i9 Sports franchise unit economics
i9 Sports franchisees run seasonal youth sports leagues across rented venues. Revenue averaged $514,066 and operating profit $129,290, which is 25%. The top half of the system earns 3.59 times the revenue of the bottom half at almost exactly the same margin, so this is a business about volume.
- Primary source
- i9 Sports, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure
- Population
- 213 of 294 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
The average unit earned $514,066 of revenue and $129,290 of operating profit, which is 25%. The top half earns 3.59 times the revenue of the bottom half at 25.5% against 24.0%. So size changes the dollars and leaves the margin alone. What separates the two halves is reach: 3.6% of the children in the territory sign up, against 1.4%.
- The top half earns 3.59 times the revenue at the same margin.$800,538 against $223,117, at 25.5% and 24.0% operating profit *, gross profit is 71% in both halves and operating expense 38% in both.
- The whole gap is reach into the local child population.3.6% of children aged 14 and under signed up in the top half against 1.4% in the bottom *, 2.2 points, worth $577,421 of revenue and $150,348 of operating profit.
- A one-venue unit earns $149,590 from it. A two-venue unit earns $89,014 from each.68.1% more from a single location *, and beyond that it settles at $113,936 to $116,881 for each venue at three and four.
- The median unit earns $80,173 of operating profit against an average of $129,290.62.0% of it *, on a range running $608,688 down to a loss of $12,223, and that is before the owner is paid.
- Opening costs six to seven weeks of an average unit’s revenue.$59,900 to $69,900 against $514,066 *, about half a year of operating profit, because the venues are rented by the season.
How much does an i9 Sports franchise make?
The average i9 Sports unit reported $514,066 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $406,242. The brand’s disclosure document puts the profit line at 25.2% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 10.3% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Top performers
What separates the top i9 Sports performers
i9 Sports splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $800,538 a year. The worst averaged $223,117. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $406,242. The average was $514,066. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 3.6× gap between bands is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building. Two owners with the same brand and different ground are running different businesses, and density decides how much driving sits between jobs.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $59,900 to $69,900, a 1.2× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
- Lease economics.Occupancy cost ran 11.0% of sales in this filing. The rent does not fall when sales do, so the same lease is a far heavier line at the bottom of the system than at the top. That is how a weak site compounds into a weak profit line.
Live operating levers
- Cost of what you sell.Products and materials take 29.1% of sales, against 25.2% kept at the end. Buying terms, price discipline and waste are where this is won, and each of them compounds at volume. Small movements here move the result more than anything else, because nothing else in the structure is that large.
- Occupancy, the line that does not flex.Rent and building costs take 11.0% of sales here. Sales per square foot and the hours the space is earning are the only two ways to move it, because the rent itself is fixed at signing.
- Enrolment, the operating driver.This model bills on enrolment. The licence fixes how many places exist, so what is left is how many are filled, what each is priced at, and how long a family stays. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 10.3% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.213 of 294 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
The costs, line by line
Size changes the dollars and leaves the margin alone.
| Line | All 129 | Share * | Bottom half, 64 | Share * | Top half, 65 | Share * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $514,066 | n/a | $223,117 | n/a | $800,538 | n/a |
| Player expense | $66,934 | 13.0% | $32,690 | 14.7% | $100,651 | 12.6% |
| Venue expense | $56,616 | 11.0% | $22,995 | 10.3% | $89,719 | 11.2% |
| Other cost of sales | $25,970 | 5.1% | $11,781 | 5.3% | $39,941 | 5.0% |
| Gross profit | $364,546 | 70.9% | $155,651 | 69.8% | $570,227 | 71.2% |
| Personnel | $145,247 | 28.3% | $56,542 | 25.3% | $232,587 | 29.1% |
| Marketing | $20,721 | 4.0% | $12,629 | 5.7% | $28,689 | 3.6% |
| Other | $31,031 | 6.0% | $16,208 | 7.3% | $45,627 | 5.7% |
| Royalty | $38,257 | 7.44% | $16,738 | 7.50% | $59,444 | 7.43% |
| Operating profit | $129,290 | 25.2% | $53,533 | 24.0% | $203,881 | 25.5% |
| Average venues | 4.1 | n/a | 2.5 | n/a | 5.7 | n/a |
| Average sports offered | 4.3 | n/a | 3.8 | n/a | 4.8 | n/a |
Dollar figures are as the brand reported it and the share columns are marked *. Operating profit sits above what an owner takes home. Because it excludes owner pay, interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. It rests on 129 of the 280 units active that year.
