#044: Go Where The Players Are
Soccer Shots, which served as my daughter Mila’s first entry into soccer, has scaled their “no-rent” model into a $100 million dollar business.
You don’t need your own gym to launch a successful league.
You don’t even need to rent one.
You just need to go where the players already are—and bring the game to them.
But here’s a smarter play.
Go where the players already are.
That’s exactly what Soccer Shots did.
They started by showing up at daycares and preschools—no turf, no stadium lights, just cones and a clear plan.
Today? They generate over $100M annually across 300+ franchises.
And they’ve never needed to own a single square foot.
The formula is simple:
Parents say yes because it’s convenient.
Hosts say yes because it adds value to their programming.
You win because you eliminate your biggest fixed cost.
This model isn’t theoretical. I’ve lived it.
When I built Ultimate Hoops, we did pay for gym time—because we had to.
But I negotiated hard and smart. I worked with the Bloomington, MN school district to cut rental rates in half by leveraging unused weekday hours.
That one move saved us thousands and lifted our margins at a critical stage of growth.
18 months later, when Life Time acquired us, we unlocked the full no-rent model by expanding Ultimate Hoops leagues inside their national footprint.
That transition removed facility costs from our P&L entirely—and opened the door to national scale.
Whether you’re launching youth sports or adult rec, here’s what I tell founders:
Run lean. Grow smart.
Here’s how:
Start with underutilized spaces — Elementary gyms, church rec rooms, after-school programs. These are hidden gems.
Pitch the partnership, not the rental. Position your program as value-add programming: health, activity, community.
Offer a pilot or demo day to show the experience. This reduces friction and builds trust.
Structure your pricing to reflect no-rent economics. Lower your overhead, widen your margin.
A typical rec league renting one gym at $100/hour for 10 hours a week will spend $4,000/month in rent alone.
That’s nearly $50,000/year—before you’ve paid staff, insurance, or marketing.
Going rent-free can put that money back in your business—or in your pocket.
You don’t need a facility.
You need access.
You need trust.
You need players who keep showing up.
If you can’t make your model work in borrowed space, you’re not ready for your own.
And if you can make it work?
You’ll scale faster, with less risk and more optionality.
I’ve helped dozens of operators take this path—from zero to six- and seven-figure sports businesses.
The ones who win long-term are the ones who stay light, move fast, and build relationships, not rent checks.
So go where the kids are.
Go where the adults already gather.
Bring value. Build momentum. Then decide how big you want to get.
