First Team Sports

What First Team Sports does

First Team Sports Inc. is a privately held US manufacturer of professional-grade sports equipment, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Hutchinson, Kansas. The company designs, fabricates, and distributes equipment across seven core sporting categories: basketball (goals, backboards, rims, padding), soccer (portable and permanent goals), volleyball (competition, recreational, and portable net systems), football (goalposts for high school through professional use), lacrosse (goals and nets), sports seating (player benches, spectator bleachers, custom printed seating), and tennis and pickleball (sets and nets). Notable proprietary features include a telescoping nose-cone design on All Pro and All American football goalposts, the Weatherguard rustproof undercoat on basketball goal poles, and the EZ-Crank spring-assisted height adjustment on Force basketball goals. Products are built in the Kansas facility using a mix of domestic and imported materials, with warranties ranging from one year to a Lifetime Superior Warranty.

The company operates an exclusively dealer-driven go-to-market model, distributing through a network of more than 250 authorized dealers across North America covering all 50 states. Dealers function as local equipment coaches, providing consultation, professional installation, and aftermarket parts and service. End customers are primarily educational institutions (schools and universities), municipal parks and recreation departments, churches and community organizations, and residential homeowners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; all transactions route through the dealer channel. Revenue is generated almost entirely from hardware sales of physical sports equipment, with no software, subscription, or service revenue streams.

The business is supported by an active content marketing and social media presence (website, articles, buying guides, product videos, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube) used to drive top-of-funnel demand into the dealer network. The company is founder-owned, with no disclosed external private equity or venture capital investment, no subsidiaries, no acquisitions, and no recent leadership changes reported in the source data. Operational scale is small, with 11-50 employees and a single manufacturing site.

Name

First Team Sports

Legal name

First Team Sports Inc.

Website

https://firstteaminc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Team Sports Inc. is a privately held US manufacturer, founded in 1996 in Hutchinson, Kansas, that designs and fabricates professional-grade basketball, soccer, volleyball, football, lacrosse, sports seating, and tennis/pickleball equipment, selling exclusively through a network of 250+ authorized dealers across North America to schools, parks and recreation departments, churches, and residential customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sporting Goods Manufacturing

NAICS

Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Team Sports Goals, Nets & Field Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team Sports Equipment & Uniforms Retail (CRAMABAE), Basketball Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAB), Volleyball Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAG), American Football Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAD), Physical Education & Athletics Equipment (Gym, Sports Gear, Scoreboards) (EDAEAIAG)

Keywords

• Basketball equipment
• Volleyball net systems
• Soccer goals
• Football goalposts
• Sports seating

Headquarters

HQ city

Hutchinson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sports Equipment Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of professional grade sports equipment including basketball goals, backboards, rims, soccer goals, volleyball systems, football goalposts, lacrosse goals, and sports seating (bleachers and benches). Products are sold through a dealer network across North America.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Team Sports designs, manufactures, and distributes professional-grade sports equipment for basketball, soccer, volleyball, football, lacrosse, tennis/pickleball, and sports seating. Most products are built in Hutchinson, Kansas using domestic and imported materials, and are sold through a network of 250+ authorized dealers across North America with professional installation support.