Gross profit is 71% in both halves. 69.8% at the bottom and 71.2% at the top *, an unit billing $223,117 keeps the same proportion as one billing $800,538, so the next registration is worth close to its face value.
Operating expense is 38.3% of revenue in every column. $85,379, $196,999 and $306,902 *, identical to the decimal place across two halves of 129 units.
The one line that moves is personnel, and it moves the wrong way. 25.3% of revenue at the bottom against 29.1% at the top *, a larger unit spends more of its revenue on staff and makes it back on marketing, which falls from 5.7% to 3.6%.
Operating profit runs 25% and the lowest-selling units lost $12,223. Against a high of $608,688 and a median of $80,173 *, 47 of 129 units reached the average, so the money sits in a long upper tail.
Reach into the territory
What share of the local children sign up.
| Measure | All 213 | Bottom half, 106 | Top half, 107 | Top against bottom * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average registration revenue | $458,817 | $195,257 | $719,914 | 3.69 times |
| Median | $359,546 | $187,110 | $609,945 | 3.26 times |
| Highest | $1,846,038 | $358,642 | $1,846,038 | n/a |
| Lowest | $44,151 | $44,151 | $359,546 | n/a |
| Reaching the average | 81, 38% | 52, 49% | 39, 36% | n/a |
| Average venues | 3.8 | 2.3 | 5.2 | 2.26 times |
| Average sports offered | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 1.37 times |
| Market penetration | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3.4% | 2.43 times |
The right-hand column is marked * and the rest is as the brand reported it, across 213 of the 294 units active at year end. Penetration means unique player registrations against the children aged 14 and under living in the territory. So a large territory worked lightly and a small one worked hard read very differently here.
Two and a bit points of the local child population separate the halves. 3.4% against 1.4% *, on the income statement, where it reads 3.6% against 1.4%, that gap is worth $577,421 of revenue and $150,348 of operating profit.
Revenue scales faster than reach does. 3.69 times the revenue on 2.43 times the penetration *, so the top half is either working larger territories or earning more from each registration.
Attainment runs backwards. 49% of the bottom half reaches its own average against 36% of the top half *. The weak end is bunched and the strong end is stretched by an unit billing $1,846,038.
The top half runs 1.3 more sports across 2.9 more venues. 4.8 sports at 5.2 venues against 3.5 at 2.3 *, reach is built by adding seasons and locations.
Venue by venue
The first venue is the best one.
| Venues operated | Units | Average | Median | Range | Reaching the average | Revenue a venue * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | $149,590 | $144,310 | $44,151 to $313,087 | 10, 48% | $149,590 |
| 2 | 43 | $178,028 | $161,196 | $57,584 to $491,026 | 16, 37% | $89,014 |
| 3 | 46 | $341,809 | $290,065 | $125,872 to $792,671 | 20, 43% | $113,936 |
| 4 | 36 | $467,525 | $440,918 | $212,837 to $1,280,217 | 17, 47% | $116,881 |
| 5 | 26 | $499,681 | $507,075 | $246,687 to $866,420 | 15, 58% | $99,936 |
| 6 and above | 41 | $1,009,403 | $970,870 | $374,915 to $1,846,038 | 19, 46% | $53,126 to $168,234 |
| All | 213 | $458,817 | $359,546 | $44,151 to $1,846,038 | 81, 38% | n/a |
The right-hand column is marked * and the rest is as the brand reported it. The six groups weight back to $458,817 exactly. The top group runs between 6 and 19 venues. So its revenue for each venue is shown as the range those two counts produce.
Moving from one venue to two nearly halves what each one produces. $149,590 down to $89,014 *. The single-venue unit is 68.1% ahead, so the first location is the one with the following.
From three venues onward it settles. $113,936, $116,881 then $99,936 for each venue at three, four and five *, a plateau, with the five-venue group below the four-venue one.
The five-venue group is the tightest in the table. 58% of its 26 units reach their own average *, against 37% at two venues.
