i9 Sports leadership hires experienced franchising veteran Roger Ewart to direct Operations
i9 Sports, the nation’s leading and largest youth sports league franchise, has expanded its senior leadership team to further aid in the expansion of the brand.
Roger Ewart, CFE, has been named the new Vice President of Operations for i9 Sports, bringing a wealth of industry knowledge to the team. With experience in both domestic and international settings, Ewart has been instrumental in working with both private and public companies.
Prior to i9 Sports, Ewart was the Vice President of Operations for Signarama, the world’s largest sign franchise company with 800 units in 60 countries, and he co-founded multiple successful family businesses, to name a few of his roles.
“We’re pleased to welcome Roger to the i9 Sports team and have no doubt that his experience will be a huge asset as we work to extend our track record of significant growth and industry leadership,” said Brian Sanders, President and CEO of i9 Sports. “We truly believe i9 Sports’ potential for success is limitless. We’re committed to our brand’s mission of helping kids succeed in life through sports and anticipate Roger will play a significant role in furthering our effort to revolutionize recreational youth sports.”
In his new role at i9 Sports, Ewart will oversee the franchise system’s Operations, Franchise Development and the company-owned proving ground location.
“I am truly honored to have been recruited to i9 Sports. It’s a great company with amazing people,” Ewart said. “The company’s tag line (The Way Youth Sports Should Be®) really hit home with my 10- and 13-year-old boys. I believe the philosophy is spot on as it relates to putting fun first, healthy competition and teaching good sportsmanship. The model delivers exactly what a kid deserves to experience on the field and makes it so easy and convenient for the parents.”
“Beyond what the brand does for kids and their families, I’m amazed at how powerful the economic model is for franchise owners. I look forward to working with the current and future franchise owners to help them reach their financial goals through i9 Sports. The brand is both operationally and financially strong, and I’m excited by the prospect of helping drive significant growth,” Ewart said.
About i9 Sports
Based in Tampa, FL, i9 Sports, the nation’s first and largest youth sports league franchise business, has re-engineered youth sports for kids ages 3 and up. With over 2 million registrations in communities from New York to Hawaii, i9 Sports has replaced a high-pressure, adult-centered model with a child-centered model that puts fun first. With over 140 open and operating units and 15 consecutive years of record revenue, franchise owners offer youth sports leagues, camps and clinics for boys and girls in popular sports such as flag football, soccer, basketball, baseball and ZIP Lacrosse™. i9 Sports is ranked in Entrepreneur’s prestigious list of Top 500 franchises, featured as a Top 100 Game Changer by Franchise Dictionary, and selected as a Project Play Champion by the Aspen Institute for taking meaningful actions to encourage multi-sport sampling and help grow national youth sports participation rates.
