sports facility business plan template

Indoor Sports Complex Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Indoor Sports Complex Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their indoor sports complex companies. 

If you’re unfamiliar with creating an indoor sports complex business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write an indoor sports complex business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your indoor sports complex business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan

If you’re looking to start an indoor sports complex business or grow your existing indoor sports complex company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your indoor sports complex business to improve your chances of success. Your indoor sports facility business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes. 

Sources of Funding for Indoor Sports Complex Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for an indoor sports complex business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan (hand it to them in person or email to them as a PDF file) and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for indoor sports complex companies.

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How to write a business plan for an indoor sports complex business.

If you want to start an indoor sports complex business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide and sample below detail the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your indoor sports complex business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of indoor sports complex business you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have an indoor sports complex business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of indoor sports complex businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. 

• Give a brief overv iew of the indoor sports complex industry. 
• Discuss the type of indoor sports complex business you are operating. 
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. 
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team. 
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of indoor sports complex business you are operating.

For example, you m ight specialize in one of the following types of indoor sports complex businesses:

• Indoor sport courts: In this type of indoor sports complex, a variety of specific courts are offered for game play or practice; including basketball, racquetball, handball, and volleyball. 
• Indoor field arenas: Including soccer, baseball, a running track and other field-sized options, an indoor arena offers a wide variety of sporting-options for field play. 
• Indoor pool and water play parks: This type of indoor sports complex provides a comprehensive water-play experience for families. In addition to lap pools and dive pools, kiddie pools and splash pads are set up for children of all ages. 
• Indoor gymnastics complex: An indoor sports complex equipped for gymnastics will include training and equipment; such as the pommel horse, tumbling mats, rings, parallel bars, ceiling swings, high-low bars, and a variety of other elements to build and strengthen gymnastic skills.

In addition to explaining the type of indoor sports complex business you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of soccer leagues under contract, the national certification of swimming teams, the  X number of gymnastics clients served, etc.
• Your legal indoor sports complex business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the indoor sports complex industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the indoor sports complex industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating. 

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your sports facility business plan:

• How big is the indoor sports complex industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your indoor sports complex business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your indoor sports complex business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: 

• Individuals who want to improve personal strength or aptitude in a sport
• Parents who seek training for their children in a sport or individual skill
• Families who want to enjoy physical exercise and play time together 
• Teams who are looking for a stable indoor environment in which to regularly play
• Corporations who are seeking an indoor team-building atmosphere

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of indoor sport complex business you operate. Clearly, individuals would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers. Ideally you can speak with a sample of your target customers before writing your plan to better understand their needs.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are othe r indoor sports complex businesses. 

Indirect competitors are options that customers may choose instead of your direct competitors. For example, families may choose to use a public pool or park, sports teams may opt for outdoor sports fields, or individuals may choose to build physical skills using equipment at home. You need to mention such competition, as well.

For each direct competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What type of indoor sports complex business do they operate?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at or known for?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide options for sports professionals who need superior service?
• Will you offer services, such as sports training that your competition doesn’t?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer customized amenities or services in the changing rooms?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For an sports facility business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type o f indoor sports complex company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide instructor-led classes for children to learn how to play basketball, racquetball, handball and volleyball in your indoor courts?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of yo ur plan, yo u are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your indoor sports complex company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your indoor sports complex business located in a busy urban district, a new residential area, or in a corporate business park ? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your indoor sports complex marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
• Reaching out to local websites 
• Distributing flyers
• Engaging in email marketing
• Advertising on social media platforms
• Improving the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your indoor sports complex business, including maintaining customer relationships, providing well-cleaned and maintained sports areas and equipment, and invoicing and servicing of customer accounts.  

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to book your Xth soccer league, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your indoor sports complex business to a new city.

Management Team

To demonstrate your indoor sports complex business’ potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company. 

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing indoor sports complex businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in owning or managing an indoor sports complex business or successfully running a gymnastics center or public sports park.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance s heet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you see 50 sports players per day? Or, will you have more than 20 teams on contract for league play each season? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your indoor sports complex business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. 

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing an indoor sports complex business:

• Cost of sport court lighting, set up, build-out and equipment
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and furnishings

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your 10-year building lease agreement or a list of early-adopter customers who’ve paid in advance for a 5-year membership.

Writing a business plan for your indoor sports complex business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the indoor sports complex industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful indoor sports complex business.

Indoor Sports Complex Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my indoor sports complex business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your indoor sports complex business plan.

How Do You Start an Indoor Sports Complex Business?

Starting an indoor sports complex business is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your Indoor Sports Complex Business
• Create Your Indoor Sports Complex Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Indoor Sports Complex Business
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Indoor Sports Complex Business (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Indoor Sports Complex Business with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Indoor Sports Complex Business
• Buy or Lease the Right Indoor Sports Complex Business Equipment
• Develop Your Indoor Sports Complex Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Indoor Sports Complex Business
• Open for Business

Where Can I Download a Free Business Plan Template PDF?

Click here  to download the pdf version of our basic business plan template.

Our free business plan template pdf allows you to see the key sections to complete in your plan and the key questions that each must answer. The business plan pdf will definitely get you started in the right direction.

We do offer a premium version of our business plan template.  Click here to learn more about it.  The premium version includes numerous features allowing you to quickly and easily create a professional business plan. Its most touted feature is its financial projections template which allows you to simply enter your estimated sales and growth rates, and it automatically calculates your complete five-year financial projections including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.  Here’s the link to our Ultimate Business Plan Template.

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OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.  

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Sports Complex Business Plan

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How to Write a Sports Complex Business Plan?

Writing a sports complex business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

Introduce your business:

• This section may include the name of your sports complex business, its location, when it was founded, etc.

Market opportunity:

Product & services:.

• You may include services like swimming, personal training for sports, basketball court, fitness classes, spa services, sports equipment, etc.

Marketing & sales strategies:

Financial highlights:, call to action:.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

Business description:

• Multi sports complex
• Indoor sports complex
• Sports training facilities
• Golf courses
• Skate parks
• Indoor trampoline
• Describe the legal structure of your sports complex business, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or others.
• Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.

Mission statement:

Business history:.

• Additionally, If you have received any awards or recognition for excellent work, describe them.

Future goal:

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

Target market:

• For instance, youth, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts can be your target market.

Market size and growth potential:

Competitive analysis:, market trends:.

• For instance, diversification in sports services plus the trend for eco-friendly services are also increasing, mention how you will cope with that.

Regulatory environment:

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your sports complex business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

Describe your services:

Mention the sports complex services your business will offer. This list may include services like,

• Tournaments
• Types of sports facilities will be there (basketball court, tennis, badminton, swimming, golf, etc)

Mention the facilities:

Mention your schedule list:.

In short, this section of your sports complex plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

Unique selling proposition (USP):

• For example, advanced equipment, more space, or amazing training courses can be your USP.

Pricing strategy:

Marketing strategies:, sales strategies:, customer retention:.

Overall, this section of your sports complex business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your sports complex business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

Staffing & training:

Operational process:.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your sports complex business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

Founder/CEO:

Key managers:.

• It should include, key executives, senior management, and other sports managers including their education, professional background, and any relevant experience in the industry.

Organizational structure:

Compensation plan:, advisors/consultants:.

• So, if you have any advisors or consultants, include them with their names and brief information consisting of roles and years of experience.

This section should describe the key personnel for your sports complex business, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

Profit & loss statement:

Cash flow statement:, balance sheet:, break-even point:.

• This exercise will help you understand how much revenue you need to generate to sustain or be profitable.

Financing needs:

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your sports complex business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

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This sample sports complex business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful sports complex plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our sports complex business plan pdf .

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Essential Elements of a Business Plan

Frequently asked questions, why do you need a sports complex business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful sports complex business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your sports complex company.

How to get funding for your sports complex business?

There are several ways to get funding for your sports complex business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are:

Small Business Administration (SBA) loan

Crowdfunding, angel investors.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your sports complex business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your sports complex business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your sports complex business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any sports complex business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Home » Sample Business Plans » Sports

How to Write an Indoor Sports Complex Business Plan [Sample Template]

Are you about starting a sports complex? If YES, here is a complete sample indoor sports complex business plan template & feasibility study you can use for FREE . The real deal in starting a sport facility business is securing a big facility that is large enough to contain a full sized soccer pitch including spectator’s stand, changing room, swimming pool, golf course, tennis court, basketball court, track and field facility and enough parking space.

Building a sport facility can be expensive but you can be rest assured that you will make your money within few years of launching your indoor soccer facility. The fact that you are going to secure a facility big enough to contain normal soccer pitch, spectator’s seats, changing room and parking means that you must truly be prepared for this business.

If your indoor soccer facility is of high quality and it is located close to hotels, you will attract people including local and international soccer clubs that are in your city to play soccer matches.

A Sample Indoor Sports Complex Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

Building a sport facility can be expensive but you can be rest assured that you will make your money within few years of launching your facility. The fact that you are going to secure a facility big enough to contain normal soccer pitch, spectator’s seats, changing room and parking means that you must truly be prepared for this business.

If your sport facility is of high quality and it is located close to hotels, you will attract people including local and international soccer clubs that are in your city to play soccer matches. The Sports and Recreation Facilities Operation industry is indeed an active industry, players in the industry are basically involved in running indoor or outdoor sports and physical recreation venues, grounds and facilities et al.

It is important to state that the industry does not include businesses such as health centers, fitness centers or gyms et al. The industry is driven by increasing consumer spending on attending sports events and higher participation rates in organized sports especially at community levels.

In recent time, the industry has experienced steady growth in the last five years due to steadily rising consumer expenditure on recreation and culture, and growing spectator sport participation. Despite the fact that overall sport participation is currently at same level as it was in the last five years, participation in amateur sports peaked in 2012 and 2013, which boosted revenue for operators of local, community and grassroots facilities.

Government investment into large-scale sport infrastructure projects is a key source of revenue for industry participants and major redevelopments have also contributed to revenue growth over the last five years.

The Sports and Recreations Facility industry is indeed a very large industry and pretty much thriving in all parts of the world – especially in developed countries such as United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Italy et al.

Statistics has it that in the united states of America alone, there are about 1,579 licensed and registered sports and recreations facilities including those who are into franchising responsible for employing about 14,644 employees and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $1bn annually with an annual growth rate projected at 1.2 percent.

