Sports & Recreation

The sports franchise industry presents an exciting opportunity for aspiring business owners. From fitness centers to youth sports leagues, there are many opportunities for success.

Growth Potential of the Sports Franchise Industry

The sports and fitness franchise industry in the United States has seen tremendous growth over the years. From established names like Read more

The sports franchise industry presents an exciting opportunity for aspiring business owners. From fitness centers to youth sports leagues, there are many opportunities for success.

Growth Potential of the Sports Franchise Industry

The sports and fitness franchise industry in the United States has seen tremendous growth over the years. From established names like Gold's Gym, to emerging fitness and sports franchise brands such as Planet Fitness and Snap Fitness, the demand for sports-related services continues to rise. Whether it's group fitness or sports bar franchises, prospective business owners have ample opportunity to find a niche that suits their interests and goals.

Investing in a sports franchise allows you to tap into a passionate consumer base, whether it’s for martial arts, fitness centers, or even gaming franchises. Sports culture in cities like San Francisco, New York, and L.A. is deeply ingrained, making it a great market for those looking to build a successful business.

Benefits of Investing in a Sports Franchise

When you invest in a sports franchise, you’re buying into a proven business model with brand recognition and support. Key benefits include brand recognition, training and support. 

Evaluating Franchise Opportunities

When considering which sports or recreation franchise to invest in, conducting thorough market research is crucial. Here are a few steps to guide your evaluation process:

  • Understand the Competitive Landscape: Analyze the competition in your desired market.
  • Assess the Franchisor’s Reputation: Look into the franchise partners and track record of the brand you’re considering. Speaking with current franchise owners can provide valuable insight.
  • Review the FDD: Carefully go through the Franchise Disclosure Document to understand the financial performance, fees, and legal requirements.
  • Financial Aspects: Consider the profitability and ROI expectations by evaluating financial performance representations provided by the franchisor.

Key Considerations for Prospective Franchisees

Before investing in a franchise opportunity, there are several factors to consider to ensure you make an informed decision.

1. Initial Investment and Franchise Fees

The initial investment for a sports franchise can vary widely depending on the brand, location, and type of franchise. For example, a fitness franchise may have different franchise fees and ongoing costs compared to a sports bar franchise.

It's crucial to review the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) to understand the financial commitment, including any applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements.

2. Location Requirements and Territory Exclusivity

Securing the right location is key to the success of your franchise. Understanding the market demand in your area is essential. Some franchises offer territory exclusivity, giving you the right to operate without competition in a specific region.

3. Training and Support

A key advantage of investing in a franchise is the training and support provided by the franchisor. From your first franchise to ongoing operational assistance, franchisors often provide a comprehensive training program to help you hit the ground running with confidence.

Start Your Franchise Journey 

With the support of a proven franchise system, extensive training programs, and ongoing operational support, you can build a successful business in this diverse industry. As the world’s largest membership organization for franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers, the International Franchise Association (IFA) is committed to providing guidance and support to help you navigate the process of becoming a franchise owner. Contact us today!

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Member since 2023

Purchase Green

Purchase Green is the highest-producing manufacturer and distributor of landscape and leisure products in the US. The organization provides nationwide distribution support that delivers a beautiful and broad product portfolio. Including artificial grass, putting greens and golf accessories, turf installation materials, artificial ivy, as well as modular tile for both indoor and outdoor multi-sport use-cases, retail or event operations, and residential applications.

Purchase Green’s fully integrated business solutions provide exceptional service and savings for their franchise partners. Paired with a successful business model that utilizes brick-and-mortar retail locations and local market distribution, the brand demonstrates outstanding potential for further expansion. Learn more today.
Lawn, Garden & Agricultural
Lawn, Garden & Agricultural
Green & Eco Friendly
Recreation: Equipment & Supplies
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Member since 2012

Aqua-Tots Swim School Holding, LLC

Since 1991, Aqua-Tots has been the industry leader in swimming instruction. We challenge the status quo in the swim industry, focusing on delivering top-quality swim lessons and providing our swimmers with Lessons for Life. Aqua-Tots Swim Schools offers year round, indoor swim lessons for children of all ages and abilities starting at 4 months. Aqua-Tots specializes in the following services: Small Group Swim Lessons (4:1 Ratio); Private Swim Lessons; Swim Club and Swim Team; Indoor Pool Parties; Adaptive Aquatics for Special Needs; Adult Swim Lessons.
Children's Services
Children's Services
Fitness & Gyms
Educational Products & Services
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Member since 2022

Boomers Parks

Boomers Parks is a privately held company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The company owns and operates 6 Boomers parks in California and Florida, Big Kahuna’s Water & Adventure Park in Florida and Big Kahuna’s Water Park in New Jersey. Boomers Parks was founded in 2014 to acquire and operate best-in-class out-of-home entertainment assets and is committed to excellence, to the communities they serve, and to delivering value that exceeds expectation.
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
Children's Services
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Discover Strength

