Tardio Drops the F-Bomb: Facolos Gains a Game-Changer

At just 19, Gabe Tardio is already one of pickleball’s brightest rising stars. But his new partnership with Facolos isn’t just about adding a logo to his jersey, it’s about shaping the future of the sport in Asia while translating his performance into tangible innovations for players.

Turning Partnership into Products

The collaboration is already delivering concrete results. Facolos’ engineers and design teams are working directly with Tardio to co-create signature gear and professional-level paddles, integrating his insights from PPA Tour experience into real-world offerings. This isn’t token branding; it’s performance-driven product development, ensuring players at all levels benefit from an athlete-tested edge.

“Having my input on paddle design, materials, and performance tweaks makes a huge difference,” Tardio shared. “It’s exciting to see a brand take an athlete’s experience and translate it into gear that other players can use to improve their game.”

Bringing a US Star to Asia

While Tardio’s career has been rooted in international circuits, his move into Asia with Facolos is redefining the narrative. Unlike US-centric sponsorships that focus primarily on domestic exposure, Facolos leverages its Asian perspective to shape stories, programs, and events that resonate regionally from grassroots initiatives to regional tournaments.

For Tardio, this means not just competing at the top level, but also helping elevate the sport across Asia, inspiring young players, and building local engagement around elite-level pickleball.

Facolos: One Year, From Zero to Hero

The brand itself is only one year old, but its journey has been remarkable. Facolos started as a small, ambitious startup aiming to disrupt the pickleball gear space. In twelve months, it has:

• Partnered with international talent like Tardio.
• Developed athlete-informed product lines.
• Launched regional programs that introduce new players to the sport.
• Positioned themselves as a dynamic, forward-thinking Asian brand competing alongside legacy global names.
  
  

This rapid growth from fledgling newcomer to recognized regional innovator underscores Facolos’ philosophy: vision plus action drives impact.

Facolos’ rise began in June 2024, when it became the first Vietnamese pickleball brand to successfully enter and gain official recognition in the U.S. market, marking a major international breakthrough. By August 2024, the brand had delivered nearly 50,000 products to customers, with three paddle models and one ball model certified to international standards, establishing strong credibility in performance and quality. This momentum continued in October 2024 with Facolos signing a partnership agreement with the World Pickleball Championship (WPC), further anchoring the brand within the global competitive ecosystem.

Closing out 2024, Facolos appeared across more than 30 domestic and international pickleball tournament systems, strengthened its athlete collaborations, and built the Facolos Club community, while setting an ambitious target of 500,000 products sold globally. Entering 2025, the brand expanded distribution across eight countries, became an official Paddle Partner of UPA Asia in March, and secured strategic partnerships with ReClub and the Da Nang Pickleball Federation, cementing Facolos’ position as a fast-scaling Asian brand with growing global influence.

A Partnership Built for Stories and Influence

Unlike standard sponsorships, the Facolos-Tardio collaboration goes beyond performance and visibility. It’s about narrative co-creation, shaping content, activations, and programs around Tardio’s journey. For fans, this translates into inspiring stories and insights directly from a top-tier athlete, delivered across tournaments, events, and social media.

Momentum at the Perfect Time

Gabe Tardio’s partnership with Facolos isn’t just a deal, it's a catalyst for regional growth, product innovation, and athlete influence. With Asia emerging as a rapidly expanding market in professional pickleball, the alignment of brand, talent, and community initiatives ensures that both Tardio and Facolos are shaping the sport together, not just participating in it.

From a one-year-old startup to a brand defining its own lane in Asia, Facolos is proving that strategic partnerships, athlete-driven innovation, and bold regional vision can accelerate growth and with Tardio as its centerpiece, the journey is only just beginning.