Over and above, starting a sport and recreation facility business in the United States of America can be some worth stressful, it requires enough cash to acquire land large enough to accommodate the sport complex and also cash required to equip the facility to meet the standard expected by potential users of sport complex.

2. Executive Summary

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is a standard and well equipped sports and recreations facility that will be located in a growing community in Asheville – North Carolina. Our basic aim of setting up the business is to contribute our quota in ensuring that people who live in Asheville have a capacity to participate in any sporting event or their choice, stay fit by exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

We have been able to secure a standard in a central and easy to locate location in Asheville. Our sport complex facility has a standard soccer pitch, track and field facility and a standard Olympic size swimming pool and a standard indoor basketball court. We are well equipped to services the whole of the community as well as visitors and travelers.

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is going to become the number one family – focused sports and recreation facility in the whole of Asheville – North Carolina and we will work hard to build our facility to match the needs of the average family in the community. Our sport complex has enough parking space to accommodate more than the numbers of customers (sports participants and spectators) we will accommodate per time.

We undertook a thorough research and feasibility studies and we were able to come to the conclusion that Asheville community is the right place to start our sport and recreation facility. As a matter of fact, our major aim of starting Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is to encourage people to participate in sports and also to encourage families in the community to cultivate the habit of regularly exercising and to stay healthy.

Our sport complex is specifically designed and built to take care of adults and children, we have active childcare services for toddlers and we have membership packages that are highly discounted for families that enrolled in our fitness center or groups who would want to make use of our sport complex for trainings and games.

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex will be opened 24 hours in a day during weekends (Fridays to Sundays) and from 6:00 am to 12 midnight from Mondays to Thursdays in order for us to be able to accommodate people with different time preference.

Which is why we have made provisions effective floodlight system and also to recruit enough staff and to run shift amongst our workforce. We will go out of our way to acquire standard cardiovascular and weight training equipment for our gym and fitness center.

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is a family owned business with support from the State of North Carolina. The business will be managed by Mike Clarkson, he has well over 15 years of experience as a leading community athletics coach in the United States of America working with top athletes who have gone ahead to win Olympic medals for the United States of America.

3. Our Products and Services

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is in the sports business to provide sports and recreation facility for residence of Asheville – North Carolina which is why we have been able to put up a facility that can help us achieve the goal. We are optimistic that everyone who make use of our sport complex or enrolled in our gym and fitness center will definitely derive huge value for their money.

These are the services and amenities that will be made available to our clients;

• Oval ground operation
• Athletic field, football field, cricket ground and stadium operation
• Basketball and netball court and arena operation
• Bowling alley operation
• Bowling green operation
• Golf course and practice range operation
• Ice-skating and roller – skating rink operation
• Squash court operation
• Swimming pool operation
• Tennis court operation
• Rectangular field operation
• Golf course operation
• Indoor facility operation
• Other facility operation

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our Vision of starting Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is to build a world – class sports and recreations facility and also to contribute our quota in encourage families and residence in Asheville to actively engage in sporting activities and also to stay healthy and fit by engaging in regularly exercising of their body.
• Our mission for establishing Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is to create a movement in the community that supports total engagement in sporting activities, health and fitness and to fight against obesity and unhealthy lifestyle.
• We want to contribute our quota towards ensuring that Ashville community produce top athletes that can go ahead to represent United States in the Olympics and other sports competitions.

Our Business Structure

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is in business to become the leading private sports and recreation facility in the whole of Asheville – North Carolina and we are fully aware that it will take the right facility, management and organization – structure to achieve our goal.

We will ensure that we recruit only the best hands that can help us achieve all that we are set to achieve. Our business will not be built only for the purpose of giving our members / customers value for their money, but also we will ensure that we make our work environment highly conducive for all our employees.

We will provide them with facilities that will help them stay motivated and deliver on their various tasks and goals et al. In view of that, we have made provisions for the following positions to be occupied by highly qualified and experienced staff;

• Sport Complex Manager (Owner)
• Accountant/Cashier
• Marketing and Sales Officer
• Exercise Physiologists
• Fitness Instructor (5)
• Training Assistants (10)
• Customer Care Executive/Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Sport Complex Manager (Owner):

• Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
• Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
• Responsible for providing direction for the business
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Evaluates the success of the organization
• Carrying out staff induction for new team members

Fitness Instructors (5)

• Creates training rosters for members
• Assists members during exercise session
• Guides members on how to make use of gym and fitness equipment

Marketing and Sales Officer (2)

• Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new clients, and business opportunities et al
• Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of projects.
• Writes winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
• Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
• Documents all customer contact and information
• Represents Mike Clarkson Sport Complex in strategic meetings
• Helps to increase sales and growth for Mike Clarkson Sport Complex

Accountant/Cashier:

• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
• Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for the organization
• Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
• Responsible for administering payrolls
• Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for Mike Clarkson Sport Complex
• Serves as internal auditor for Mike Clarkson Sport Complex.

Exercise Physiologist

• Responsible for evaluating, researching, and provide advice on coaching.
• Responsible for training
• Engages in recovery practices in all areas of exercise and rehabilitation
• Provides timely information and support on injury prevention, technique analysis, and nutrition.
• Handles any other duty as assigned by the fitness center manager

Client Service Executive

• Welcomes clients and potential clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
• Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the creative director in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries

Cleaners (3):

• Responsible for cleaning in and around the sport facility
• Cleans up after customers and clean work area.
• Clears ashtrays as and when required.
• Washes glassware and utensils after each use.
• Maintains a clean working area by sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning of glass doors and windows, etc. if required.
• Ensures that toiletries and supplies don’t run out of stock
• Handles any other duty as assigned by the sport complex manager.

6. SWOT Analysis

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is in business to provide sport and recreation facility for sports lovers in Ashville – North Carolina and also help its clients achieve their health and fitness goals and at the same time to make profits. We are aware that there is competition in the sports and recreations facility industry which is why we took out time to conduct an effective SWOT Analysis before investing our hard earned money into the business.

We know that if we get things right before starting our sports and recreation facility, we will not have to struggle before attract loyal clients and building our membership base to a level where we can easily breakeven in record time.

We hired the services of Dr. Garry Larson, an HR and Business consultant with bias in business structuring to help us conduct SWOT analysis for our company and he did a pretty good job for us. Here is a of the result we got from the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Mike Clarkson Sport Complex, Asheville – North Carolina;

One of the obvious strength that will definitely stand as a plus for Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is the fact that our facility is centrally located in a densely populated – residential area in Asheville – North Carolina; our location is in fact one of our major strength couple with the support from the State of North Carolina.

We equally have a team of highly qualified professionals who will work with all our clients to achieve their aims or enrolling in our sports and recreation facility and lastly our membership package is one of the best that anybody living in Asheville – North Carolina can get; it is cheap and affordable.

We critically looked into our Business model and we were able to identify two major weakness. One is the fact that we are a new business and the second is the fact that we may not have the financial resources required to match up with existing sports and recreation facilities and even government own sports and recreation facilities in North Carolina when it comes to acquiring latest gym and fitness equipment and generating the needed hypes that can drive traffic towards our facility.

• Opportunities:

We are centrally located in one of the busiest area and densely populated area in Ashville – North Carolina and we are open to all the available opportunities that the city has to offer. We will be open 24 hours in a day during weekends (Fridays to Sundays) and from 6:00 am to 12 midnight from Mondays to Thursdays giving us the advantage to leverage on any available opportunity.

Some of the threats that are likely going to confront Mike Clarkson Sport Complex are unfavorable government policies, demographic/social factors, downturn in the economy which is likely going to affect consumers spending and lastly, the emergence of new competitors within the same location where our sports and recreation facility is located.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

There are several trends controlling different industries. The Sports and Recreation Facility industry has indeed benefited from recent marketing campaigns which is targeted towards encourage people to participate in sports and also to fighting obesity which is becoming rampant, as well as consumer trends toward healthy living.

Going forward, many people who are part of the baby boomers generation are expected to sign up for health and fitness club memberships or make use of sports and recreation facilities in their communities, as they become more health- conscious as they grow older. However, patrons of gyms and fitness centers are anticipated to increasingly pick up membership from less expensive gym and fitness centers as against expensive all-inclusive clubs.

The trend in the sports and recreation facility industry is such that if a sport complex is well positioned in a residential area or a place where people can easily access without much stress, there is the likelihood that the sports and recreation facility will enjoy high patronage.

Just like in other business ventures, the owner of sports and recreation facilities are always looking for ways to increase their market share; they go as far as signing deals with high schools and also community based soccer clubs et al to make use of their facility. Some even go as far as organizing sports competitions on a regular basis.

It is a common trend that as a sports and recreation facility grows, it becomes necessary for them to develop new service offerings or install new facilities that will help them attract more people.

Little wonder some sports and recreation facility now have juice bar within their facility to encourage people towards healthy drinking. In order words, it is very important for sports and recreation facilities to continue to improvise if they want to grow their business and generate their target revenues.

8. Our Target Market

We will leave no stone unturned in seeing to it that we attract all that may be in need of ours services at all times. The target market for sports and recreation facilities cuts across people of different walks of life. The fact that people register in sports and recreation facilities cum gyms and fitness centers for various reasons makes marketing the business interesting.

The target market for sports and recreation facilities can be categorized into three various groups. The first group are the people who are looking towards shedding weights and stay health and fit through proper exercising and under the guidance of a qualified fitness instructor.

The other group of people are those who are interested in engaging in one sporting activities or the other either for fun or to compete at a national or international level and the last group of people are those ( schools and sports clubs ) who don’t have the required sports facilities for their students and sports club and would need a standard facility for trainings.

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex will work towards providing services, facilities and environment that will help us reach out to our target market. These are the category of people that we intend marketing our gym and fitness center to;

• Working Class Adults/Corporate Executives
• Sport Clubs (soccer team, athletics team, Cheerleaders and choreographers et al)
• Community an Cooperate organization
• Business People/Entrepreneurs
• Government Officials
• Celebrities
• Religious centers
• Applicants/School Leavers
• Sports Men and Women
• College Students

Our Competitive Advantage

People are so in love with sports and keeping feet, as such there are various sports services available to people .No doubt, the Sports and Recreation industry is indeed a prolific and highly competitive industry. Clients will only enroll in your sports and recreation facility if they know that you can successfully help them achieve their health and fitness goals or provide the enabling environment and facility for them to achieve their sports goals.

