Field Of Dreams You don't have to be Mark McGwire to score big in sports. Here's how you can hit a home run with a sports event franchise.
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In high school, you were on the football team, yet nowyou're sitting behind a desk wearing a suit. While shufflingpaperwork, you pray for weekends and calculate whether a 7-ironwill make the 14th hole. You had thought about a career in sports,but that seemed about as likely as becoming a rock star, so youopted for an MBA program.
Sound familiar? If so, it's high time you ditched the 9-to-5life and returned to the world of team sports because, even if youdon't play like Jordan, you can still make a career out of yourlove of sports. There may only be a few Jerry Maguires out there,but there are countless amateur enthusiasts waiting for someonelike you to organize and guide their events.
With so many people stuck indoors during their working hoursonly to go home and watch TV after work, amateur athletes areitching to breathe fresh air and enjoy the camaraderie and friendlycompetition of team sports. "There's nothing better thansports to reduce the stresses and tensions of everyday life,personally and professionally," says Mike May of the SportingGoods Manufacturers Association. "We need physical release tobring balance to our lives, and that's where sports comein."
To make amateur sporting events more play than work forparticipants, sports event companies organize teams for sports likegolf, softball, in-line hockey and billiards by providing venuesfor events, recruiting team members and calculating score sheetsand handicap systems. Since this is such a hands-on, customerservice-oriented industry, companies like American PoolplayersAssociation and Triple Crown Sports are franchising their servicesto provide better local service. "Many people gravitate towarda sports franchise because, in their minds, it has instantcredibility," says May. "There's organization andstructure."
If you know the pleasure of playing a competitive team sport,it's not a big leap to imagine how much fun it would be tobring games into the lives of stressed-out weekend warriors. Sosuit up and get ready to play.
Batter Up
After participating in a Triple Crown Sports softball league for10 years and running a few fund-raising tournaments, Grant Stanisknew a little something about softball events. For Stanis, owner ofhis own computer consulting business, business and pleasure formeda perfect match when he discovered that Triple Crown Sports, asports event company based in Fort Collins, Colorado, wasfranchising.
"I knew Triple Crown had an established product here onLong Island," says Stanis, 33, whose territory covers part ofNew York and Connecticut. "I knew if I could come in and[build on] what they'd already built, it could be a verylucrative business." Stanis bought a franchise in Long Islandlast December to run in addition to his consulting business; hestaged his first event in February.
Dave and Annette King founded Triple Crown Sports in 1982 out ofa love of softball. "For five years, we ran the businessstrictly [so we could] play in high-end tournaments for the weekendwarrior, the amateur adult athlete," explains Dave. The Kingsgradually added other sports to their roster: youth baseball,girls' fast-pitch softball and in-line hockey, with plans inthe works to add basketball and soccer as well. In 1997, theystarted franchising the territories they currently have in 35states.
Although Triple Crown Sports' events run seasonally, timemanagement is still of the essence. "My events run fromFebruary through August," says Stanis. "From Septemberthrough October, I'm trying to sell sponsorships. In December,we're preparing for our off-season mailing that tells our teamsthe schedule for next year. So although there's downtime in[terms of] events, there's really no downtime in theworkload." Stanis attends each event, oversees merchandisesales and gathers customer feedback from the players."It's important that I have a presence because it's myproduct I'm giving to these people. I'm always interestedin feedback, both good and bad. Without bad feedback, you can'tbuild a stronger event."
Rack `Em
Though many people look to sports for physical release,there's also the social aspect--the camaraderie that comes fromgetting together with friends after work, showing off your skillsand leading your team to the championships. "We offer anopportunity [for players] to get together and socialize," saysRenee Poehlman, president of the American Poolplayers Association(APA), a Lake St. Louis, Missouri-based franchisor that organizesamateur billiard leagues. "It's a great socialtimeout."
APA franchisees recruit players wherever pool tables arepresent, from bars and lodges to corporate-sponsored events. Byusing a handicap system, players can compete on the same level,regardless of their skill, for the chance to attend the annualnational championships, where the APA awards $800,000 inprizes.
Phil Brooker was already passionate about billiards before hebecame a franchisee. A veteran of APA leagues, he discovered otherpeople were searching for well-organized leagues. "I startedtelling people about the APA league and how they use a handicapsystem much different than [most] local leagues," saysBrooker, 33, who, with his partner, Taz, and one employee, runs 125teams around Camarillo, California. "The response I usuallygot was a raised eyebrow and the statement `Someone should startthat up around here.' Well, enough people made that commentthat I decided to look into an APA franchise."
Brooker, who also works a full-time job, spends nights andweekends recruiting league players and finding locations. "Idon't find customers. I find pool tables. Hang around pooltables, and customers will find you," he says.
One of the main challenges, Brooker says, is keeping up with thepaperwork for the leagues. "We won't be successful if thehandicap system isn't accurate. Many of our customers only seethe paperwork we exchange on a weekly basis, so it's importantthe paperwork is handled promptly and accurately. Taz does a goodjob of that."
Team Spirit
Success in a sporting event franchise rests mainly on twoskills: salesmanship and organization. For most sports enthusiasts,the first one comes easily. If you love the game, it's not hardto sell it. "Pool is the one sport anyone can play, and nomatter how good you get, there's always room forimprovement," says Brooker. "I feel good knowing I'vebrought my style of therapy into the lives of literally hundreds ofpeople whose days are hopefully a little brighter because ofit." If you're having fun running your business, itwon't be difficult to convince customers it will be fun toparticipate.
Organization is just as important. "There's a series ofmany things that have to happen behind the scenes for the [events]to work," says Dave King. "The timeline is well out infront." Once the season starts, you have to keep up with yourcurrent players, score and run events, and simultaneously plan yournext season by finding venues and new recruits.
"Anyone who gets involved with sports [franchising] has torealize you're involved because you love sports," saysMay. "You're going to put in some long hours because yourjob is to cater to people in their recreational time."
Though a sporting event franchise may not yield you millions,it's relatively inexpensive to get into and offers room forgrowth. The APA currently has 164 franchises, with only 50 percentof the nation covered. With an estimated 4 million Americansplaying pool every week, it's not surprising the largest APAfranchisee leads more than 1,000 teams.
Triple Crown Sports plans to slowly franchise the territoriesthe corporate headquarters currently runs in 35 states, though DaveKing says the company is in no hurry to do so. "We're alittle different than a lot of companies because we're in nohurry to sell the next 10 franchises. We want to get the right 10franchisees."
Looking back over the past 20 years of the computer age,it's not surprising so many people crave both a social andphysical outlet to participate in outside of work. And with newsports popping up all the time, there'll be even more choicesfor weekend warriors. "There are so many levels of opportunityto participate within the existing sports that we have," saysMay. "When you throw in the mix of new sports that have comeon the scene in the past 10 years--in-line skating, in-line hockey,snowboarding--the number of people who are involved in some type ofgrass-roots sports effort has probably never been higher."With so many sports and so many players, maybe it's time foryou to get off that bench and see how competitive you reallyare.
They Got Game
By Liza Potter
Ready to get off the bench? Contact these companies for moreinformation:
Advantage Golf Tournament Services
Golf tournaments
Total start-up costs: $59K-135K
(972) 716-9931
American Poolplayers Association
Recreational billiard league
Total start-up costs: $4.3K-6.2K
(314) 625-8611
Jam of Appleton
Basketball tournaments
Total start-up costs: $2.9K
(800) 861-6052
Triple Crown Sports
Amateur sports events
Total start-up costs: $19.5K-29K
(970) 223-6644
