Why Youth Athletes United is Set to Take First Place in the Youth Sports Franchise Industry

Youth Athletes United — a multi-brand franchisor that includes Super Soccer Stars, Amazing Athletes, TGA Premier Sports, JumpBunch and Little Rookies — is emerging as a true juggernaut in the youth sports franchise segment. Since uniting all five concepts under the same portfolio late last year, the multi-brand franchisor now boasts a whopping 291 territories nationwide and more than 200,000 children instructed each year. Now, Youth Athletes United is ready to continue that momentum by partnering with qualified and passionate franchisees across the country.

Youth Athletes United began with co-founders CEO Adam Geisler and President John Erlandson. 1851 Franchise spoke with Geisler to learn more about the franchisor, the youth sports industry and his plans for the future.
 

Big News from the Last Year

In November 2021, Geisler and Erlandson, with the help of investors, purchased the five YAU brands — each with a longstanding history of success. Amazing Athletes is the largest multi-sport education program in the country, with coaches teaching sports, nutrition and muscle groups in this preschool-based program. Soccer Stars is the largest corporate-run youth sports program in the U.S., offering instructional classes, competitive play, private and group programs, summer camps and even virtual programs. TGA Premier Sports is the No. 1 golf and tennis enrichment brand in the country, and JumpBunch offers an opportunity to run sports and fitness activity programs for children in preschools, schools, camps and for birthday parties across micro-territories. Little Rookies is a youth baseball program that teaches athletic skills and supports physical and personal development.

Thus, Youth Athletes United was born.

“By combining all of these brands, our main goal was finding the best ways to truly impact kids through sports,” said Geisler. “How do we let them have fun while also teaching them the fundamentals? We want to keep kids active and healthy and teach them the types of behaviors that they will need for the rest of their lives. If they don’t feel like they are gaining that confidence, they can lose that passion. This year, we really took strides towards achieving that goal by creating the Youth Athletes United platform.”

Since the acquisitions, YAU has added another 100 units over the past year as more savvy entrepreneurs recognize the strength of the multi-brand portfolio. “With every franchisee we bring on, we continue to expand the ability to impact more kids through sports,” said Geisler. “That is why each signing is an important step for the company.”

Why the Youth Sports Industry is Booming

In an era where parents are spending massive amounts of money on their children, youth sports present a near-recession-proof opportunity. Families spend an average of $693 on one youth sport per year, driving the $19 billion youth sports market. While many schools and daycare centers are incentivized to prioritize academic work — often neglecting physical education — Youth Athletes United addresses this gap and gets children moving and engaged in a variety of sports from a young age. 

“If you look at the market, schools and parents are very much focused on making sure children are hitting the development milestones that they may have missed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Geisler. “We can help with a focus on physical wellness and well-being. That is our responsibility. We have a 20-plus year program and curriculum, and a tremendous opportunity to impact these kids. According to a recent study by the CDC, children ages 6-11 years are currently reporting BMI that is 2.5 times higher than the pre-pandemic rate. It is our responsibility to teach them that being active is essential.” 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services supports the importance of movement from an early age, stating that “adolescents who play sports are eight times more likely to be physically active at age 24 than those who do not play sports.” The same report credits youth sports with increased life skills, leadership qualities, self-esteem and lower rates of anxiety and depression. 

“When it comes to encouraging athletics, the biggest thing is unintentional play,” said Geisler. “If your kids are going to be athletes, the best thing you can do is expose them to multiple sports from as young as 2 to 6 years old. They should be trying everything. At first, it is unintentional play, but then they make a dedicated decision to a sport. That is how you want to guide them.”
 

Why Youth Athletics United Stands Out

As the demand for youth sports increases, the Youth Athletes United franchise opportunity stands out with several differentiators, including the latest in technological offerings, a flexible work schedule, no required brick-and-mortar site and a resilient business model that offers both group and private lessons.

“We have all these support systems to make sure our franchisees are successful,” said Geisler. “It is also a mobile business — you can work in parks, recs, religious institutions. We just need anywhere with a 500- to 2,000-square-foot space. Basically, we want to give franchisees the ability to impact as many children as possible, in the easiest way possible. That requires a robust platform behind them. By coming into YAU, franchisees have the resources they need to scale their business.” 

And that scalable system seems to be working. Currently, Geisler says nearly 30% of all YAU franchisees are multi-unit owners. “We want that number to be 50%,” he said. “We are implementing all the systems for franchisees to quickly scale their business and expand to new schools and territories. We also have 25% of owners investing in multi-brand development. We have multi-brand franchisees with one territory that is very dense, as well as single-brand franchisees that love the particular vertical they are in and expand to multiple territories.”

The Investment 

The total investment required to begin operation of YAU franchised businesses will range slightly depending on the concept, but Geisler says they all fall under $50,000 and are each designed to provide entrepreneurs with a low barrier of entry and high margins. 

“We want franchisees investing in themselves and in the business,” said Geisler. “We have a very low Item 7 — the capital requirements to get into the business are low, which is good. That means franchisees will have the capital to scale quickly, hiring coaches and marketing to get the name out there. That timeline can be as little as 30 days, and we are with you the whole way through. With YAU, you are investing money and seeing returns very quickly, as opposed to traditional retail franchises with high CAPX. With us, you can see ROI right away.”

Why the Leadership Team is More Excited Than Ever

As the Youth Athletics United name grows, Geisler says the leadership team has found exciting ways to spread the word. Recently, for example, the company partnered with two professional athletic ambassadors, tennis star Leylah Fernandez and soccer star Trinity Rodman. 

“Trinity has a great origin story — she actually took our soccer class at the age of three,” said Geisler. “These athletes wouldn’t be where they were if they didn’t have parents and coaches who exposed them to many sports. That is a fundamental piece that we want parents to understand.”

Big picture, Geisler says his goal for Youth Athletics United is to create a one-stop-shop for all youth sports needs. “We want parents to know that we are a trusted source where they can get all of their sports experiences from one brand, whether it be soccer, baseball or anything else,” he said. “That is where we hope to be in the next two years, which is really exciting. Now, we are just looking for high-energy and dedicated franchisees across the country to help us achieve that goal.”

Amazing Athletes currently offers two franchise programs: The total investment to begin the operation of this franchised business for the Complete AA Program ranges from $43,650 to $64,950, including between $35,450 and $43,450 that must be paid to the franchisor. The total investment to begin the operation of this franchised business for the Basic Package ranges from $33,450 to $51,950, including between $27,950 and $33,450 that must be paid to the franchisor. For more information, visit https://amazingathletesfranchise.com/. 

The total cost to open a TGA Premier Sports franchise ranges from $42,700-$113,000, which includes a franchise fee of $30,000-$70,000. For more information, visit https://www.franchisetga.com/. 

Franchise opportunities for JumpBunch will begin in 2022. Learn more about the brand here: Learn more about franchising here: https://www.jumpbunch.com/franchise. 

Franchising opportunities for Soccer Stars will begin in 2022. Learn more about the brand here: https://newyork.supersoccerstars.com/.