It is the practice for gym and fitness instructors, coaches and trainers to acquire as much certifications as it relates to their area of specialization; it is part of what will make them stay competitive in the industry

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is centrally located in a densely populated – residential area in Asheville – North Carolina; this is obviously going to give us an edge amongst our competitive.

We equally have a team of highly qualified professionals who will work with all our clients to achieve their aims or enrolling in our sports and recreation facility cum gym and fitness center and lastly our membership package is one of the best that anybody living in North Carolina can get; it is cheap and affordable.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups sports and recreation facility businesses in the United States) in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the Sports and Recreation Facility industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to attract both individual clients and corporate clients on a regular basis.

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex will generate income by offering the following services;

10. Sales Forecast

It is important to state that our sales forecast is based on the data gathered during our feasibility studies and also some of the assumptions readily available on the field. It would be hard to create a sales forecast with a newly opened business like sports and recreation facility. This is simply because the statistics that will be provided will be on a short term basis.

Experts said that usually a business should be in operation for at least one year before they can generate the statistics that will be need to help in accurate forecasting; statistics should be at least one year old in order to show the trends and pattern in consumer spending.

We expect to register a minimum of 500 active members within our first year of operations and then in subsequent year we will grow our membership. Below are the sales projection for Mike Clarkson Sport Complex, it is based on the location of our facility and the services and products that we will be offering to our clients (members);

• First Year-: $200,000
• Second Year-: $450,000
• Third Year-: $750,000

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major competitor offering same additional services as we do within 4.5 miles radius from our sports and recreation facility.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

Our marketing strategies will be directed towards achieving specific objectives that support the strategic goals of the organization. The truth is that all we do will be geared towards creating new market channels, increasing sales and increase our market share.

We will leverage on improving on our services and facility to ensure that we win new clients and retain old members. At Mike Clarkson Sport Complex, our marketing strategies will be consistent throughout the marketing mix and we will take into consideration product improvement, promotion, and price.

As part of our sales and marketing strategies, we will pay attention to the promotion of our sports and recreation facility so as to attract people to enroll and become members of our gym and fitness center. Our unique selling proposition is that we are well positioned and people can easily access our facility, our prices are affordable and we have a complete package for families, schools and sport clubs.

Part of the marketing and sales strategies that we will adopt are;

• Open our sports and recreation facility with a big party in the n.
• Advertise our sports and recreation facility on national dailies, local TV stations and local radio station
• Promote our sports and recreation facility online via our official website and all available social media platforms
• Introduce our sports and recreation facility by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to sports clubs, schools, corporate organizations, households and key stake holders in Asheville – North Carolina
• Print out fliers and business cards and strategically drop them in offices, libraries, public facilities and train stations et al.
• Delivering consistent customer experiences to all our members; making our first impression count positively to those making use of our sports and recreation facility for the first time
• Make use of attractive hand bills to create awareness and also to give direction to our sports and recreation facility
• Adopt direct mailing coupon marketing approach
• Position our signage/flexi banners at strategic places in and around Ashville – North Carolina
• Create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our consistent members especially those that registered as a family
• Engage on road shows within our neighborhood to create awareness for our sports and recreation facility.

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our branding and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate clients and individual clients in the whole of Asheville – North Carolina which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our sports and recreation facility.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Mike Clarkson Sport Complex;

• Place adverts on both print (community based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community based sport events and competitions
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our brand
• Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Asheville – North Carolina.
• Engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Contact corporate organizations and schools by calling them up and informing them of Mike Clarkson Sport Complex and the services we offer
• List Mike Clarkson Sport Complex on local directories/yellow pages
• Advertise our gym and fitness center in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
• Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our corporate logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

Our pricing system is going to be based on what is obtainable in the industry, we don’t intend to charge more (except for premium and customized services) and we don’t intend to charge less than what our competitors are charging their members in Asheville – North Carolina.

Be that as it may, we have put plans in place to offer discount services once in a while and also to reward our loyal customers especially when they refer clients to us or when they register as a family or a sports club and schools. The prices of our services will be same as what is obtainable in the United States’ open market.

• Payment Options

At Mike Clarkson Sport Complex, our payment policy will be all inclusive because we are quite aware that different clients would prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that we will make available to our clients;

• Payment by via bank transfer
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via bank draft
• Payment via mobile money
• Payment with cash

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans with little or no itches.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

In setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting a place, then you would need a good amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.

This means that the start-up can either be low or high depending on your goals, vision and aspirations for your business. The tools and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked.

As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a sports and recreation facility; it might differ in other countries due to the value of their money. However, this is what it would cost us to set up Mike Clarkson Sport Complex in the United of America. This is the key areas where we will spend our start – up capital on;

• The Total Fee for Registering the Business in North Carolina – $750.
• Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits – $1,500.
• Marketing promotion expenses (8,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of $10,000.
• Cost for hiring Business Consultant – $5,000.
• Insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $30,800.
• Cost of accounting software, CRM software and Payroll Software – $3,000
• Cost for leasing facility for the sport and recreation facility – $500,000.
• Cost for facility remodeling – $250,000.
• Other start-up expenses including stationery – $1000
• Phone and utility deposits – $3,500
• Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $40,000
• The cost for Start-up inventory – $15,000
• Cost for acquiring gym and fitness equipment or other sports wares – $200,000
• The cost for the purchase of furniture and gadgets (Computers, Printers, Telephone, TVs, Sound System, snooker board, clippers, tables and chairs et al) – $4,000.
• The cost of Launching a Website – $600
• The cost for our grand opening party – $15,000
• Miscellaneous – $15,000

We would need an estimate of $1.5 million to successfully launch a standard and well – equipped sports and recreations facilities in Asheville – North Carolina.

It is important to state that the testing and evaluating expenses would be high because of the large amount of equipment needed to start up a sports and recreations facility and also the sophistication of the technology used in gyms and fitness centers.

Generating Funding/Startup Capital for Mike Clarkson Sport Complex

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is a business that will be owned and managed by Mike Clarkson and family. They are the sole financial of the business which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital for the business to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

• Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
• Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
• Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $500,000 (Personal savings $350,000 and soft loan from family members $150,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $1 M from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Mike Clarkson Sport Complex is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to pick up membership in our sports and recreation facility cum gym and fitness center is to equip our facility with state of the art gym and fitness equipment et al.

Mike Clarkson Sport Complex will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the top burner.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of ten years or more. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List/Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
• Business Registration: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
• Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
• Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Acquiring facility and remodeling the facility: In Progress
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Generating capital from family members: Completed
• Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents:  Completed
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: In Progress
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed gym and fitness equipment, electronic appliances, office appliances and suppliers: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: Completed
• Creating Awareness for the business both online and in the neighborhood: In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
• Opening party / launching party planning: In Progress

More on Sports

Sports Club Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Whether you’re starting a sports club from scratch or expanding an existing one, having the right plan in place is essential for success. With the #1 Sports Club Business Plan Template & Guidebook, you have all the resources needed to create a detailed and comprehensive plan that will help you achieve your goals. From outlining strategies to mapping out financials, this template and guidebook provide everything you need to build a professional and effective plan that will help you guide your business towards success.

Get worry-free services and support to launch your business starting at $0 plus state fees.

• How to Start a Profitable Sports Club Business [11 Steps]
• 25 Catchy Sports Club Business Names:

How to Write a Sports Club Business Plan in 7 Steps:

1. describe the purpose of your sports club business..

The first step to writing your business plan is to describe the purpose of your sports club business. This includes describing why you are starting this type of business, and what problems it will solve for customers. This is a quick way to get your mind thinking about the customers’ problems. It also helps you identify what makes your business different from others in its industry.

It also helps to include a vision statement so that readers can understand what type of company you want to build.

Here is an example of a purpose mission statement for a sports club business:

The mission of [XYZ] Sports Club is to promote physical, mental and emotional health through sports participation, create a safe and nurturing atmosphere for the community, and encourage the development of life skills such as teamwork and sportsmanship. We strive to provide high-quality programs and services that support the healthy lifestyle of our members, athletes and coaches.

2. Products & Services Offered by Your Sports Club Business.

The next step is to outline your products and services for your sports club business. 

When you think about the products and services that you offer, it's helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my business?
• What are the products and/or services that I offer?
• Why am I offering these particular products and/or services?
• How do I differentiate myself from competitors with similar offerings?
• How will I market my products and services?

You may want to do a comparison of your business plan against those of other competitors in the area, or even with online reviews. This way, you can find out what people like about them and what they don’t like, so that you can either improve upon their offerings or avoid doing so altogether.

3. Build a Creative Marketing Stratgey.

If you don't have a marketing plan for your sports club business, it's time to write one. Your marketing plan should be part of your business plan and be a roadmap to your goals. 

A good marketing plan for your sports club business includes the following elements:

Target market

• Who is your target market?
• What do these customers have in common?
• How many of them are there?
• How can you best reach them with your message or product?

Customer base 

• Who are your current customers? 
• Where did they come from (i.e., referrals)?
• How can their experience with your sports club business help make them repeat customers, consumers, visitors, subscribers, or advocates for other people in their network or industry who might also benefit from using this service, product, or brand?

Product or service description

• How does it work, what features does it have, and what are its benefits?
• Can anyone use this product or service regardless of age or gender?
• Can anyone visually see themselves using this product or service?
• How will they feel when they do so? If so, how long will the feeling last after purchasing (or trying) the product/service for the first time?

Competitive analysis

• Which companies are competing with yours today (and why)? 
• Which ones may enter into competition with yours tomorrow if they find out about it now through word-of-mouth advertising; social media networks; friends' recommendations; etc.)
• What specific advantages does each competitor offer over yours currently?

Marketing channels

• Which marketing channel do you intend to leverage to attract new customers?
• What is your estimated marketing budget needed?
• What is the projected cost to acquire a new customer?
• How many of your customers do you instead will return?

Form an LLC in your state!

4. Write Your Operational Plan.

Next, you'll need to build your operational plan. This section describes the type of business you'll be running, and includes the steps involved in your operations. 

In it, you should list:

• The equipment and facilities needed
• Who will be involved in the business (employees, contractors)
• Financial requirements for each step
• Milestones & KPIs
• Location of your business
• Zoning & permits required for the business

What equipment, supplies, or permits are needed to run a sports club business?