Product overview

First Team Sports is a manufacturer of professional-grade sports equipment made in the USA (Hutchinson, Kansas) since 1996. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of sporting goods across seven core categories: Basketball (goals, backboards, rims, safety padding), Soccer (portable/permanent goals), Volleyball (competition/recreational/portable systems), Football (goalposts), Lacrosse (goals/nets), Sports Seating (bleachers/benches), and Tennis & Pickleball. Key named product lines include the Force™ and Storm™ basketball goals, All Pro™ and All American™ football goalposts, and FanStand Tip-N-Roll Bleachers. Products are distributed through a network of 250+ dealers nationwide. The company uses domestic and imported materials with most products built in Kansas, backed by warranties ranging from 1-year to Lifetime Superior.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basketball Equipment Complete line of basketball goals, backboards, rims, safety padding, scoring equipment, accessories, and replacement parts for residential, institutional, and commercial use.
• Soccer Equipment Soccer goals including portable, permanent, semi-permanent, and residential models, plus accessories.
• Volleyball Equipment Volleyball net systems including competition, recreational, and portable systems, plus tetherball equipment, padding and accessories.
• Football Equipment Football goalposts and accessories for high school, college, and professional use.
• Lacrosse Equipment Lacrosse goals and nets for official and practice play.
• Sports Seating Player benches and spectator bleachers including Tip-N-Roll portable bleachers, fixed bleachers, and custom printed seating options.
• Tennis and Pickleball Equipment Tennis and pickleball portable sets, permanent sets, nets, and accessories.
• All Pro™ Football Goalpost Premium football goalpost with 6 5/8" diameter steel post, 4" diameter aluminum uprights, adjustable overhang from 6'9" to 8'6", telescoping nose-cone design, and 10-Year Limited Warranty. Designed for Division 1/NFL level play.
• All American™ Football Goalpost Professional football goalpost with 5 9/16" diameter steel post, 4" diameter aluminum uprights, adjustable overhang from 6'9" to 8'6", telescoping nose-cone design, and 10-Year Limited Warranty. Designed for high school and college play.
• Force™ In-Ground Adjustable Basketball Goal In-ground adjustable basketball goal with 5" square post, EZ-Crank height adjustment from 10' to 5'6", Spring-Assist mechanism, 48" extension distance, bolt-down anchor system, and Lifetime Superior Warranty.
• Storm™ Portable Basketball Goal Portable basketball goal with adjustable height from 10' to 6', variable extension distance from 54" to 66", spring-aided adjustment, 8" non-marking casters, foam padding, and forklift required for unloading.
• FanStand Tip-N-Roll Bleachers Portable indoor bleachers with wheels on back of back seat support for easy transportation and storage, rubber floor protectors, anodized aluminum planks, highest seat level below 30" (no safety railing required).
• FT5020 Volleyball Drill Cart Volleyball drill cart for practice and warm-ups, measures 42.5" L x 32" W x 12" D x 38" H, holds approximately 40 balls, shipping weight 20 lbs., 1 year limited warranty.
• Ball Hog™ Heavy Duty Ball Cart Heavy duty ball cart holding up to 24 Men's or Women's Basketballs or 30 volleyballs, approximate shipping weight 92 lbs.
• FT5011 Net Cable Covers Net cable covers, 18" long padding that protects players from contact with volleyball net cables, set of four covers, provided standard with Galaxy and Frontier volleyball systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% satisfaction guarantee on all products
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• North American Dealer NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 250 authorized dealers across North America serving all 50 states. Dealers provide personalized consultation, sales, and professional installation services. The company works hand-in-hand with the dealer network to ensure customers receive proper support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bison Products: Bison manufactures basketball goals, volleyball equipment, and other indoor/team sports gear primarily for schools and recreation facilities — overlapping heavily with First Team's institutional customer base and product categories.
• Jaypro Sports: Jaypro manufactures and distributes basketball goals, volleyball systems, soccer goals, football goalposts, bleachers, and other team sports facility equipment through a U.S. dealer network — directly comparable to First Team's product mix, customer base, and channel model.
• Douglas Industries: Douglas Industries manufactures volleyball net systems, badminton, and tennis equipment used in schools and recreation facilities — a focused peer overlapping with First Team's volleyball and tennis/pickleball categories.
• Goalsetter Systems: Goalsetter specializes in in-ground and wall-mount basketball goals for residential and institutional customers with a comparable warranty-led value proposition — directly overlapping First Team's basketball goal core line.
• Porter Athletic Equipment: Porter Athletic makes basketball and volleyball equipment, plus related gymnasium and physical education gear for schools and colleges — a direct niche peer to First Team's institutional sports equipment offering.
• Gared Sports: Gared is a long-standing U.S. manufacturer of basketball goals, goalsetter-style systems, gymnasium equipment, and bleachers, selling through dealers to schools and rec facilities — a closely comparable peer in team sports equipment manufacturing.

Broad incumbents

• Lifetime Products: Lifetime is a much larger U.S. manufacturer of basketball goals, portable and adjustable systems, tables, and outdoor recreation products, selling through big-box and online retail as well as dealers — broader portfolio but directly competes in First Team's basketball and seating categories.
• Spalding: Spalding is a major basketball brand covering balls, hoops, and backboards at consumer and institutional levels — a much larger incumbent whose basketball goal systems compete with First Team in residential and school channels.
• Anthem Sports: Anthem Sports owns and distributes multiple sporting goods brands (including basketball, volleyball, and indoor games) through mass-market retail — a broader incumbent that competes with First Team's portfolio in dealer and institutional channels.

Regional players

• Schelde Sports: Schelde is a European manufacturer of competition-grade basketball goals and volleyball systems used worldwide — comparable product technology and specification, but operating primarily outside North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FirstTeamInc1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/firstteaminc
• Facebookfacebook.com/firstteamsports
• Instagraminstagram.com/first_team_inc
• Pinterestpinterest.com/firstteaminc/pins
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-team-basketball-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 First Team Sports