and youth/development players — through a horizontal persona-based segmentation approach. The union holds statutory collective bargaining authority and has negotiated the Contrato Coletivo de Trabalho with Liga Portugal covering salary minimums and working conditions.

The organization's core service offering spans legal support (contract advice, dispute resolution, workplace accidents), social protection (Salary Guarantee Fund, Pension Fund, life insurance, social security), educational programs (GOAL, YODA Mentors, financial education, anti-match-fixing), health services (mental health, anti-doping, sports injuries, dental implants via Projeto João Lucas), employment services (Portal do Jogador, Estágio do Jogador, Estágio da Jogadora, Ultimate Football Draft), and media publications (Revista Jogadores, Revista W, ACTION). It operates an Observatório research division publishing annual league studies and specialized booklets, and runs community initiatives (Projeto Golo, Projeto Embaixadoras, SoliDARiedade) plus anti-racism and victim-support protocols with APAV.

The underlying technology is a web-based platform (sjogadores.pt) serving as the primary digital interface, with separate subdomains for the internship program (estagio.sjogadores.pt) and education (educacao.sjogadores.pt). Distribution combines self-serve digital access with a field-based delegate network conducting in-person visits to clubs and SADs (sports companies) nationwide for membership recruitment, quota collection, and support. The business model is subscription-recurring via membership quotas collected monthly, with additional non-dues revenue from corporate sponsorships (Panini, Holmes Place, BP). The union is the official Portuguese member of FIFPRO and partners with the Federação Portuguesa de Futebol (FPF) and Liga Portugal for regulatory and competitive engagement.

Name

Sindicato dos Jogadores

Legal name

SINDICATO DOS JOGADORES PROFISSIONAIS DE FUTEBOL (SJPF)

Website

https://sjogadores.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sindicato dos Jogadores (SJPF) is a Portuguese non-profit trade union founded in 1978 that represents professional, amateur, women's, and youth football players nationwide, delivering legal support, social protection, education, employment services, and collective bargaining through membership quotas and a delegate network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Quotas (Quotização): The union generates revenue through membership fees (quotas) paid by professional and amateur football players who join the Sindicato dos Jogadores. Members pay regular subscriptions to access legal support, social protection, and other union services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sindicato dos Jogadores (SJPF) is the Portuguese professional football players' union. It recruits football players as members through a nationwide delegate network and delivers legal representation, social protection (salary guarantee and pension funds), education, health support, and employment services. Membership fees (quotas) finance a portfolio of member benefits including legal advice, the FIFA-backed salary compensation mechanism, career transition programs, internships, and welfare initiatives.

Product overview

Sindicato dos Jogadores (SJPF) is the Portuguese Professional Football Players' Union offering a comprehensive suite of services to professional footballers. The organization provides legal support and advice, employment services through its Player Portal, educational programs including financial literacy and anti-match fixing training, health services covering mental health and sports injuries, social protection through pension and salary guarantee funds, and community initiatives. The union also operates media publications including the JOGADORES magazine, W magazine for women's football, and the ACTION news channel. Additionally, the organization maintains an Observatory research division and runs annual awards programs for male and female players across various competitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Estágio do Jogador: Internship program for young professional football players providing training and employment preparation
• Estágio da Jogadora
• Projeto Golo
• Projeto Embaixadoras
• REVISTA JOGADORES
• REVISTA W

Products and services

• Apoio Jurídico (Legal Support Service) Legal assistance for football players covering work accidents, sports legislation, contract advice, and representation in disputes. For professional and amateur players registered in Portuguese football competitions.
• Educação (Education Services Program) Educational programs for football players including the GOAL project, YODA Mentors project, financial education, and anti-match-fixing awareness. Targeted at member players across Portuguese competitions.
• Portal do Jogador (Player Employment Portal) Employment portal providing job opportunities and career services for professional football players, including the Estágio do Jogador and Estágio da Jogadora programs. Used by members transitioning out of active play or seeking football-industry careers.
• Saúde (Health Services) Health services including mental health support, anti-doping information, sports injury care, and the João Lucas dental implant project. Available to football player members.
• Fundo de Garantia Salarial (Salary Guarantee Fund) Financial safety net mechanism for players in non-professional competitions facing wage arrears from clubs. Provides direct financial support when employers default on wages.
• Fundo de Pensões (Pension Fund) Pension and retirement planning services for professional football players, providing long-term financial security after their playing careers end.
• Estágio do Jogador (Player Internship Program) Internship program for young professional football players providing training, employment preparation, and competitive match experience. Targeted at youth and transitional players.
• Estágio da Jogadora (Female Player Internship Program) Internship program for female football players providing training, employment preparation, and competitive match experience, parallel to the Estágio do Jogador program.
• Ultimate Football Draft Talent identification and placement program connected to the Football Jobs Portal, supporting player career entry into Portuguese football clubs.
• Prémios SJPF (Annual Player Awards) Annual player awards for male categories (I Liga, II Liga, Liga Revelação) and female categories (Campeonato Nacional). Formal recognition program operated by the union.
• REVISTA JOGADORES (Members' Magazine) Magazine publication covering football player news, opinions, legal guides, and union activities for SJPF members and stakeholders.
• FIFA Fund Access (FIFPRO-FIFA Compensation) International solidarity fund created by FIFPRO and FIFA to compensate players who lost salary payments due to club insolvency. SJPF facilitates Portuguese players' access to the fund (e.g., 35 players approved for ~234,600 euros in the fourth round).

