Kids First Sports Center

What Kids First Sports Center does

Kids First Sports Center is a privately-held, multi-program youth sports and activity facility headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1972 as Queen City Gymnastics by Jeff Metzger and rebranded under its current name in 1998. Operating from a 108,000+ square foot main campus at 7900 E Kemper Rd — described in company materials as the largest children's activity center in the United States under one roof, including a 42,000 sq ft gymnastics training hall said to be the largest in the nation — the company serves children from 6 weeks through high school across gymnastics, swimming, ninja/parkour, dance, martial arts, cheerleading, tumbling, aerial arts, soccer, fencing, and art education. Programming is organized into recreational classes, competitive USAG gymnastics and cheer teams, summer and holiday camps, before- and after-school care (Kids First Academy), birthday parties, and facility rentals, supported by a 300+ person workforce that the company highlights as a leadership pipeline for young employees.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market with year-round enrollment, prorated weekly tuition, free trial classes, and a mobile app plus online portal powered by iClassPro. Pricing is segmented across subscription tuition (typically $89-$146 per month for ongoing classes), weekly summer camp tuition ($189-$499 per week), per-event pricing for parties ($399) and Parents' Night Out ($45), and competitive team registrations. A second location operates as Kids First TOO in Milford, Ohio. Adjacent revenue streams include Metzger Business Training, a training and consulting division for the kids sports industry reaching 50+ states and 11 nations, and a Kids First Village ecosystem of partner-operated businesses (Power Up Cafe, The Campus early learning center, Book Bums Literacy, Ronnie Grandison Sports Academy, Park's Martial Arts, Foundations Pediatric Therapy). Leadership consists of founder Jeff Metzger as Senior Adviser, his daughter Jen Evans as President (since 2019), with documented multi-generational staff retention and promotion pipelines.

Name

Kids First Sports Center

Legal name

Kids First Sports Center

Website

https://kidsfirstsports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kids First Sports Center is a privately-held, multi-program youth sports facility in Cincinnati operating since 1972. Its 108,000+ square foot campus offers gymnastics, swimming, ninja, dance, martial arts, cheer, camps, and school programs for children aged 6 weeks through teens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Sports & Activity Center

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Training & Practice Facilities (Team Performance Centers) (MPAKAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF), Physical Activity & Motor Development Programs (Health-Focused) (EDACAMAI), Collegiate & School Athletic Facilities (MPAKAEAJ)

Keywords

• Youth sports instruction
• Children's gymnastics programs
• Swim lessons for kids
• Summer day camps
• Competitive gymnastics teams

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Instructional Class Tuition: Year-round instructional classes for children across multiple sports disciplines including gymnastics, swimming, ninja, dance, martial arts, cheer, tumbling, aerial arts, and more. Classes start for infants as young as 6 weeks old. Tuition is prorated weekly with no long-term commitments required.
2. Summer Camp Programs: Camp-a-Palooza summer day camps serving children from Kindergarten through 7th grade. Includes all field trips, lunches, and sports classes. New Mini-Camp-a-Palooza introduced for 3-5 year olds in 2026.
3. Before & After School Programs: Kids First Academy provides before and after school care and enrichment programs for school-age children.
4. Party Rentals: Birthday parties and special event rentals including swim parties, Tumble Bees parties, aerial arts parties, and Fly Kids ninja parties. Pricing from $399 per party.
5. Facility Rentals: Rental of facility spaces including the Conference Center, Storm Zone, Cultural Arts Room, Multi-Use Center, Kiosk areas, and Backyard for private organizations, clubs, and teams.
6. Competitive Team Programs: Registration fees for competitive gymnastics teams, cheer squads, ninja competition teams, and dance company. Includes participation in USAG sanctioned competitions and events.
7. Gift Cards: E-gift cards available for purchase in any amount, providing gifting options for children's learning and development experiences.
8. Power Up Cafe: On-site cafe operated by partner Omar Gonzalez and the Aguado/Lopez brothers, offering coffee, food, and refreshments to visitors. Opens February 2026.
9. Metzger Business Training: Business training programs including Small Business Boot Camp (hosted May and November) and In The Trenches Training Camps (IT3 Camps) for the kids sports and activities industry. Training provided to professionals from across the industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kids First Sports Center is a multi-disciplinary youth sports and activity facility providing recreational instruction, competitive team programs, camps, before/after school care, birthday parties, and facility rentals to children from infancy through teens in the Greater Cincinnati area. Core instruction spans gymnastics, swimming, ninja/parkour, dance, cheerleading, tumbling, aerial arts, martial arts, fencing, soccer, and art, delivered through weekly prorated tuition, seasonal camps, and competitive team registration. The business is supported by a proprietary teaching methodology (the 7 Unifying Principles) and a 108,000+ square foot facility that operates as the largest children's activity center under one roof in the United States.

