What is i9 Sports®?

The nation’s first and largest youth sports league business opportunity

Building a Better Youth Sports Business

Based in Tampa, Florida, i9 Sports® is the nation’s first and largest youth sports league business with more than 5,000,000 player registrations and nearly 250 franchise locations operating nationwide, from New York to Hawaii. Our franchise owners offer youth sports leagues, camps, and clinics for boys and girls ages 3 to 14 in today’s most popular sports, such as flag football, soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball, and lacrosse.

We provide an alternative to community youth sports leagues and stand out, thanks to a well-defined customer experience that focuses on fun for the kids and convenience for the parents. Many families struggle to fit youth sports — with multiple practices a week and travel for games — into their busy schedules. Many kids (and adults) are put off by the hypercompetitive nature of many sports leagues.

Why are so many entrepreneurs drawn to the i9 Sports® youth sports business? Aside from the appeal of sports and the ability to make a difference in the lives of kids, our model makes a huge difference in the lives of our franchise owners and their families. Our franchise is affordable to start, has low overhead, and is inexpensive to scale, because of our work-from-home setup, volunteer and part-time staffing model, and cost-effective local marketing strategy.

Our Mission: To Help Kids Succeed in Life Through Sports

There is no better tool to teach a child the skills necessary to succeed in life than sports. Self-discipline, determination, teamwork and good sportsmanship are only a handful of the many valuable life skills learned through sports participation. Unfortunately, many kids leave organized sports because of a negative experience. Research has shown that the number one reason kids play sports is to have fun. It is not surprising, then, that the number one reason they quit playing sports is that they stop enjoying it. i9 Sports® offers a fun and safe environment to enjoy their favorite sports with their friends. We emphasize age-appropriate instruction that teaches the fundamentals of each sport and the value of good sportsmanship. We keep things competitive enough to help kids learn new skills and improve their game, without sacrificing the fun factor.

Offering Multiple Sports Increases Value of Your Youth Sports Business

We think that a youth sports franchise that offers just one sport is like an ice cream shop that offers only one flavor. Kids like to sample! We could have chosen to be just a flag football franchise, soccer franchise, or basketball franchise. Instead, we decided to provide year-round leagues in a full range of the most popular team sports.

As a youth sports business, we encourage our franchise owners to offer a wide variety of programs. Our franchise owners can offer co-ed youth i9 Sports® leagues, camps, and clinics for children between the ages of 3 to 14 in today’s most popular team sports. Specifically, they can offer flag football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse. All of these sports offer high participation rates as well as easy access to venues.

Families that enjoy the i9 Sports experience with flag football will be likely to sign up for basketball or volleyball, or soccer and lacrosse, or baseball. These repeat customers not only bring additional revenue — but also bring additional siblings and friends who are eager to join their leagues. This is one of the reasons i9 Sports owners are able to grow their businesses so efficiently. Word-of-mouth is powerful.

Quick Overview of Our Core Sports Offerings

Flag Football

Offering all the fun of tackle football without the same risk of injury, flag football is rapidly becoming the sport of choice among safety-conscious parents. In the face of growing media coverage on the long-term effects of concussions, i9 Sports® franchise owners are already seeing the benefit of offering THE safer alternative.

Soccer

In a recent study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), outdoor soccer was cited as the second most popular sport for kids under the age of 13. Indoor soccer is quickly becoming popular during the winter season in colder climates. As soccer participation begins at age 3, i9 Sports® franchise owners are developing customers for life.

Basketball

Nationally, basketball is the most popular team sport for girls and boys. i9 Sports® franchise owners operate basketball programs both indoors and outdoors, which gives a great deal of flexibility in venue options.

Baseball

In 2012, i9 Sports® launched T-ball nationally to the delight of parents with kids ages 3-6. It has allowed i9 Sports® franchise owners to reach a whole new audience.

ZIP Lacrosse™

Our newest sport, introduced in 2018, ZIP Lacrosse™ is a fast-paced, non-contact, 3-on-3 game for participants to develop and refine their lacrosse skills. With limited equipment requirements (no helmets or pads), the i9 Sports® format is the perfect way to teach kids ages 5-14 the fundamentals of lacrosse while developing their hand-eye coordination, agility and overall athletic skills.

Volleyball

The i9 Sports® volleyball program is played indoors or outdoors in a 4 v 4 or 6 v 6 format. Small team sizes allow children to get maximum touches on the ball. The game is designed to keep kids moving, engaged and learning new skills.

At the end of the day, it’s not the sport that makes the difference. It’s the experience the child and the parents have at the game that makes the difference. i9 Sports® franchise owners know that the experience they provide must go far beyond the rules of the game to the hearts of their customers. That’s what brings i9 Sports® customers back again and again.

Next: The i9 Sports® Story