Why the premier youth sports franchise is a worthwhile and rewarding investment
There’s never been a better time to join i9 Sports, the nation’s first and largest youth sports league franchise.
i9 Sports hit an all-time high in network revenue last year — for the 12th year in a row — and now we are expanding our domestic leagues and planning growth across the globe. We are looking for entrepreneurs to join the i9 Sports family as franchisees.
With the mission to help kids succeed in life through sports, and our proven franchise business system, i9 Sports is reinventing the youth sports experience for millions of American kids and their families. We also offer entrepreneurs the chance to find meaning in their careers and enjoy the benefits of successful business ownership.
What makes i9 Sports such a worthwhile and rewarding investment? Here are four answers to that question.
i9 Sports franchise emphasizes healthy competition, teaches sportsmanship values
“As a society, we’ve lost the idea that youth sports are intended to be games,” i9 Sports President and CEO Brian Sanders says. “The number one reason kids play sports is to have fun. And the number one reason kids stop playing sports is because they stop having fun. Overly competitive adults and a focus on winning have driven the fun out of most sports programs. At i9 Sports, we are reclaiming youth sports for the kids, and we’ve found there is an enormous market for what we offer in every community we’ve entered.”
The political nature of parental involvement in typical recreational youth sports often means that parents decide who plays, how often, or whether someone is good enough to play at all. It’s conceivable that a child may sign up for a sports league and rarely get off the bench.
At i9 Sports, we support healthy competition and believe that every child should be encouraged and given the opportunity to make the most of his or her abilities. From a child’s perspective in our leagues, you’re going to get to play regardless of your skill level. There are no tryouts or drafts. You’re going to learn the fundamentals of the game because we rotate kids through the various positions so you can have fun experiencing the game through different vantage points. You’re going to have fun with your friends because unlike most leagues, we accept buddy requests when building teams. And lastly, you’re going to learn the value of good sportsmanship — that how you play the game is as important as the score.
“At i9 Sports, we don’t just teach kids how to be athletes, we teach them how to be better people,” Brian says. “We teach the importance of good sportsmanship on the field and in life by demonstrating how to win with humility and lose with grace. We accomplish this by teaching a sportsmanship value each week and then awarding an ‘Excellence in Good Sportsmanship’ medal to the child on each team who best illustrates that week’s value. The weekly sportsmanship value includes topics like honesty, respect, courtesy and enthusiasm.”
i9 Sports franchise is attractive for busy parents
i9 Sports is unmatched when it comes to the convenience we provide to busy parents. Today, most families are dual-income. That means that a family’s approach to extracurricular activities is much different than it was 15 or 20 years ago. Parents with limited time have to be very choosy about their kids’ activities.
Brian says, “Our format is unique. We don’t have mid-week practices; we have our practices on game day. Moms and dads are committing to a once-a-week type of format. The family can show up on a Saturday, go to the practice, go to the game, have a great time, go home and it’s done. There is no reason that a child’s recreational sport activity should consume a family’s life.”
Another plus for busy parents — we don’t have fundraisers or mandatory volunteering like some leagues.
i9 Sports franchise business opportunity offers entrepreneurs a rewarding career and work-life balance
For sports-minded entrepreneurs who are seeking a rewarding career, i9 Sports is the team to join. We have a proven formula for operating a successful business with a tremendous market need. It works.
We now have more than a decade of results from owners who are meeting and exceeding their dreams of what owning their own business could be. Last year was the best year we’ve ever had in terms of overall network revenue; we were up double digits. Everyone wants to be part of a winning team, and i9 Sports is a winning team.
“If I were buying a business, I would ask myself three questions: 1) Is this business something I’m passionate about; 2) Does this business have a record of success; and 3) Are the market and this business likely to grow so my investment will appreciate?” says Brian. “The time couldn’t be better to buy an i9 Sports franchise because we have created the rare business opportunity in which someone can answer a definitive ‘yes’ to all three questions.”
With convenient, flexible hours, which translate into an enviable work/life balance, and no real estate or large upfront inventory requirements, i9 Sports is a compelling, low-investment, home-based franchise opportunity with an attractive profit potential.
i9 Sports has a bright future
The youth sports market is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry encompassing 42 million kids annually. Guess what? Every year a new bunch of kids turns 3, and thousands of them want to play in a sports league that emphasizes fun, teaches sportsmanship values and is convenient for busy families.
As successful as i9 Sports has been, we’ve only scratched the surface of what is possible. Most of our franchisees today have less than a 2% share of the potential children signed up in their market.
Brian says: “When you realize how many children there are in each market and how much perpetual demand there is for youth sports, the opportunity is exponential. Not only do we have a massive opportunity to increase our share within existing territories by providing a better customer experience, but we also have a huge opportunity to expand our footprint into more locations. In the United States, I believe we will easily triple the size of our system. At this rate, however, it won’t take long to fill out the U.S.; remaining territories are selling quickly.”
At i9 Sports, our long-term vision is to become the undisputed leader in recreational youth activities worldwide by delivering a superior and extraordinary customer experience. When we get close to completing our expansion in the U.S., we anticipate expanding internationally. Virtually everything we do will translate easily in other countries. Youth sports are a universal concept, and although the sports might differ, our system should work the same anywhere.
We’re rapidly filling the available territories across the country, so if you’re passionate about sports, love working with kids and want to own a great business, there couldn’t be a better time to jump in.
Learn more about i9 Sports franchise
We are seeking qualified candidates to become i9 Sports franchisees, to help us reinvent youth sports and to position i9 Sports as the most-recognized youth sports league in the country.
Want to learn more about becoming an i9 Sports franchise owner? Download our free report to start a conversation with us about opening an i9 Sports franchise!
