i9 Sports franchise unit economics
i9 Sports franchisees run seasonal youth sports leagues and camps across rented venues, paid for by player registration fees.
i9 Sports in the news
- i9 Sports Celebrates Major Milestone with 300th Franchise · Franchising.com ·
The i9 Sports headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked this i9 Sports link on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including i9 Sports. i9 Sports is in the Swim Schools and Youth Sports franchise guide.
i9 Sports franchise at a glance
i9 Sports’ Item 19 reports revenue and reach for 213 franchises and an income statement for 129 of them, each split into a top half and a bottom half.
i9 Sports franchisees averaged $514,066 of sales, with a median of $406,242, according to Item 19 of i9 Sports’ 2026 FDD, issued 26 March 2026. The 213 in that group are 72%* of i9 Sports’ 294 locations. Fees paid to i9 Sports come to about 10.31%* of sales. An i9 Sports franchise costs $59,900 to $69,900 to open.
- An i9 Sports franchise costs $59,900 to $69,900 to open, including a $24,900 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- i9 Sports charges a royalty of 7.5% of sales, a 2% brand fund contribution and a customer service center fee of the greater of $0.95 a minute or $332.50 a month.
- 38% of reporting i9 Sports locations reached the average.
- i9 Sports’ 129 included franchises averaged operating profit of 25.2% of revenue in 2025. i9 Sports’ FDD defines operating profit as revenue less cost of goods, operating expenses and the 7.5% royalty, before owner pay, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
- At the average i9 Sports location, wages took 28.3%, rent and space costs took 11% and cost of goods took 29.1% of sales.
- Work out i9 Sports's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from i9 Sports's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
Own this franchise?
See what your numbers should look like every month.
Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- 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 top half of i9 Sports units signs up 3.4% of local children aged 14 and under, and the bottom half signs up 1.4%.That is a gap of 2.0 points across all 213 reporting units. In the 129 units with an income statement, the top half bills $577,421 more than the bottom half and earns $150,348 more 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 operating profit 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 top group averaged $800,538 a year. The lowest 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
- Site and trade area.The top band sells 3.6× the bottom band. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $59,900 to $69,900, a 1.2× range inside one brand.
- Venue cost.i9 Sports venue expense ran 11.0% of revenue, at 10.3% in the bottom half and 11.2% in the top half, because venues are rented by the season.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 10.3% of sales. A minimum fee also applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
Live operating levers
- Products and materials.Products and materials take 29.1% of sales, against operating profit of 25.2%. The levers are buying terms, price discipline and waste.
- Registrations.Registrations are 99.2% of i9 Sports revenue. Track unique players against the children aged 14 and under in the territory, which averaged 2.4% across the system.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 213 of 294 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
The costs, line by line
Income statement, fiscal year 2025
| 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 *, a 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. That is $85,379, $196,999 and $306,902 *, identical to the decimal place across two halves of 129 units.
Personnel rises from 25.3% of revenue at the bottom to 29.1% at the top. A larger i9 Sports unit spends more of its revenue on staff and less on marketing *, which falls from 5.7% to 3.6%.
Operating profit runs 25%, and the lowest operating profit in the group was a loss of $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.
Discounts available
- i9 Sports takes 10% ($2,490) off the 10-year franchise fee for U.S. military veterans (VetFran).
- i9 Sports takes 10% off the franchise fee for existing franchisees adding another franchise on a 10-year agreement.
From Item 5 of the i9 Sports 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Reach into the territory
Registration revenue and reach, 2025
| 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.
About two points of the local child population separate the halves. Penetration is 3.4% in the top half against 1.4% in the bottom half. In the 129 units with an income statement, the brand reports 3.6% against 1.4%, and the halves differ by $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.
49% of the bottom half reaches its own average against 36% of the top half. That is 52 of 106 units against 39 of 107. The low end is bunched and the high end is stretched by a 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
Registration revenue by venue count, 2025
| 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. That is $149,590 down to $89,014 *. The single-venue unit bills 68.1% more for each venue *.
From three venues onward each venue produces $99,936 to $116,881. That is $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 at most holds level.
Fees and what it costs to open
Royalty and continuing fees
| 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 none 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 a 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.
How much does an i9 Sports franchise make?
i9 Sports franchisees averaged $514,066 of sales, with a median of $406,242, according to Item 19 of i9 Sports’ 2026 FDD, issued 26 March 2026. The 213 in that group are 72%* of i9 Sports’ 294 locations. Fees paid to i9 Sports come to about 10.31%* of sales. An i9 Sports franchise costs $59,900 to $69,900 to open.
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 at i9 Sports?
On our reading, about 99.2% of i9 Sports revenue comes from player registrations. Sponsorships, commissions, merchandise and concessions together come to under 1% of revenue.
What separates a high-selling unit from a low-selling one at i9 Sports?
Reach separates them at i9 Sports. 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: 3.4% of the children aged 14 and under in the territory against 1.4%.
What is market penetration exactly at i9 Sports?
It is 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 at i9 Sports?
Total sales grow with venue count, and sales for each venue rise far less. 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 fees does i9 Sports charge?
The royalty is 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. The telecommunications platform fee is $15 or $30 a month.
How much does an i9 Sports franchise cost to open?
An i9 Sports franchise costs $59,900 to $69,900 to open 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?
- Which factors does i9 Sports see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- 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 Numbers Check 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. It 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?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around market penetration against 2.4%, operating profit against 25% of revenue, and revenue for each venue before you sign for another one.
Talk to Averanthe franchise library, all 447 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 swim schools and youth sports group:
- Aqua-Tots
- Big Blue Swim School
- British Swim School
- Goldfish Swim School
- KidStrong
- SafeSplash Swim School
- Skyhawks Sports Academy
- The Little Gym
- Water Wings Swim School
The swim schools and youth sports 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?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?It explains what each role owns and when the next hire pays for itself.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?It traces where the extra revenue went, line by line.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from i9 Sports, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. i9 Sports® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: i9 Sports, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 26 March 2026.