• Sports equipment and supplies
• Business licenses and permits
• Insurance policies
• Payment processing system
• Marketing materials
• Staffing requirements (contracts, wages, benefits)
• Membership management software or systems
• Facility rentals or use agreements (if applicable)

5. Management & Organization of Your Sports Club Business.

The second part of your sports club business plan is to develop a management and organization section.

This section will cover all of the following:

• How many employees you need in order to run your sports club business. This should include the roles they will play (for example, one person may be responsible for managing administrative duties while another might be in charge of customer service).
• The structure of your management team. The higher-ups like yourself should be able to delegate tasks through lower-level managers who are directly responsible for their given department (inventory and sales, etc.).
• How you’re going to make sure that everyone on board is doing their job well. You’ll want check-ins with employees regularly so they have time to ask questions or voice concerns if needed; this also gives you time to offer support where necessary while staying informed on how things are going within individual departments too!

6. Sports Club Business Startup Expenses & Captial Needed.

This section should be broken down by month and year. If you are still in the planning stage of your business, it may be helpful to estimate how much money will be needed each month until you reach profitability.

Typically, expenses for your business can be broken into a few basic categories:

Startup Costs

Startup costs are typically the first expenses you will incur when beginning an enterprise. These include legal fees, accounting expenses, and other costs associated with getting your business off the ground. The amount of money needed to start a sports club business varies based on many different variables, but below are a few different types of startup costs for a sports club business.

Running & Operating Costs

Running costs refer to ongoing expenses related directly with operating your business over time like electricity bills or salaries paid out each month. These types of expenses will vary greatly depending on multiple variables such as location, team size, utility costs, etc.

Marketing & Sales Expenses

You should include any costs associated with marketing and sales, such as advertising and promotions, website design or maintenance. Also, consider any additional expenses that may be incurred if you decide to launch a new product or service line. For example, if your sports club business has an existing website that needs an upgrade in order to sell more products or services, then this should be listed here.

7. Financial Plan & Projections

A financial plan is an important part of any business plan, as it outlines how the business will generate revenue and profit, and how it will use that profit to grow and sustain itself. To devise a financial plan for your sports club business, you will need to consider a number of factors, including your start-up costs, operating costs, projected revenue, and expenses. 

Here are some steps you can follow to devise a financial plan for your sports club business plan:

• Determine your start-up costs: This will include the cost of purchasing or leasing the space where you will operate your business, as well as the cost of buying or leasing any equipment or supplies that you need to start the business.
• Estimate your operating costs: Operating costs will include utilities, such as electricity, gas, and water, as well as labor costs for employees, if any, and the cost of purchasing any materials or supplies that you will need to run your business.
• Project your revenue: To project your revenue, you will need to consider the number of customers you expect to have and the average amount they will spend on each visit. You can use this information to estimate how much money you will make from selling your products or services.
• Estimate your expenses: In addition to your operating costs, you will need to consider other expenses, such as insurance, marketing, and maintenance. You will also need to set aside money for taxes and other fees.
• Create a budget: Once you have estimated your start-up costs, operating costs, revenue, and expenses, you can use this information to create a budget for your business. This will help you to see how much money you will need to start the business, and how much profit you can expect to make.
• Develop a plan for using your profit: Finally, you will need to decide how you will use your profit to grow and sustain your business. This might include investing in new equipment, expanding the business, or saving for a rainy day.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Club Business Plans:

Why do you need a business plan for a sports club business.

A business plan for a sports club business is essential for laying out the structure and vision of the business, setting objectives and goals, assessing the potential risks and opportunities ahead, identifying any funding needs and developing a strategy to achieve success. It also provides an invaluable tool for obtaining financial support from banks or investors when necessary.

Who should you ask for help with your sports club business plan?

Depending on the specifics of your sports club and the scope of your business plan, you may need to seek out help from a variety of sources. This could include a lawyer who specializes in corporate law, an accountant, business consultant, or even an experienced mentor who is familiar with the industry. Additionally, many professional associations exist specifically to support sports clubs and organizations, so they can also provide valuable advice and resources to help you create an effective business plan.

Can you write a sports club business plan yourself?

Writing a sports club business plan is an intensive process that includes researching the local market, creating financial projections, understanding licensing and insurance requirements, and developing branding. It is best to rely on the expertise of a professional business plan consultant or seek the advice of your local Small Business Development Center to develop a comprehensive and accurate business plan.

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Handbag Business Plan Template & Guidebook

I'm Nick, co-founder of newfoundr.com, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs succeed. As a small business owner with over five years of experience, I have garnered valuable knowledge and insights across a diverse range of industries. My passion for entrepreneurship drives me to share my expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs, empowering them to turn their business dreams into reality.

Through meticulous research and firsthand experience, I uncover the essential steps, software, tools, and costs associated with launching and maintaining a successful business. By demystifying the complexities of entrepreneurship, I provide the guidance and support needed for others to embark on their journey with confidence.

From assessing market viability and formulating business plans to selecting the right technology and navigating the financial landscape, I am dedicated to helping fellow entrepreneurs overcome challenges and unlock their full potential. As a steadfast advocate for small business success, my mission is to pave the way for a new generation of innovative and driven entrepreneurs who are ready to make their mark on the world.

Sports Business Plans

Golf course business plan.

Willow Park Golf Course will lease and operate a golf course and driving range, in a rapidly developing retirement community and destination vacation area.

Golf Course Training Center Business Plan

The Greek Golf Training Centers is a golf complex in Athens, Greece that will provide members an opportunity to participate in continuous golf training with expert help.

Golf Driving Range Business Plan

Emerald Driving Range will be a state-of-the-art golf practice facility, with a driving range, putting greens, chipping greens, PGA Teaching Pro and refreshment snack bar.

Indoor Soccer Facility Business Plan

Wolf's Indoor Soccer is an indoor soccer facility offering league play, classes, facility rental and a retail shop.

Inline Hockey Service Business Plan

The Skate Zone is a start-up inline skate hockey rink.

Multi Sport Complex Business Plan

The Supreme Courts is a sports and fitness facility offering indoor court sports, fitness/weight training equipment, aerobics, and ancillary services.

Skate Park Skiing Business Plan

Skate Park NW is a new skate skiing resort located in the Oregon Cascades offering miles of groomed trails.

Sports Therapy Business Plan

Cyclist Repair Center is a start-up sports therapy clinic, offering massage therapy, physical therapy, and personal training, specifically geared for competitive and recreational bicyclists.

Used Sports Equipment Store Business Plan

Nine Lives is a consignment store for resale of used outdoor gear and clothing.

Fun and competition will never go out of style, and neither will smart business decisions. Get a head-start on your sports business plan with one of these sample business plans for bowling alleys, miniature golf courses, skate parks, dance studios, and other sports and recreation-related businesses.

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Basketball Facility Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Basketball Facility Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Basketball Facility business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their own basketball facilities.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Basketball Facility business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Vertical Arc, a startup indoor basketball sports facility, is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The business was founded by Mark Andrews and Peter Knowles, former basketball players for the Dakota Wizards, a National Basketball Association Development Team, housed in Bismarck, North Dakota until 2012. Both Mark and Peter were considered leaders of their team and helped players on their team progress to the next level through training and advice on the part of Mark and Peter. Now that both leaders have moved into positions in the sports memorabilia industry, they believe it is the right time to take their leadership skills and basketball abilities onto the court by opening Vertical Arc, a basketball training facility for amateurs and pro players. Members of the public are also welcome, as are youth and children.

Vertical Arc will provide a comprehensive array of services for those who enjoy playing basketball any time, day or night. In addition to eight courts for on-going play, Vertical Arc hosts a workout room, with free weights and strength-training machines, men’s and women’s showers, steam rooms and an indoor lap pool.

Product Offering

The following are the services that Vertical Arc will provide:

• 8-court basketball facilities; 2 equipped with bleachers
• Tournament play twice a year; try-outs required
• Open basketball play schedules
• 24 hour court reservation system
• Children’s “Snow Days” with activities and games
• Children’s basketball camps (seasonal)
• Men’s workout room; Women’s workout room
• Free weights and strength-training machines
• Men’s shower room; Women’s shower room
• Men’s steam room; Women’s steam room
• Indoor lap pool
• Juice station

Customer Focus

Vertical Arc will target all individuals from ages 5 up in the Grand Forks, North Dakota and surrounding communities. They will target families to invest in “yearly family memberships.” They will target party planners and event coordinators to rent the facilities as an event venue. They will target community associations and groups to rent the facilities as an event venue. They will target area schools to rent the facilities. They will target children, ages 9-14 to invest in “junior championship league” basketball play. They will target parents to enroll their children in basketball fall, winter, spring and summer camps.

Management Team

Vertical Arc will be owned and operated by Mark Andrews and Peter Knowles. They are recruiting one of the basketball team members, Andre Rochelle, to be the senior basketball coach and general manager of the courts.

Mark Andrews and Peter Knowles are former basketball players for the Dakota Wizards, a National Basketball Association Development Team, housed in Bismarck, North Dakota until 2012. Both Mark and Peter were considered leaders of their team and helped players on their team progress to the next level through training and advice.

Both leaders have moved into positions in marketing within the sports memorabilia industry and believe it is the right time to take their leadership skills and basketball abilities onto the court by opening Vertical Arc, a basketball training facility for amateurs and pro players. Members of the public are welcome, as are youth and children.

Andre Rochelle, a former member of the Dakota Wizards with Mark and Peter, is currently the basketball coach at North Dakota State College, where he is an instructor in basketball and leads the men’s team in league play. He will assume the role of Senior Basketball Coach and General Manager of the courts.

Success Factors

Vertical Arc will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly-qualified team of Vertical Arc
• Comprehensive array of services; including basketball facilities, workout, shower and steam rooms, children’s and youth programs, discounts for family packages and other amenities.
• Vertical Arc offers the best pricing in town for basketball facility memberships. Their pricing structure is the most cost effective compared to the competition.

Financial Highlights

Vertical Arc is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch the offices of Vertical Arc. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and marketing costs at launch. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Office space build-out: $20,000
• Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $10,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
• Marketing costs: $10,000
• Working capital: $10,000

The following graph below outlines the financial projections for Vertical Arc.

Company Overview

Who is vertical arc.

