#044: You Don't Need a Gym to Build a Sports Empire
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 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.
Soccer Shots figured this out early. Instead of building facilities, they started showing up at daycares and preschools with nothing but cones and a clear plan. Today, they generate over $100M annually across 300+ franchises without owning a single square foot.
The formula is brilliant in its simplicity: Parents say yes because it's convenient. Hosts say yes because it adds valuable programming.
You win because you eliminate your biggest fixed cost.
The Hidden Cost of Facilities
I learned this lesson the hard way. When I built Ultimate Hoops, we paid for gym time because we thought we had to. But I negotiated smart, working with the Bloomington, MN school district to cut rental rates in half by leveraging unused weekday hours. That one move saved us thousands and boosted our margins at the most critical stage of growth.
Eighteen 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 true national scale.
Here's the math that changes everything: A typical rec league renting one gym at $100/hour for 10 hours a week spends $4,000/month in rent alone. That's nearly $50,000/year before you've paid staff, insurance, or marketing. Going rent-free puts that money back in your business or your pocket.
The Smart Path Forward
Whether you're launching youth sports or adult rec leagues, here's the playbook:
Start with underutilized spaces. Elementary gyms, church rec rooms, after-school programs. These are hidden gems with built-in audiences and flexible pricing.
Pitch partnership, not rental. Position your program as value-add programming that brings health, activity, and community to its members. You're solving their programming problem.
Offer a pilot day. Show the experience before asking for commitment. This reduces friction and builds trust with nervous facility managers.
Structure pricing to reflect your economics. Lower overhead means you can charge less, reach more families, and still maintain healthy margins.
The Real Advantage
This isn't just about saving money. It's about speed and optionality. When you're not locked into expensive leases, you can test markets faster, pivot quicker, and scale without the weight of fixed assets.
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 instead of rent checks.
If you can't make your model work in borrowed space, you're not ready for your own facility. And if you can make it work? You'll scale faster, with less risk and more options.
Go where the kids are. Go where the adults already gather. Bring value, build momentum, then decide how big you want to get.
