Youth Athletes United, the multi-brand franchisor behind Soccer Stars, Amazing Athletes, TGA Premier Sport, Little Rookies and JumpBunch, is expanding in Nashville following the success of franchisees like Angela Dolan, who owns an Amazing Athletes location in the area.
“Prior to franchising, I stayed home for several years with my children after working for a pharmaceutical company,” said Dolan. “When my kids were old enough and I was ready to get back into something new in my career, I knew I didn’t want to live the corporate lifestyle and didn’t want to have to travel for work anymore.”
Dolan says the way she was originally introduced to the Amazing Athletes brand was quite serendipitous. “The original owners and founders of Amazing Athletes were actually my neighbors,” she said. “The brand started in California, but the owners moved to Nashville as they started growing the brand. Eventually, they decided they didn’t want to run the individual corporate location in Nashville anymore. I had personal experience with Amazing Athletes as a consumer when my daughter was in preschool — I loved what the brand was doing and saw the excitement in the kids’ eyes.”
Amazing Athletes is a children’s fitness concept that offers educational sports programs designed for kids from toddlers to adolescents. The team has developed programs that work in a range of settings, from classrooms to kids’ parties, Dolan says.
In terms of the Amazing Athletes business model, Dolan says she was primarily drawn to the opportunity to be her own boss. “I wanted a business I could grow at my own pace,” she said. “I have a very busy lifestyle, so I loved that I would have that freedom. Amazing Athletes gives franchisees knowledge and tools to help them run their own businesses. They’re given the agency to make decisions such as which programs to offer, when to schedule jobs, and who they’d like to hire.”
Dolan started working with the brand five years ago, running the Nashville location for a while before officially purchasing it as a franchisee.
Over the years, Dolan says her growth has been steady and the Nashville market has proven to be ripe with opportunities. “I live just south of Nashville, and our area is home to the stars and is the wealthiest county in the state,” she said. “The kids have a wide array of interests and our city features some of the top schools in the nation, so the amount of children in the school district is just huge. In addition, it is a great area for Youth Athletes United brands because there is no public school system, so parents pay for their children’s education and they have the wealth to involve their kids in sports programs.”
The population of Nashville has increased by a growth rate of almost double the U.S. average over the past decade, and nearly one-fourth of all households in the area have children. Additionally, the city’s average annual household income is $92,486, which is significantly higher than the national average.
Additionally, Dolan says parents in Nashville recognize the value of Youth Athletes United’s services. In an era where parents are spending massive amounts of money on their children, youth sports present a near-recession-proof opportunity. Many schools and even daycare centers are incentivized to prioritize academic work, leaving physical education largely neglected. Youth Athletes United’s model addresses this gap in the curriculum.
As reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “adolescents who play sports are eight times more likely to be physically active at age 24 than those who do not play sports,” making the skills taught by the Youth Athletes United team a part of the foundation for healthy habits that can last a lifetime. The same report credits youth sports with increased life skills, leadership qualities, self-esteem and lower rates of anxiety and depression.
“Before we established Youth Athletes United, there was little to no modernization to our industry, whether in the curriculum, the technology or the product itself,” said Youth Athletes United co-founder and CEO Adam Geisler. “We’ve found new and unique ways to service curriculum and activities that haven’t been done before that allow us to meet families where they are rather than forcing them to meet at one singular location. So whether we’re doing private groups at people’s homes, or we’re running classes inside of malls or at the local field, we look at how we can continue to provide more programming content to more kids to reach our million-kids-a-year goal for our business.”
Now, Geisler says Youth Athletes United is looking for qualified and passionate franchisees like Dolan to help the brand expand its footprint. The team hopes to open five to seven new locations throughout the fast-growing market of Nashville, with all Youth Athletes United brands available for development.
Amazing Athletes currently offers two franchise programs: The total investment to begin 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 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://soccerstars.com/.