Vertical Arc is a newly established full-service basketball training facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Vertical Arc will be the most reliable, cost-effective, and efficient choice for families, individuals and gatherings in Grand Forks and the surrounding communities. Vertical Arc will provide a comprehensive menu of basketball, workout, steam, and swimming services for any family or individual to utilize. Their full-service approach includes a comprehensive program for children ages 5 and up.

  Vertical Arc will be able to encourage good health for individuals, build strength and agility for children, provide a gathering place during inclement weather, and encourage families and gatherings to enjoy the facilities together. The team of professionals are highly qualified and experienced in the game of basketball, coaching of basketball and training in preparation for sports, including basketball. The staff is also proficient in swimming, leading workouts and other physical training and teaching. Vertical Arc removes all headaches and issues of unpredictable weather, summer boredom hours, unsafe play environments, and unsupervised use of workout equipment. Vertical Arc ensures exceptional solutions to all these issues are met expeditiously while delivering the best customer service to their guest members.

Since incorporation, Vertical Arc has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered Vertical Arc, LLC to transact business in the state of North Dakota.
• Has a contract in place at one of the office buildings, where Vertical Arc will set up its office and staff lounge in a 10,000 square foot space.
• Reached out to numerous contacts to include Vertical Arc as a family membership.
• Began recruiting a staff of 6 coaches/instructors and office personnel to work at Vertical Arc.

Vertical Arc Services

The following services will be provided by Vertical Arc:

Industry Analysis

The indoor sports facility industry is expected to grow over the next five years to over $117,640 million in 2029. The growth will be driven by an increase in the number of individuals who want to maintain good physical condition. The growth will be driven by an increase in children and teens who want to stay active instead of sitting indoors. The growth will be driven by families who want to exercise and play games together, or in tournaments against other families as a form of entertainment. The growth will be driven by individuals who want to increase strength and cardio fitness. The growth will be driven by individuals who want to play basketball without an assigned team or any ongoing commitments. Costs will likely be reduced as an increasing number of indoor sports facilities are built and maintained within communities of individuals and families.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Vertical Arc will target individuals and families in the greater Grand Forks, North Dakota, who are seeking a place to play basketball, workout, swim or enjoy other leisure activities. They will target basketball players seeking league and tournament play. They will also target party planners and event coordinators. They will target families who want a discount membership package. They will target parents who choose to have their children in active play during inclement weather months of the year.

Customer Segmentation

Vertical Arc will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Individuals
• Basketball players (trained and untrained)
• Basketball players seeking league and tournament play
• Party planners and event coordinators
• Community groups and associations
• Schools, including area colleges and high schools

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Vertical Arc will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Allendale Township Sports Club

The Allendale Township Sports Club is a large facility sporting 4 basketball courts, 6 racquetball courts, 4 squash courts, 4 tennis courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a children’s pool, workout rooms, steam and sauna rooms, a dining hall that seats 200 guests, an indoor game area (video arcade games, pool tables, foosball tables), and a specially-equipped Peloton room.

Owned by Chess and MaryAnn Murray, the Allendale Township Sports Facility is a private membership sports club that is a direct competitor to Vertical Arc. The general public may not use the facilities unless accompanied by a club member and there are no “open play” dates for the general public in any area. Membership dues are $150,000 to join, with yearly dues of $25,000, plus required usage of the dining hall and other monthly usage charges.

Grand Forks YMCA Sports Facility

The Grand Forks YMCA Sports Facility is a community-directed, all-inclusive sports center. The facility includes a Fitness Center, Extra-large Swimming Pool, Gymnasium, offering Group Exercise Classes and a Childcare Center to engage children while parents use the facility. There are also community rooms, where speakers can present topics of interest and family-style movies can be presented.

The concept behind the YMCA non-profit organization is one of strengthening family and community ties. This facility holds several meetings monthly to encourage that concept and is led by 3 volunteers who oversee the programs. One executive director, Todd Beaman, is responsible for garnering additional users of the YMCA and adding families to the roster, along with fostering a strong sense of community.

Grand Forks West Sports Courts

The Grand Forks West Sports Courts cater to individuals and families who want to exercise and play active games indoors. The facilities include 4 basketball courts with bleachers, an indoor soccer court, 4 tennis courts, 4 racquetball courts and an indoor swimming pool for adults and children. Situated on the southwest side of Grand Forks, this facility is a direct competitor of Vertical Arc and is open to the public. There are open basketball play hours during the day and limited basketball games through league and tournament play available in the weekday evenings. On the weekends, there are no scheduled games throughout the facility; participants may join any game at any time. Children play in designated courts and swimming areas; otherwise, there are rooms with video games, pool tables, foosball tables and indoor bowling lanes for youth and children to use.

University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota has an extensive basketball team and regularly offers the indoor courts for public play when the team is not training or practicing. The court players are allowed to use the basketballs and other equipment during play and an attendant is always present to help with any request. Open basketball play hours extend from 7 am to 10 pm on “off training” days. While a direct competitor in some regard, this facility does not include any further amenities other than the basketball courts and, as such, may be defined as an indirect competitor, as well. There are no bleachers for observers, no other rooms, such as workout, showers, steam rooms available. The basketball coaches will sometimes offer to train open-play visitors, which results in excellent training on a casual basis. Children are not accommodated in the facility, nor are teens under the age of 18.

Competitive Advantage

Vertical Arc will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Vertical Arc will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Highly-qualified team of skilled employees who are able to provide a comprehensive menu of basketball, swimming, active game play activities and enjoyable amenities, including the juice station.
• Vertical Arc offers a family membership package that is discounted throughout the year. Vertical Arc offers “Children Snow Days,” along with basketball camps, trainings, active game areas, and other child-specific activities.
• Vertical Arc offers a unique juice station, serving only all-natural fruit juices and smoothies.
• Vertical Arc offers unbeatable pricing for the value received in group or family memberships.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Vertical Arc is as follows:

Word of Mouth/Referrals

Mark Andrews and Peter Knowles have built up an extensive list of contacts over the years by providing exceptional service and expertise to their customers. These customers have indicated a deep desire to follow them to the new company as soon as it is established. They will also spread the word about Vertical Arc throughout the region.

Professional Associations and Networking

There are several community groups and associations in Grand Forks. As such, Mark and Peter will join and extensively network to help display the capabilities of the Vertical Arc facility. In particular, Mark will target the party planners and event coordinators within the associations and non-profit community groups in Grand Forks.

Print Advertising

One week prior to launch, a direct mail piece will be delivered to each household in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The announcement will include a discounted price for family memberships and for a 2-week window, “2 for 1 visits”. These incentives will help customers overcome any resistance to visiting Vertical Arc to enjoy the facilities and meet new friends.

Website/SEO Marketing

Vertical Arc will utilize their website as a highly-communicative portal of customer information, announcements, services that are available 24/7, children’s programs, youth camps, and all other activities and upcoming games. The website will also list contact information and available or open basketball times for public play. Vertical Arc’s website presence will be enhanced with SEO marketing tactics so that anytime someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “Sports Facility” or “Indoor Sports near me”, Vertical Arc will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of Vertical Arc will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive excellent value when purchasing their services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Vertical Arc. Operation Functions:

• Mark Andrews will be the Co-owner and President of the company. He will oversee all client relations and event venue marketing.
• Peter Knowles will be the Co-owner and Vice President of the company. His role will be the Operations Manager and he will oversee the financial management of the facility.
• Andre Rochelle will serve as the Senior Basketball Coach and will act as the General Manager of the Courts.
• Denise Swanson will be the Office Manager, responsible for purchasing and oversight of the records, administrative duties and assisting with scheduling.
• Jackson Tyrell will be the Staff Coordinator. He will be in charge of all employee management and services scheduling for each month. He will also take on the role of Human Resources.
• Petra Romanoff will be the Administrative Assistant to Mark Andrews, Peter Knowles and Andre Rochelle, assisting in communication, scheduling and management of facilities.

Milestones:

Vertical Arc will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

• 5/1/202X – Finalize contract to lease office and staff lounge space
• 5/15/202X – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for Vertical Arc
• 6/1/202X – Finalize distributor contracts for Vertical Arc
• 6/15/202X – Begin networking at association and community events
• 6/22/202X – Begin moving into Vertical Arc office and staff lounge
• 7/1/202X – Vertical Arc opens its doors for business

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Vertical Arc are the fees they will charge to the customers for their services.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to operate Vertical Arc. The expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, office supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Vertical Arc is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its indoor sports facility business. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and association memberships. The breakout of the funding is below:

Key Assumptions

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Number of Customers Per Month: 1,890
• Average fees per Month: $120,000
• Office Lease per Year: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, basketball facility business plan faqs, what is a basketball facility business plan.

A basketball facility business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your basketball facility business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your Basketball Facility business plan using our Basketball Facility Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Basketball Facility Businesses? 

There are a number of different kinds of basketball facility businesses , some examples include: Youth training facility, Professional training facility, Community gym, and Basketball camp.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Basketball Facility Business Plan?

Basketball Facility businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Basketball Facility Business?

Starting a basketball facility business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Basketball Facility Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed basketball facility business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your basketball facility business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your basketball facility business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Basketball Facility Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your basketball facility business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your basketball facility business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Basketball Facility Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your basketball facility business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your basketball facility business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

How to write a business plan for a sports facilities operator?

Putting together a business plan for a sports facilities operator can be daunting - especially if you're creating a business for the first time - but with this comprehensive guide, you'll have the necessary tools to do it confidently.

We will explore why writing one is so important in both starting up and growing an existing sports facilities operator, as well as what should go into making an effective plan - from its structure to content - and what tools can be used to streamline the process and avoid errors.

Without further ado, let us begin!

In this guide:

Why write a business plan for a sports facilities operator?

• What information is needed to create a business plan for a sports facilities operator?
• How do I build a financial forecast for a sports facilities operator?

The written part of a sports facilities operator business plan

• What tool should I use to write my sports facilities operator business plan?

Having a clear understanding of why you want to write a business plan for your sports facilities operator will make it simpler for you to grasp the rationale behind its structure and content. So before delving into the plan's actual details, let's take a moment to remind ourselves of the primary reasons why you'd want to create a sports facilities operator business plan.

To have a clear roadmap to grow the business

Running a small business is tough! Economic cycles bring growth and recessions, while the business landscape is ever-changing with new technologies, regulations, competitors, and consumer behaviours emerging constantly.