Product overview

Kids First Sports Center is a comprehensive multi-program youth sports and activity facility offering a diverse portfolio of programs across gymnastics, swimming, dance, martial arts, ninja training, cheerleading, tumbling, aerial arts, and pediatric therapy. The company operates as a unified platform with multiple core products including recreational instruction classes (Tumble Bees preschool gymnastics, Gym Jam, Swim School, Fly Kids Ninja, Dance Academy, Martial Arts, Fencing), competitive teams (girls and boys gymnastics, dance company, cheer, ninja elite), and seasonal programs (summer camps, holiday camps, parents' night out). Additional offerings include facility rentals, a village ecosystem with complementary services (early learning center, literacy instruction, cafe), and a business training division. The organization also maintains a second location (Kids First Too in Milford) and employs over 300 staff members serving the Cincinnati area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tumble Bees (Preschool Gymnastics) Preschool gymnastics program for infants through pre-kindergarten age children, emphasizing developmental milestones, social skills, and the joy of learning through movement. Delivered as weekly prorated instructional classes.
• Gym Jam (Recreational Gymnastics) Recreational gymnastics program for school-age children (offered for girls and boys) that builds flexibility, balance, coordination, and foundational tumbling skills.
• The Swim School at Kids First Swim instruction program teaching swimming as an essential life skill for children of all ages and skill levels, delivered through year-round weekly classes.
• Fly Kids (Queen City Ninja Academy) Ninja and parkour academy combining intense physical activity with obstacle course training for children of various ages.
• Queen City Dance Academy Dance instruction program offering various dance styles for children across recreational and pre-competitive tracks.
• Cheery O's (Cheerleading Classes) Cheerleading classes for young children introducing foundational cheer skills as an entry to the Queen City Storm competitive pathway.
• Just Tumble (Tumbling & Trampoline) Tumbling and trampoline instruction program for children seeking to build aerial and floor skills.
• Aerial Arts & Acro Aerial silk and acrobatics instruction program for children age 6 and up.
• Park's Martial Arts Martial arts training program including Taekwondo, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for children ages 3 and up, offered at the main facility.
• Soccer Shots Youth soccer instruction program for children offered within the Kids First facility as part of the program ecosystem.
• Salle Du Lion Fencing Fencing instruction program offered to children at the Kids First Sports Center facility.
• Abrakadoodle (Art Education)

Quantifiable outcome

• 48+ NCAA scholarship athletes produced, with alumni competing at Division I universities including Michigan State, Cal Berkeley, Yale, Ohio State, Navy, Stanford
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Power Up Cafe (Omar Gonzalez, Anibal Aguado, Pedro Lopez)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 February 2026Kids First partners with Omar Gonzalez and his brothers Anibal Aguado and Pedro Lopez to operate Power Up Cafe Fresh Food on-site. The partners own several restaurants, an ice cream shop, and a food truck in the area. Opens February 29, 2026. Provides food service for campers, families, and facility visitors including coffee, meals, and refreshments.
• Book Bums LiteracyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLiteracy instruction program operating inside Kids First Sports Center. Uses Foundations for Literacy (FFL) curriculum created by Dr. Christina Williams for explicit, systematic phonics instruction. Also has a West Chester location.
• The Campus at Kids FirstcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEarly learning center for children 6 weeks to Pre-Kindergarten located at 11711 Solzman Rd. Part of Kids First Village, carrying forward the Kids First mission into classroom settings with academic and physical education.
• Ronnie Grandison Sports AcademyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-sport complex located at 7950 E. Kemper Rd within Kids First Village. Houses Ohio Premier Volleyball, Ronnie Grandison Basketball, Velocity Pickleball, and Card Sports Performance.
• Soccer ShotsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSoccer program offered at Kids First Sports Center as part of the program ecosystem.
• Salle Du Lion FencingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFencing instruction program offered at Kids First Sports Center.
• AbrakadoodleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArt education program offered at Kids First Sports Center as part of specialty camps and programming.
• Metzger Business TrainingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntrepreneurial and management training programs for the kids sports and activities industry. Includes Small Business Boot Camp (hosted May/November since 1991) and IT3 Camps. Reaches professionals from 50 states, 11 nations, and 6 continents.
• Kids First TOOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecond Kids First location in Milford, Ohio. Operates independently with separate weather decisions and programming.
• Park's Martial ArtsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMartial arts training studio within Kids First offering Taekwondo, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for children. Owned by Master Sun Park since 1998.
• Foundations Pediatric TherapyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPediatric therapy services including SOAR Summer Enrichment Camp offered at Kids First Sports Center.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Little Gym: International franchise of non-competitive gymnastics and motor-skill development classes for children ages 4 months to 12 years. Closest direct competitor in multi-program youth activity instruction with subscription-style enrollment, parallel age range, and parallel curriculum philosophy.
• Goldfish Swim School: Franchise-based swim instruction provider serving children 4 months to 12 years with year-round enrollment, recurring tuition model, and party/event revenue. Directly comparable swim school business operating inside a multi-program youth activity ecosystem.
• My Gym Children's Fitness Center: Franchise network offering structured gymnastics, motor skills, and fitness classes for children from infancy through early elementary. Comparable age range, recurring class model, and party-based ancillary revenue streams.
• British Swim School: Franchise-based swim instruction for children and adults operating year-round with subscription-style enrollment. Closely parallels The Swim School at Kids First in business model and target demographic.
• Big Blue Swim School: Multi-site swim school franchise focused on year-round lesson enrollment for children. Directly comparable to Kids First's swim school offering with similar subscription and party revenue components.
• USA Ninja Gym: Network of obstacle-course and ninja-style training facilities for children, including competitive teams. Comparable to Kids First's Fly Kids Ninja and Queen City Ninja Elite competitive teams.
• Gymboree Play & Music: Early-childhood parent-child classes focused on play, music, and sensory-motor development for infants through age 5. Comparable to Kids First's Tumble Bees preschool program in age range and developmental philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• i9 Sports: National youth sports league franchise offering organized team sports for kids ages 3-14. Broader incumbent in the youth-sports instruction space with similar age targeting but team-sport rather than multi-discipline model.
• Sky Zone: National trampoline and active-play park chain. Adjacent in the tumbling/trampoline instruction and party business (Kids First's Just Tumble and party offerings).
• Life Time Fitness (Kids Programming): Large multi-category fitness operator with dedicated youth programming including swim, gymnastics, and dance. Broad incumbent offering overlapping program categories as ancillary to a much larger adult fitness platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kidsfirstsports
• Xx.com/kidsfirstsports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-first-sports-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kids First Sports Center