At Discover Strength, we believe you should be able to build the career you want while doing work that changes lives. Imagine owning a distinguished fitness business, backed by a market-tested business model, where efficient, 30-minute workouts are provided to your clients by expert, educated personal trainers. Imagine building a thriving business while doing work that you love, with people you love.
Fitness & Gyms Fitness & Gyms
Fitness & Gyms
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Member since 2001

Gold's Gym

Build your legacy with the world’s most iconic and strongest fitness brand—Gold’s Gym. With over 96% brand awareness, Gold’s Gym sets the industry standard and continues to redefine strength training and fitness globally. Our legacy is unmatched, supported by a robust network of dedicated franchisees, all contributing to the strength of our brand. We offer franchisees multiple revenue streams, including membership, personal and group training, as well as clothing and supplement sales.
As we build strength for the future, our global presence spans 27 countries and is still expanding. Our contemporary redefinition of the brand focuses on strength and performance in every aspect, exemplified by our Berlin flagship location, which serves as an inspiration for the brand's future direction. This includes an outstanding personal training concept and a recently remodeled company gym featuring a state-of-the-art strength and functional training area that rivals the best college facilities.
Fitness & Gyms Fitness & Gyms
Fitness & Gyms
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
Health & Beauty
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Member since 2002

Pinch A Penny, Inc.

America's largest specialty retail swimming pool supply & services franchise with over 290 locations throughout AL, AZ, FL,GA, LA, NC, NV, OK, SC and TX.
Retail Stores: Specialty
Retail Stores: Specialty
Maintenance, Cleaning & Sanitation
Recreation: Equipment & Supplies
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Member since 2008

Sky Zone

First on the scene and best in its class, Sky Zone created the world's first wall-to-wall trampoline park in 2004, bringing healthy, high-flying fun to people across the globe. Now you can be part of this international sensation. See how fitness, entertainment, and interactive technology create a powerhouse of an opportunity. Sky Zone has over 300 global locations in 16 international markets, generating more than $300 million in revenue.
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
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Slick City

Slick City is the world’s first indoor slide and action sports park! Co-founded by a team of experienced family entertainment center operators and pioneering attraction designers, Slick City features a wide array of never-before-seen, stomach-dropping “waterless water slides”.

Our proprietary dry-slide technology (with over 25 patents filed or granted) is pushing the boundaries of physics and friction… and the all-ages appeal of our attractions is driving major park attendance!

Our first two corporate locations generated an average gross revenue of $385,000 per month and 47% EBITDA over their first 20 combined months of operations, and that success has inspired us to begin opening or developing a dozen more locations – and to officially begin franchising!

You can become part of a thriving and rapidly growing brand on the ground floor, with a unique, proprietary, and patented core product, an experienced franchise team, and a proven business model. Are you ready to join the Slick City movement? Read on to learn more:
Children's Services
Children's Services
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
Fitness & Gyms
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Member since 2017

Stretch Zone Franchising, LLC

Stretch Zone is the first and largest franchisor in the stretching industry, and the only company that combines a proprietary stretch method with patented strapping equipment to improve muscle function throughout the body. Stretch Zone practitioners are certified and trained to follow specific methods to properly position, stabilize, isolate and manipulate muscles using powerful principles of neuromuscular behavior to improve range of motion, enabling efficient and effortless movement. Founded by Jorden Gold in 2004, Stretch Zone now has 355 locations open across 41 states nationwide.
Health & Beauty
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All Results

Self Esteem Brands

Improving the self-esteem of the world. That’s the lofty goal of Self Esteem Brands, the parent company of Anytime Fitness (one of the largest fitness franchises in the world) Waxing the City, Basecamp Fitness, and The Bar Method. Self Esteem Brands is also the parent company to affiliates Healthy Contributions, and PumpOne. With the vision of improving the self-esteem of the world at its core, Self Esteem Brands seeks to enrich the lives of all of those who interact with our companies in nearly 40 countries on seven continents worldwide. That includes our consumers, vendors, employees, franchisees and the surrounding communities where more than 5,000 of our independently owned and operated franchises are located. Additionally, Self Esteem Brands is actively seeking other innovative business concepts to partner with and franchise.
Fitness & Gyms Fitness & Gyms
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Health & Beauty
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Member since 2013

Rockin' Jump

ROCKIN’ JUMP - The Ultimate Trampoline Park - is a family-friendly, indoor trampoline park with over 10,000 sq. ft. of trampolines in buildings averaging 20,000 sq. ft. Each park has arenas for open jumping, dodgeball, basketball, a giant foam pit, and private party rooms. We provide incredible fun and entertainment, as well as memorable birthday parties, for kids. However, our parks are built with adults in mind too. We offer free Wi-Fi, multiple TVs, a comfortable lounge area, cafés with baristas and an observation platform so adults who are not jumping can enjoy watching their kids jump.
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
Fitness & Gyms
Children's Services
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Member since 2023

