It’s been more than 30 years since youth sports concept Sportball began offering its children’s sports programs in Toronto.
Jason D’Rocha, the company’s vice president and growth coach, has been involved for more than 20 of those. So long, he said, that he’s confident when talking about the brand’s next stage for growth in the United States.
“There aren’t a lot of programs and organizations out there doing what we do and the way that we do it,” D’Rocha said, “so we do see this as being a really big opportunity.”
Sportball offers sports education for children ages 16 months to 12 years old through teaching the eight “major ball sports” in North America: basketball, soccer, hockey, football, baseball, tennis, golf and volleyball. The eight-week program teaches one sport each week and develops children’s skills through physical activity, refining gross motor development and social skills.
The youth activity segment is on the rise as Sportball expands among the likes of larger, private equity-backed players like KidStrong, which recently announced an investment from Princeton Equity Group, and Roark Capital-backed Youth Enrichment Brands’ i9 Sports. Single-sport concepts like Shoot 360 and Soccer Stars are also making the rounds nationwide.
Sportball has eight units in the U.S. across Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New York and Texas. That’s in addition to 22 units in Canada, one in Singapore and one set to open in New Delhi this June.
D’Rocha sees opportunity for aggressive growth with plenty of white space in the States. The brand’s next openings are adjacent to existing locations to take advantage of brand awareness without cannibalizing those markets.
As a result, Texas appears to be a beacon for upcoming Sportball openings. Franchisee Mica Villalon understands this better than anyone as he and his wife, Alyssa, prepare to open their second Sportball unit in eastern San Antonio.
Mica Villalon first connected with Sportball in 2005 as a full-time coach at its Austin, Texas, location—the brand’s first in the U.S.
The couple became franchisees in 2012 when they took ownership of the location and have operated in the Austin area ever since. They attribute success to taking a hands-on approach to franchising, being involved with day-to-day operations as well as finding and hiring coaches—made easier by Mica Villalon’s personal experience in the role.
“We know all the difficulties and the challenges of being a coach,” said Villalon, who recently expanded staffing opportunities by offering full-time, salaried coaching roles at his location. “There’s a lot of adjustments we’ve made over the years to the way we operate and creating the best experience for coaches. If we can take care of them, it lessens our turnover, kids are happier and [we have] better programs.”
The Villalons’ relationship with Sportball has only gotten stronger in recent years; Mica Villalon credited the brand’s new ownership with lighting a fire underneath them and other franchisees. Private equity firm GoodCapital acquired the brand in 2023, and the firm’s CEO, Quinten Griffiths, stepped in as Sportball’s chief executive.)
D’Rocha said the ownership shift resulted in a systemwide rebrand, including a rebuilt leadership team, revitalized website, and updated training and learning management systems. The company also built out its own registration platform as part of larger technology investments.
Competitors often “depend on third-party software to do registration, online payments and scheduling,” D’Rocha said. “In those situations, you have to almost adapt the business so it can suit the software.”
Sportball’s proprietary software, he continued, allows the brand to “have all of the KPIs we want, collect online registration, track the business, measure and have full transparency in terms of what this business looks like from a revenue standpoint and expense standpoint.”
These investments are driving the brand’s U.S. push, as Sportball nears its goal of reaching 100,000 children by 2028. (D’Rocha estimated the brand currently reaches about 70,000.)
As for the Villalons, San Antonio operations are launching as early as this summer, with the couple hoping to “rinse and repeat” their success at location No. 2.
“I feel very blessed every day,” Mica Villalon said. “I’m very thankful about the opportunity to do what I love: to make a difference with kids and have so much freedom in my life. Sportball is the reason why, so it’s been a great journey.”
-Alyssa Huglen, Franchise Times.
Link to article: https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/sportball-renews-u-s-franchise-push-to-capitalize-on-youth-sports-demand/article_21979800-3a08-4788-97cd-d13d277fcbf4.html