Quantifiable outcome

• 35 Portuguese players or players in Portugal approved for FIFA Fund fourth round, totaling approximately 234,600 euros in compensation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FIFPROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Federation of Professional Footballers' Associations. SJPF is the official Portuguese member of FIFPRO, providing Portuguese players access to international solidarity mechanisms including the FIFA Fund for compensation when clubs become insolvent. FIFPRO coordinates cross-border player protection initiatives and advocacy at FIFA level.
• Federação Portuguesa de Futebol (FPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese Football Federation. Formal institutional relationship for organizing competitions, player registration, and regulatory oversight. SJPF participates in the Conselho Nacional para a Integridade do Desporto (National Council for Sports Integrity) and coordinates on anti-doping, anti-match-fixing, and player welfare initiatives.
• Liga PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese Professional Football League. Collective bargaining partner for professional competitions. SJPF has negotiated the Contrato Coletivo de Trabalho (Collective Labor Agreement) with Liga Portugal covering salary minimums, working conditions, and player protections for I Liga and II Liga.
• PaniniminorOthersTrading card company and official partner providing sponsorship support to the union's activities and publications.
• Holmes PlaceminorOthersFitness and health club chain providing health and wellness support to union members through partnership arrangements.
• BPminorOthersEnergy company providing sponsorship support to the union's initiatives and community programs.
• Fundação do Futebol – Liga PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball Foundation of Liga Portugal. Co-presented Projeto Golo, a community initiative supporting social development through football and providing opportunities for players and communities.
• APAV (Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese Association for Victim Support. Protocol partnership to provide support services to football players who are victims of crimes, including discrimination and abuse.
• Universidade Católica PortuguesaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese Catholic University. Partnership for educational initiatives including conferences on sports law and the Porto School of Law hosting TAD TALKS events featuring SJPF president.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UNFP (Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels): French professional footballers' union, direct European peer to SJPF. Offers collective bargaining with the LFP, legal aid, training/retraining programs (similar to Estágio Jogador), and social protection funds. Closely comparable in structure, size, and service offering as a national players' union.
• VVCS (Vereniging van Contractspelers): Dutch professional footballers' union, a small-country European peer with a similar FIFPRO-affiliated model. Comparable size and scope to SJPF, providing legal representation, social protection, and career-transition services in a similarly-sized professional league market.
• AIC (Associazione Italiana Calciatori): Italian footballers' association, another top-five European players' union peer. Provides collective bargaining with Lega Serie A, legal assistance, pension and salary guarantee funds (similar to SJPF's Fundo de Garantia Salarial), and is a FIFPRO member. Directly comparable mission and service architecture.
• VDV (Vereinigung der Vertragsfußballspieler): German professional footballers' union, another top-five European peer to SJPF. Provides collective representation with DFL/DFB, legal counsel, and education programs. Comparable in mission and FIFPRO alignment, though VDV operates within a more highly unionized sports labor tradition.
• AFE (Asociación de Futbolistas Españoles): Spanish professional footballers' union, the direct Iberian peer to SJPF. Operates the same model: statutory collective bargaining with LaLiga/RFEF, legal representation, social protection funds, and FIFPRO membership. Comparable in service breadth (legal, education, health, career transition) and in operating primarily at national level.
• FENAPAF (Federação Nacional dos Atletas Profissionais de Futebol): Brazilian professional footballers' union, an emerging-market FIFPRO-affiliated peer. Provides collective representation, legal aid, and social protection to players across Brazilian competitions. Comparable model and FIFPRO alignment, though operating in a much larger football market.

Broad incumbents

• FIFPRO: International federation of professional footballers' associations, of which SJPF is the Portuguese member. FIFPRO is the umbrella organization that coordinates cross-border player protection, runs the FIFA Fund, and advocates at FIFA level — directly comparable in mission and services, but global rather than national in scope.
• PFA England (Professional Footballers' Association): English PFA, one of the oldest and largest professional footballers' unions globally and a FIFPRO member. Operates the same statutory representation model with the Premier League/EFL, runs education, wellbeing, and financial services for members, and is the leading benchmark union in terms of member benefits scale. Comparable mission, larger resource base.

Regional players

• Sport Union Finland (JÄTY): Finnish professional athletes' union (broader than football), a small-market European peer. Comparable mission and FIFPRO alignment, though multi-sport in scope rather than football-only like SJPF.
• AFE Uruguay (Asociación de Futbolistas del Uruguay): Uruguayan players' association, a small-market FIFPRO peer operating in a comparable national context. Provides similar collective representation and member services; useful for benchmarking SJPF against a similarly-sized market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=HiqXO9KO2sg
• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DTlK4kiknzb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sindicato-dos-jogadores

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sindicato dos Jogadores