In such a dynamic context, operating a business without a clear roadmap is akin to driving blindfolded: it's risky, to say the least. That's why crafting a business plan for your sports facilities operator is vital to establish a successful and sustainable venture.

To create an effective business plan, you'll need to assess your current position (if you're already in business) and define where you want the business to be in the next three to five years.

Once you have a clear destination for your sports facilities operator, you'll have to:

• Identify the necessary resources (human, equipment, and capital) needed to reach your goals,
• Determine the pace at which the business needs to progress to meet its objectives as scheduled,
• Recognize and address the potential risks you may encounter along the way.

Engaging in this process regularly proves advantageous for both startups and established companies. It empowers you to make informed decisions about resource allocation, ensuring the long-term success of your business.

To get visibility on future cash flows

If your small sports facilities operator runs out of cash: it's game over. That's why we often say "cash is king", and it's crucial to have a clear view of your sports facilities operator's future cash flows.

So, how can you achieve this? It's simple - you need to have an up-to-date financial forecast.

The good news is that your sports facilities operator business plan already includes a financial forecast (which we'll discuss further in this guide). Your task is to ensure it stays current.

To accomplish this, it's essential to regularly compare your actual financial performance with what was planned in your financial forecast. Based on your business's current trajectory, you can make adjustments to the forecast.

By diligently monitoring your sports facilities operator's financial health, you'll be able to spot potential financial issues, like unexpected cash shortfalls, early on and take corrective actions. Moreover, this practice will enable you to recognize and capitalize on growth opportunities, such as excess cash flow enabling you to expand to new locations.

To secure financing

Crafting a comprehensive business plan for your sports facilities operator, whether you're starting up or already established, is paramount when you're seeking financing from banks or investors.

Given how fragile small businesses are, financiers will want to ensure that you have a clear roadmap in place as well as command and control of your future cash flows before entertaining the idea of funding you.

For banks, the information in your business plan will be used to assess your borrowing capacity - which is defined as the maximum amount of debt your business can afford alongside your ability to repay the loan. This evaluation helps them decide whether to extend credit to your business and under what terms (interest rate, duration, repayment options, collateral, etc.).

Similarly, investors will thoroughly review your plan to determine if their investment can yield an attractive return. They'll be looking for evidence that your sports facilities operator has the potential for healthy growth, profitability, and consistent cash flow generation over time.

Now that you understand the importance of creating a business plan for your sports facilities operator, let's delve into the necessary information needed to craft an effective plan.

Need a convincing business plan?

The Business Plan Shop makes it easy to create a financial forecast to assess the potential profitability of your projects, and write a business plan that’ll wow investors.

Information needed to create a business plan for a sports facilities operator

You need the right data in order to project sales, investments and costs accurately in the financial forecast of your sports facilities operator business plan.

Below, we'll cover three key pieces of information you should gather before drafting your business plan.

Carrying out market research for a sports facilities operator

As you consider writing your business plan for a sports facilities operator, conducting market research becomes a vital step to ensure accurate and realistic financial projections.

Market research provides valuable insights into your target customer base, competitors, pricing strategies, and other key factors that can significantly impact the commercial success of your business.

Through this research, you may uncover trends that could influence your sports facilities operator.

You may discover that customers are increasingly looking for more diverse sports options, such as yoga or rock climbing. Additionally, you could find that customers are increasingly interested in the idea of a comprehensive health and wellness package, which could include access to a gym, spa, and pool.

Such market trends play a significant role in forecasting revenue, as they offer valuable data about potential customers' spending habits and preferences.

By incorporating these findings into your financial projections, you can present investors with more accurate information, helping them make informed decisions about investing in your sports facilities operator.

Developing the marketing plan for a sports facilities operator

Before delving into your sports facilities operator business plan, it's imperative to budget for sales and marketing expenses.

To achieve this, a comprehensive sales and marketing plan is essential. This plan should provide an accurate projection of the necessary actions to acquire and retain customers.

Additionally, it will outline the required workforce to carry out these initiatives and the corresponding budget for promotions, advertising, and other marketing endeavours.

By budgeting accordingly, you can ensure that the right resources are allocated to these vital activities, aligning them with the sales and growth objectives outlined in your business plan.

The staffing and capital expenditure requirements of a sports facilities operator

Whether you are starting or expanding a sports facilities operator, it is important to have a clear plan for recruitment and capital expenditures (investment in equipment and real estate) in order to ensure the success of the business.

Both the recruitment and investment plans need to be coherent with the timing and level of growth planned in your forecast, and require appropriate funding.

The staffing costs for a sports facilities operator might include salaries for coaches, lifeguards, and janitorial staff. The operator may also have to pay for the rental of equipment such as basketballs, volleyballs, and other sports equipment. In addition, the operator might have to purchase or lease scoreboards, sound systems, and lighting for the facility. Finally, the operator might incur costs for maintenance and repairs of the facility, such as replacing nets, fixing broken benches, or repainting walls.

In order to create a realistic financial forecast, you will also need to consider the other operating expenses associated with running the business on a day-to-day basis (insurance, bookkeeping, etc.). 

Once you have all the necessary information to create a business plan for your sports facilities operator, it is time to start creating your financial forecast.

What goes into your sports facilities operator's financial forecast?

The financial forecast of your sports facilities operator will enable you to assess the profitability potential of your business in the coming years and how much capital is required to fund the actions planned in the business plan.

The four key outputs of a financial forecast for a sports facilities operator are:

• The profit and loss (P&L) statement ,
• The projected balance sheet ,
• The cash flow forecast ,
• And the sources and uses table .

Let's take a closer look at each of these.

The projected P&L statement

Your sports facilities operator forecasted P&L statement enables the reader of your business plan to get an idea of how much revenue and profits your business is expected to make in the near future.

Ideally, your reader will want to see:

• Growth above the inflation level
• Expanding profit margins
• Positive net profit throughout the plan

Expectations for an established sports facilities operator will of course be different than for a startup. Existing businesses which have reached their cruising altitude might have slower growth and higher margins than ventures just being started.

The projected balance sheet of your sports facilities operator

The balance sheet for a sports facilities operator is a financial document that provides a snapshot of your business’s financial health at a given point in time.

It shows three main components: assets, liabilities and equity:

• Assets: are resources owned by the business, such as cash, equipment, and accounts receivable (money owed by clients).
• Liabilities: are debts owed to creditors and other entities, such as accounts payable (money owed to suppliers) and loans.
• Equity: includes the sums invested by the shareholders or business owners and the cumulative profits and losses of the business to date (called retained earnings). It is a proxy for the value of the owner's stake in the business.

Examining the balance sheet is important for lenders, investors, or other stakeholders who are interested in assessing your sports facilities operator's liquidity and solvency:

• Liquidity: assesses whether or not your business has sufficient cash and short-term assets to honour its liabilities due over the next 12 months. It is a short-term focus.
• Solvency: assesses whether or not your business has the capacity to repay its debt over the medium-term.

Looking at the balance sheet can also provide insights into your sports facilities operator's investment and financing policies.

In particular, stakeholders can compare the value of equity to the value of the outstanding financial debt to assess how the business is funded and what level of financial risk has been taken by the owners (financial debt is riskier because it has to be repaid, while equity doesn't need to be repaid).

The cash flow forecast

A projected cash flow statement for a sports facilities operator is used to show how much cash the business is generating or consuming.

The cash flow forecast is usually organized by nature to show three key metrics:

• The operating cash flow: do the core business activities generate or consume cash?
• The investing cash flow: how much is the business investing in long-term assets (this is usually compared to the level of fixed assets on the balance sheet to assess whether the business is regularly maintaining and renewing its equipment)?
• The financing cash flow: is the business raising new financing or repaying financiers (debt repayment, dividends)?

As we discussed earlier, cash is king and keeping an eye on future cash flows an imperative for running a successful business. Therefore, you can expect the reader of your sports facilities operator business plan to pay close attention to your cash flow forecast.

Also, note that it is customary to provide both yearly and monthly cash flow forecasts in a business plan - so that the reader can analyze seasonal variation and ensure the sports facilities operator is appropriately funded.

The initial financing plan

The initial financing plan - also called a sources and uses table - is an important tool when starting a sports facilities operator.

It shows where the money needed to set up the business will come from (sources) and how it will be allocated (uses).

Having this table helps understand what costs are involved in setting up the sports facilities operator, how the risks are distributed between the shareholders and the lenders, and what will be the starting cash position (which needs to be sufficient to sustain operations until the business breaks even).

Now that the financial forecast of a sports facilities operator business plan is understood, let's focus on what goes into the written part of the plan.

Need inspiration for your business plan?

The Business Plan Shop has dozens of business plan templates that you can use to get a clear idea of what a complete business plan looks like.

The written part of a sports facilities operator business plan plays a key role: it lays out the plan of action you intend to execute to seize the commercial opportunity you've identified on the market and provides the context needed for the reader to decide if they believe your plan to be achievable and your financial forecast to be realistic.

The written part of a sports facilities operator business plan is composed of 7 main sections:

• The executive summary
• The presentation of the company
• The products and services
• The market analysis
• The strategy
• The operations
• The financial plan

Let's go through the content of each section in more detail!

1. The executive summary

The first section of your sports facilities operator's business plan is the executive summary which provides, as its name suggests, an enticing summary of your plan which should hook the reader and make them want to know more about your business.

When writing the executive summary, it is important to provide an overview of the business, the market, the key financials, and what you are asking from the reader.

Start with a brief introduction of the business, its name, concept, location, how long it has been in operation, and what makes it unique. Mention any services or products you plan to offer and who you sell to.

Then you should follow with an overview of the addressable market for your sports facilities operator, current trends, and potential growth opportunities.

You should then include a summary of your key financial figures such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

Finally, you should detail any funding requirements in the ask section.

2. The presentation of the company

The second section in your sports facilities operator's business plan should focus on the structure and ownership, location, and management team of the company.

The structure and ownership part provides an overview of the legal structure of the business, who the owners are and how much each has invested and owns. If you are seeking financing it is important that the reader gets a clear picture of which legal entity is receiving the funds, and who controls the business.

The location part should give an overview of the premises from which the company is operating, and why that location is of particular interest (catchment area, accessibility, amenities nearby, etc.).

