Fox 13 interviews youth sports franchise founder Frank Fiume
i9 Sports has grown into a nationwide youth sports franchise with 150 units that thrive by delivering a better youth sports experience to kids and families. As Tampa TV station Fox 13 is proud to point out, the business started in the Tampa Bay area.
Fox 13 anchor Russell Rhodes interviewed i9 Sports founder Frank Fiume about his inspiration for the brand and why the i9 Sports approach to youth athletics is so important — and very different from what families experience elsewhere.
You can read the Fox 13 report here.
Fun, sportsmanship at core of business opportunity
Fiume started i9 Sports to deliver a different experience for kids and their families — an experience that was less obsessed with winning, and more focused on playing, participating and learning teamwork and sportsmanship.
The “9” in our name stands for our core 9 values: Being impassioned, interactive, inclusive, innovative, imaginative, inspirational, instructional, insightful, and integrity-driven.
Those values are reflected in our commitment to scheduling practice and games on the same day, which makes participating easier for families; requiring parents to sign a good behavior pledge that acknowledges “the most important outcome of any game is for my child to have fun”; investing in technology to make it easier for franchisees to quickly and efficiently communicate with parents, coaches, and referees; and building a business model that enables entrepreneurs to devote themselves to adding joy, laughter and a little healthy sweat to their community.
Two great resources for entrepreneurs
If you are thinking about starting your own business, we have a few things that might help you on your journey.
First, you can download the i9 Sports Business Model eBook to examine how the business model works. A lot of people who love youth sports struggle to envision how they can make a business out of it, especially with well-established recreational leagues as competition. This eBook shows how we’ve carved out our own niche, how the business generates money, and what franchisees need to do to thrive.
Second, Frank Fiume recently wrote a book, “Running With My Head Down,” that shares his entrepreneurial journey. It’s available at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.
You can also read an in-depth Q&A with Fiume here.