A unit with 6 or more venues bills 6.75 times a single-venue one. $1,009,403 against $149,590 *, on at least six times the locations, so the total grows and the yield for each one holds level at best.
Fees and what it costs to open
7.5%, 2%, and a call center.
| Fee | Rate | Minimum a month | A year at the minimum * | Revenue at which the rate takes over * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.5% of network revenues | $425 below 80,000 children, $450 at or above | $5,100 or $5,400 | $68,000 or $72,000 |
| National brand fund | 2% of network revenues | $275 | $3,300 | $165,000 |
| Customer service center | $0.95 a minute | $332.50 | $3,990 | n/a |
| Telecommunications platform | n/a | $15 or $30 | $180 or $360 | n/a |
Rates and minimums are as the brand reported it and the two right-hand columns are marked *. The royalty minimum is set by the number of children aged 14 and under in the territory, the same measure the penetration rate uses.
| Route | Franchise fee | Territory fee | Total investment | As weeks of average revenue * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten-year agreement | $24,900 up front | $15,000 | $59,900 to $69,900 | 6.1 to 7.1 weeks |
| Five-year agreement | $500 a month | $15,000 | $16,500 of initial fees | n/a |
Fees and totals are as the brand reported it and the weeks column is marked *, measured against $514,066. Real estate appears in zero of the lines above. Because venues are rented by the season.
Entry is about half a year of operating profit. $59,900 to $69,900 against $129,290 *, 0.46 to 0.54 years, for a business that puts its money into people.
The brand and its platforms take about 10.3% of revenue at the average unit. 7.5% royalty, 2% brand fund and roughly $4,170 to $4,350 of call center and telephone *, and the brand fund sits inside the marketing line above.
The brand fund minimum reaches further up the system than the royalty minimum. It governs below $165,000 of revenue against $68,000 to $72,000 for the royalty *, so an unit in the lower reaches of the bottom half pays a fixed advertising sum.
Registrations are 99.2% of revenue. Working back from a royalty charged at 7.5% of registrations that reads as 7.44% of the revenue line *, sponsorships, commissions, merchandise and concessions together are under 1%.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
What does an i9 Sports unit earn?
Revenue averaged $514,066 and operating profit $129,290, which is 25%. The median operating profit was $80,173, the highest $608,688 and the lowest a loss of $12,223, all before any pay to the owner.
How much of that is registrations?
About 99.2% on our reading. Sponsorships, commissions, merchandise and concessions together come to under 1% of revenue.
What separates a high-selling unit from a weak one?
Reach. The top half earns 3.59 times the revenue of the bottom half at 25.5% operating profit against 24.0%, on gross profit of 71% in both. What differs is market penetration: 3.6% of the children aged 14 and under in the territory against 1.4%.
What is market penetration exactly?
Unique player registrations divided by the territory’s population of children aged 14 and under. It averaged 2.4% across the system, at 1.4% in the bottom half and 3.4% in the top.
Does adding venues pay?
In total sales, yes; for each venue, less clearly. A one-venue unit averaged $149,590 and a two-venue unit $178,028, which is $89,014 for each. At three and four venues it settles at $113,936 and $116,881, and at five it falls to $99,936.
What does the brand take?
A royalty of 7.5% of network revenues with a monthly minimum of $425 or $450 depending on the number of children in the territory, a brand fund contribution of 2% with a $275 monthly minimum, a customer service center fee of the greater of $0.95 a minute or $332.50 a month. A telecommunications platform fee of $15 or $30 a month.
What does it cost to open?
$59,900 to $69,900 under a ten-year agreement, including a $24,900 franchise fee and a $15,000 territory fee. A five-year agreement replaces the up-front franchise fee with $500 a month, taking initial fees to $16,500.
Questions worth putting to i9 Sports
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many i9 Sports locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →What share of your local kids are signing up?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around market penetration against 2.4%, operating profit against 25% of revenue. Revenue for each venue before you sign for another one.
Request the reviewthe franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
i9 Sports reads against the rest of the youth sports and movement group: My Gym · Skyhawks Sports Academy. The youth sports and movement guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?What each one owns, and the point at which the next one pays for itself.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?Where the extra revenue went, line by line.