When describing the location of your sports facilities operator, you may want to emphasize its advantages. It could be in a prime location that is accessible and easily visible to potential customers. You might point out that the local market is strong, with a large population that is engaged in sports and fitness activities. Additionally, the area could have a favorable business climate, with plenty of resources and amenities to support growth. Finally, you could mention that the location provides opportunities to expand into new markets and explore new revenue streams.

Finally, you should introduce the management team. Explain each member's role, background, and experience.

It is also important to emphasize any past successes that the members of the management team have achieved, and how long they've been working together, as this will help potential lenders or investors understand why they should trust in their leadership.

3. The products and services section

The products and services section of your business plan should include a detailed description of what your company offers, who are the target customers, and what distribution channels are part of your go-to-market. 

For example, your sports facilities operator might offer a variety of facilities and equipment for customers to use. These might include courts for sports such as basketball, tennis, and badminton, as well as weights, cardio machines, and other fitness equipment. Additionally, they may offer classes or personal training sessions to help customers achieve their fitness goals. Finally, they may provide access to a club or lounge area for customers to relax and socialize. All of these services are designed to create a safe and inviting environment for customers to engage in physical activities, get fit, and have fun.

4. The market analysis

When presenting your market analysis in your sports facilities operator business plan, you should detail the customers' demographics and segmentation, target market, competition, barriers to entry, and any regulations that may apply.

The goal of this section is to help the reader understand how big and attractive your market is, and demonstrate that you have a solid understanding of the industry.

You should start with the demographics and segmentation subsection, which gives an overview of the addressable market for your sports facilities operator, the main trends in the marketplace, and introduces the different customer segments and their preferences in terms of purchasing habits and budgets.

The target market section should follow and zoom on the customer segments your sports facilities operator is targeting, and explain how your products and services meet the specific needs of these customers.

For example, your target market might include adults who are looking to stay active. These adults will likely live in the area of the facility and have the means to pay for a membership. They could be looking to take part in team sports, such as soccer, basketball, or baseball, or they may just be looking for a place to exercise on a regular basis.

Then comes the competition subsection, where you should introduce your main competitors and explain what differentiates you from them.

Finally, you should finish your market analysis by giving an overview of the main regulations applicable to your sports facilities operator.

5. The strategy section

When you write the strategy section of your sports facilities operator business plan, remember to cover key elements such as your competitive edge, pricing strategy, sales & marketing plan, milestones, and risks and mitigants.

In the competitive edge subsection, elaborate on what makes your company stand out from competitors. This becomes especially important if you're a startup, aiming to carve a place for yourself amidst established players in the marketplace.

The pricing strategy subsection should demonstrate how you plan to maintain profitability while offering competitive prices to attract customers.

Outline your sales & marketing plan, detailing how you'll reach out to new customers and retain existing ones through loyalty programs or special offers.

For the milestones subsection, outline your company's achievements to date and your main objectives for the future, complete with specific dates to set clear expectations for progress.

Lastly, the risks and mitigants subsection should address the main risks that could affect your plan's execution. Explain the measures you've put in place to minimize these risks, assuring potential investors or lenders.

Your sports facilities operator could face numerous risks. For example, they might experience an unexpected drop in demand due to unfavorable weather conditions. This could lead to a decrease in revenue or a loss of clients. Additionally, they could experience unexpected delays in construction or maintenance, which could lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction.

6. The operations section

In your business plan, it's also essential to provide a detailed overview of the operations of your sports facilities operator.

Start by covering your team, highlighting key roles and your recruitment plan to support the expected growth. Outline the qualifications and experience required for each role and your intended recruitment methods, whether through job boards, referrals, or headhunters.

Next, clearly state your sports facilities operator's operating hours, allowing the reader to assess staffing levels adequately. Additionally, mention any plans for varying opening times during peak seasons and how you'll handle customer queries outside normal operating hours.

Then, shift your focus to the key assets and intellectual property (IP) necessary for your business. If you rely on licenses, trademarks, physical structures like equipment or property, or lease agreements, make sure to include them in this section.

You may have a range of key assets, such as physical buildings, equipment, and personnel, as well as intellectual property (IP) like trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. For example, a sports facilities operator could own a trademark for their logo, which could be used to identify their services and products. They also might have trade secrets such as a unique process or recipe for producing a service or product.

Lastly, include a list of suppliers you plan to work with, detailing their services and main commercial terms, such as price, payment terms, and contract duration. Investors are interested in understanding why you've chosen specific suppliers, which may be due to higher-quality products or established relationships from previous ventures.

7. The presentation of the financial plan

The financial plan section is where we will include the financial forecast we discussed earlier in this guide.

Now that you have a clear idea of what goes into a sports facilities operator business plan, let's look at some of the tools you can use to create yours efficiently.

What tool should I use to write my sports facilities operator's business plan?

In this section, we will be reviewing the two main options for writing a sports facilities operator business plan efficiently:

• Using specialized software,
• Outsourcing the drafting to the business plan writer.

Using an online business plan software for your sports facilities operator's business plan

Using online business planning software is the most efficient and modern way to create a sports facilities operator business plan.

There are several advantages to using specialized software:

• You can easily create your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
• You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
• You can access a library of dozens of complete business plan samples and templates for inspiration
• You get a professional business plan, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank or investors
• You can easily track your actual financial performance against your financial forecast
• You can create scenarios to stress test your forecast's main assumptions
• You can easily update your forecast as time goes by to maintain visibility on future cash flows
• You have a friendly support team on standby to assist you when you are stuck

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try The Business Plan Shop for free by signing up here .

Need a solid financial forecast?

The Business Plan Shop does the maths for you. Simply enter your revenues, costs and investments. Click save and our online tool builds a three-way forecast for you instantly.

Hiring a business plan writer to write your sports facilities operator's business plan

Outsourcing your sports facilities operator business plan to a business plan writer can also be a viable option.

Business plan writers are experienced in writing business plans and adept at creating financial forecasts without errors. Furthermore, hiring a consultant can save you time and allow you to focus on the day-to-day operations of your business.

However, hiring business plan writers is expensive as you are paying for the software used by the consultant, plus their time, and their profit margin of course.

From experience, you need to budget at least £1.5k ($2.0k) excluding tax for a complete business plan, more if you need to make changes after the initial version (which happens frequently after the initial meetings with lenders or investors).

You also need to be careful when seeking investment. Investors want their money to be used to grow the business, not spent on consulting fees. Therefore, the amount you spend on business plan writing services (and other consulting services such as legal services) needs to be negligible relative to the amount raised.

The other drawback is that you usually don't own the business plan itself: you just get the output, while the actual document is saved in the consultant's business plan software - which makes it difficult to maintain the document up to date without hiring the consultant on a retainer.

For these reasons, outsourcing the sports facilities operator business plan to a business plan writer should be considered carefully, weighing both the advantages and disadvantages of hiring outside help.

Ultimately, it may be the right decision for some businesses, while others may find it beneficial to write their business plan using online software.

Why not create your sports facilities operator's business plan using Word or Excel?

I must advise against using Microsoft Excel and Word (or their Google, Apple, or open-source equivalents) to write your sports facilities operator business plan. Let me explain why.

Firstly, creating an accurate and error-free financial forecast on Excel (or any spreadsheet) is highly technical and requires a strong grasp of accounting principles and financial modelling skills. It is, therefore, unlikely that anyone will fully trust your numbers unless you have both a degree in finance and accounting and significant financial modelling experience, like us at The Business Plan Shop.

Secondly, relying on spreadsheets is inefficient. While it may have been the only option in the past, technology has advanced significantly, and software can now perform these tasks much faster and with greater accuracy. With the rise of AI, software can even help us detect mistakes in forecasts and analyze the numbers for better decision-making.

And with the rise of AI, software is also becoming smarter at helping us detect mistakes in our forecasts and helping us analyse the numbers to make better decisions.

Moreover, software makes it easier to compare actuals versus forecasts and maintain up-to-date forecasts to keep visibility on future cash flows, as we discussed earlier in this guide. This task is cumbersome when using spreadsheets.

Now, let's talk about the written part of your sports facilities operator business plan. While it may be less error-prone, using software can bring tremendous gains in productivity. Word processors, for example, lack instructions and examples for each part of your business plan. They also won't automatically update your numbers when changes occur in your forecast, and they don't handle formatting for you.

Overall, while Word or Excel may seem viable for some entrepreneurs to create a business plan, it's by far becoming an antiquated way of doing things.

• A business plan has 2 complementary parts: a financial forecast showcasing the expected growth, profits and cash flows of the business; and a written part which provides the context needed to judge if the forecast is realistic and relevant.
• Having an up-to-date business plan is the only way to keep visibility on your sports facilities operator's future cash flows.
• Using business plan software is the modern way of writing and maintaining business plans.

We hope that this practical guide gave you insights on how to write the business plan for your sports facilities operator. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our team if you still have questions.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

• In-depth business plan structure
• Key steps to write a business plan?
• Free business plan template

Know someone who owns or wants to start a sports facilities operator? Share this article with them!

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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Your Sports Facility’s Business Plan: The Mission

This is the first in a series of posts on creating a business plan for a sports facility. In upcoming weeks, we’ll discuss how to add details on marketing , operations , finances and an exit strategy to your sports facility’s business plan.

Thinking of opening a sports facility? You need to start by making a business plan.

It doesn’t matter if you aren’t looking for investors. You need to make sure you have a business idea that is going to WORK and not just suck away months of your life in a frustrating failure.

A business plan won’t guarantee success — nothing can — but it will force you think seriously about what you’re about to do and clarify what you’re trying to accomplish.

Unfortunately, many talented former athletes and coaches assume (on some level) that their passion for their sport and their reputation in the community will be enough to sustain a business. A long list of loyal clients is definitely a great start, but there’s much more to running a business — which is why so many sports facilities close down.

Making a plan, using the steps we’ll go through in this guide, will get you in the right mindset.

Don’t be intimidated. I’m not going to make you plot out a line graph with projections for 12 scenarios including inflation. We’re just going to make sure that you understand what it takes to get your business making enough money to be profitable.

Steps to Create A Business Plan

Let’s get started.

The first step in creating your business plan is to identify the basics:

• the business’ overall mission
• the services your business will provide to fulfill that mission
• your business’ ideal customers (or the “target market” for your services)
• your plan to compete with similar products/services
• your plan to make money

1. Mission/Objective

Can you describe your business’ objective in a few sentences? Clarifying your main mission will be key to marketing your facility, as well as leading your company and keeping your staff focused. For example:

The mission of DNA Sports Center is to “Develop a New Athlete” by focusing on teaching kids how to move before sports-specific training.