Studio Pilates

Founded in Brisbane, Australia in 2002 by an Australian Olympic swimmer and a physical therapist, Jade and Tanya Winter created a unique offering of reformer Pilates workouts that are scientifically-sequenced to transform your entire body, providing the ultimate physical and mental health benefits. Clients enjoy the feeling of personal training, but in a fun group setting! Luxurious boutique studios provide the ideal escape from the everyday with an absolutely beautiful environment clients love!
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
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Member since 2024

Burn Boot Camp

For women of all ages seeking empowerment, efficiency and inspiration in their daily lives, we deliver unlimited 45-minutes camps, complimentary child watch, one-on-one focus meetings and personalized nutrition guidance within a supportive community.

Our mission is to ignite global health transformation by empowering women to maximize the quality of their lives. We seek to build confidence, happiness and disciplines that transcend fitness into a community of mentally, emotionally and physically strong women. We vow to educate, influence and inspire every life we touch with knowledge in our heads, love in our hearts, strength in our bodies and passion in our souls.
Home-Based and/or Mobile
Fitness & Gyms
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Member since 2023

Victress MVMT

VICTRESS MVMT set out to be different. Our coaches use evidence-based techniques to train our members in each stage of life, ultimately improving strength and overall health through safe, functional movement. We are dedicated to creating meaningful change in the world, and we believe that change can start with movement. We’ve seen firsthand how creating a space that positively impacts our members can be a catalyst for a positive impact on the world around them.
Fitness & Gyms Fitness & Gyms
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Health Aids & Services
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Member since 2024

HOTWORX

HOTWORX franchisees are set to maximize revenue potential by offering 24-hour access to a variety of infrared sauna workouts that have already helped so many individuals achieve their fitness goals. Three-dimensional training, our powerful combination of heat, infrared energy, and exercise, accomplishes MORE WORKOUT in LESS TIME and makes HOTWORX unlike any other workout program or business opportunity available!
Fitness & Gyms Fitness & Gyms
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Member since 2024

General Nutrition Centers

GNC is the leading global specialty retailer of nutritional products including: vitamin, mineral, herbs, sports nutrition, and diet and energy products. GNC opened its first franchise store in 1988, and has been ranked #1 in our industry by Entrepreneur for more than 26 years! We continue to grow our franchise system in the fast growing health and fitness industries with operators who are passionate about retail and who enjoy helping others live well.
Retail Stores: Specialty
Retail Stores: Specialty
Health Aids & Services
Fitness & Gyms
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Member since 2017

Jazzercise, Inc.

We’re one of the world’s leading dance fitness companies. The Jazzercise dance program blends jazz dance, Pilates, cardio-boxing, resistance training and yoga. With franchises in every state, and in 20 countries, there are 6,400 Jazzercise franchisees teaching 16,000+ classes each week around the world.
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Member since 2024

DivaDance

DivaDance® is a sexy, sweaty, stressfree dance experience for adults. Our dance classes and parties feature original, pop-music inspired choreography for all levels, and our mission is to inspire confidence and build community.
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
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Member since 2022

Amazing Athletes

Amazing Athletes is a mobile franchise with year-round, educational sports and fitness programming that introduces young children to the fundamentals of 10 different sports while helping them master 6 key areas of motor-development and physical literacy. Instructors teach the basics of athletics, as well as education on nutrition and muscle groups in a preschool-based program. With over 148 locations and expert coaches operating in top schools and facilities across more than 34 states, Amazing Athletes is on a mission to keep kids active with engaging content that teaches them about life skills and teamwork.
Home-Based and/or Mobile
Children's Services
Recreation: Exercise/Sports Ent./Products
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Member since 2021

P.volve

Our franchise offering is a luxury boutique fitness studio with a recurring revenue business model. Franchise owners will be able to offer members access to our on demand platform and live virtual studio for an omni channel, multi-revenue model.The P.volve method combines low impact dynamic joint movement with patented resistance-based equipment to activate and strengthen each and every muscle, and in doing so, helps improve your body’s performance, reduces everyday pain and leaves you looking amazing.
Fitness & Gyms Fitness & Gyms
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Member since 2024

Oxygen Yoga & Fitness

Imagine a fitness brand that transforms bodies and reinvents the workout experience—welcome to Oxygen Yoga & Fitness. As a trailblazer in health and fitness, Oxygen Yoga & Fitness is celebrated for its innovative systems and unique offerings. With 72 flourishing franchises across Canada and 123 territories snapped up, their expanding presence is a testament to their success.

Oxygen Yoga & Fitness seeks franchisees passionate about health and fitness, with stellar interpersonal and leadership skills, and an insatiable drive for success. If this sounds like you, join our dynamic family.
Fitness & Gyms Fitness & Gyms
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