2. Products/Services

Describe the products/services you’ll offer, and explain why your audience needs these products/services. For example:

DNA Sports Center will offer speed, strength, and agility training that focuses on building self-confidence for all athletes. Other services will include sports-specific training, batting cages, and use of the facility for parties and events.

3. Customers/Target Market

Add a few details about your typical customer. Briefly describe their age ranges, where they live, their income levels, their interests, and their skill levels. For example:

DNA Sports Center’s services will benefit kids age 6 through high school, although programs for adults and younger children will also be available. Our services will appeal to those athletes who are striving to improve their skills. DNA Sports Center is located in the suburb of Milford and is in close proximity to many sports-oriented school districts and plenty of families.

4. Competition

Explain why the need for your services is not being addressed by current facilities or services that are already accessible to your audience. What will make your facility better or different? For example:

DNA Sports Center is home to the area’s only Parisi Speed School, which offers a proven successful curriculum for improving speed, agility and strength.

5. Revenue Plan

This is the big one: How specifically will your business make money? Don’t stress about the actual prices here. We’ll get there in the next steps. For example:

DNA Sports Center’s main source of revenue will be monthly payments for unlimited access to speed, strength and agility training. This income will be supplemented by revenue from facility rentals, sports-specific training, and commissions from private lessons taught by instructors at the facility.

Next Step: Create a Marketing Plan

Want to watch a video discussing your business plan? View here

Need more info? Contact me directly with your sports facility questions .

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Moscow International Business Center (Moscow City)

• Guide to Russia

What can you do at Moscow City?

• Dine in style: Moscow City is home to 100+ cafes and restaurants, including Europe’s highest restaurant and ice-cream shop
• See Moscow like never before: Ascend to one of Moscow City’s observation decks for an unparalleled panorama of Moscow
• Admire world-class architecture: Each of Moscow City’s skyscrapers has distinctive architecture and design
• Learn something new: Visit the Museum of High-Rise Architecture in Moscow or the Metro Museum

Moscow City is a multifunctional complex in the west of Moscow, which has come to represent the booming business of Russia’s capital. Its skyscrapers enrich Moscow’s skyline, contrasting the medieval cupolas and Stalinist high-rises. Visitors to Moscow City can enjoy entertainment high in the sky, as the complex is home not just to offices, but to restaurants, cinemas, viewing platforms, and museums.

Photo by Alex Zarubi on Unsplash

History of Moscow City

Moscow City was first conceived in 1991 by honoured Soviet architect Boris Tkhor, who proposed to construct a business center in Moscow. It would be complete with gleaming skyscrapers rivalling those of New York and London, to reflect the new life and growing ambitions of post-Soviet Russia.

The chosen site was a stone quarry and disused industrial zone in western Moscow, in between the Third Ring Road and Moskva River. Initially, the territory was divided into 20 sections arranged in a horseshoe shape around a central zone. The skyscrapers would increase in height as they spiralled around the central section, with shorter structures built on the waterfront to give the taller buildings behind a view of the river. 

Architect Gennady Sirota, who contributed to iconic projects such as the Olympic Sports Complex on Prospekt Mira, was selected as the chief architect, and many other world-famous architects were attracted to Moscow to realise their visions in Moscow City.

What can you see and do at Moscow City?

Where Moscow’s cityscape was once dominated by Stalin’s Seven Sisters skyscrapers , this is no more. Moscow City is home to eight of Russia’s ten tallest buildings, six of which exceed 300 metres in height. More buildings are still under construction there today, including the One Tower (which will be Europe’s second-tallest building). Once completed, Moscow City will comprise more than 20 innovative structures.

Each of Moscow City’s skyscrapers was designed by its own architect, lending the cluster of skyscrapers a unique appearance. Aside from being a site of architectural wonder, Moscow City is a place for leisure and entertainment with over 100 cafes and restaurants, exhibition spaces, cinemas, viewing platforms, and more.

Photo by Nikita Karimov on Unsplash

Federation Tower

• East Tower: 374m, 97 floors; West Tower: 243m, 63 floors
• Completed in 2017
• Architects: Sergey Tchoban and Peter Schweger

The East Federation Tower is the tallest building in Moscow, and the second-tallest building in Europe after the Lakhta Centre in St Petersburg. Visitors can enjoy a luxurious meal of seafood, truffles or steak at restaurant ‘Sixty’ on the 62nd floor of the West Tower, or visit Europe’s highest observation deck, ‘Panorama 360’, on the 89th floor of the East Tower.

Did you know? The ice cream and chocolate shop on the 360 observation deck are the highest in the world!

• South Tower: 354m, 85 floors; North Tower: 254m, 49 floors
• Completed in 2015
• Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

The South OKO Tower is the third-tallest building in Russia and Europe. Here, you can visit ‘Ruski’ to dine on hearty Russian cuisine cooked on a real Russian stove, and have a drink in the ice bar. Alternatively, visit restaurant, nightclub and performance space ‘Birds’; the restaurant is the highest in Europe, situated on the 86th floor roof terrace alongside an observation deck. The OKO Towers are also home to karaoke club ‘City Voice’.

Did you know? Underneath OKO Towers is the largest underground parking in Europe, with 16 levels and 3,400 parking spaces.

Mercury Tower

• 339m tall, 75 floors
• Architects : Mikhail Posokhin, Frank Williams, Gennady Sirota

Another multifunctional skyscraper, which was designed as the first truly ‘green’ building in Moscow. The Mercury Tower has a distinct geometric shape and copper-coloured glazing, and was the tallest building in Europe upon completion. Visit ‘More i myaso’ (Sea and meat) on the first floor of the tower to enjoy European and Mediterranean cuisine whilst surrounded by greenery. On the 2nd and 40th floors a modern art gallery, the ‘ILONA-K artspace’, has just opened.

City of Capitals

• Moscow Tower: 302m, 76 floors; St Petersburg Tower: 257m, 65 floors
• Completed in 2009
• Architect: Bureau NBBJ

The unique geometric design of the City of Capitals towers resembles stacks of rotating blocks, and is rooted in Constructivism of the early Soviet period (many Soviet Constructivist buildings can be found in Moscow). Visitors to the Moscow Tower can enjoy a range of cuisines – traditional Italian dishes on the summer terrace of ‘Tutto Bene’, Panasian cuisine in the tropical luxury of the ‘Bamboo Bar’ on the 1st floor’, and poke or smoothie bowls at ‘Soul in the Bowl’ cafe on the 80th floor.

Tower on the Embankment

• Tower A: 84m; Tower B:127m; Tower C: 268m, 61 floors
• Completed in 2007
• Architects: Vehbi Inan and Olcay Erturk

After completion, the Tower on the Embankment was the tallest building in Europe, and is now the 13th tallest. It houses the headquarters of several large Russian and international  companies, including IBM and KPMG. There are two cafes located on the 1st floor of Tower C – self-service café ‘Obed Bufet’ (Lunch Buffet) and Bakery Chain ‘Khleb Nasushchny’ (Daily Bread).

Evolution Tower

• 255m tall, 54 floors
• Architects: Philip Nikandrov and RMJM Scotland Ltd

Evolution is Moscow City’s most recognisable tower, and the 11th tallest building in Russia. Its façade is a true architectural marvel, comprising continuous strips of curved glazing spiralling high into  the sky. According to the architect, Philip Nikandrov, the spiral shape of the tower honours centuries of architectural design in Russia, from the onion domes of St Basil's Cathedral to Vladimir Shukhov’s Tatlin Tower, a masterpiece of Constructivist design. Outside the Evolution tower is a landscaped terrace and pedestrian zone descending to the Presnenskaya Embankment, which was also designed by Nikandrov.

Did you know? Moscow’s largest wedding palace was supposed to be built on the site of the Evolution tower, though the project was abandoned.

• 239m tall, 60 floors
• Completed in 2011

Imperia’s interesting design has a curved roof and an arched glass façade. Inside the tower are various cafes including ‘City Friends’ for all-day breakfasts and light lunches, ‘Mama in the City’ for simple meals of Russian cuisine, and ‘abc kitchen’ for European and Indian-inspired dishes. Alternatively, visit ‘High Bar’ on the 56th floor for cocktails with a view. In Imperia you’ll also find the Museum of High-Rise Construction in Moscow (suitably located on the 56th floor), and the Camera Immersive Theatre.

Did you know? Inside Vystavochnaya metro station is the Metro Museum , dedicated to the history of the beautiful Moscow Metro!

• 130m tall, 26 floors
• Completed in 2001
• Architect: Boris Tkhor

Tower 2000 was Moscow City’s first tower. It stands on the opposite bank of the Moskva River, and houses a viewing platform from which visitors can admire an unparalleled panorama of Moscow City. The Bagration Bridge reaches across the river from the tower to Moscow City, and underneath are piers from where you can take boat trips.

Photo by Alexander Popov on Unsplash

Afimall is Moscow’s largest entertainment and shopping complex, home to 450 shops, cafes and restaurants, a cinema, and a virtual-reality game park. The shopping centre is located in the central section of Moscow City, and a cinema and concert hall are currently under construction there.

What’s nearby?

Sechenov Botanical Gardens: The botanical gardens of the First Moscow State Medical University was created for students’ training and research in 1946. Today it is open for free visits, and is home to a large arboretum.

Park Krasnaya Presnya: This park belonged to the Studenets estate of the Gagarin princes. It is a monument of 18th and 19th century landscaping, with Dutch ponds, ornate bridges, and tree-lined alleys. There are also sports facilities, sports equipment rental, and cafes.

Photo by Akkit  on Wikipedia

Essential information for visitors

Website: https://www.citymoscow.ru/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +7 (495) 730-23-33

Nearest metro: Mezhdunarodnaya (closest to the skyscrapers), Delovoy Tsentr (underneath Afimall), Vystavochnaya (closest to Expocentre)

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Two Capitals and the Golden Ring

This tour covers the best sights of Moscow and St. Petersburg along with a trip to the Golden Ring - a group of medieval towns to the northeast of Moscow. Ancient Kremlins, onion-shaped domes and wooden architecture is just a small part of what awaits you on this amazing tour.

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