CLUBWAKA

What CLUBWAKA does

CLUBWAKA, founded in 1998 as the World Adult Kickball Association and now operated as WAKA Group, LLC, runs a social-first adult recreational sports network across 14 U.S. states and 31+ cities. Its core offering is co-ed, 21+ league play in sports including kickball, indoor and beach volleyball, dodgeball, cornhole, soccer, flag football, bowling, softball, and pickleball, organized in approximately eight-week seasons with playoffs, team shirts, and mandatory after-parties at sponsor bars. The company's differentiation rests on a "Social First" philosophy reinforced by the New Friend Guarantee (free next season if no new connection is made), a cross-team officiating model, and locally embedded League & Social Managers who cultivate community culture in each market.

The technology backbone is the third-party LeagueApps platform, which powers location-specific subdomains for online registration, roster management, scheduling, and member communication; marketing and analytics rely on standard tooling (Constant Contact, Google Analytics, Google Ads and Facebook pixels). Clubwaka also operates regional and national tournaments (e.g., WAKAPalooza Virginia Beach, Sand Kickball Showdown), destination events, charity tournaments, and a Corporate Wellness Program that sells customized leagues and team-building events directly to employer HR and leadership teams.

The business model is a mix of per-season registration fees from individual players and small groups, one-time tournament and event fees, subscription-like corporate wellness contracts, and affiliate-style partnerships with sponsor bars that drive post-game foot traffic. Customer concentration is structurally low, with revenue distributed across a long tail of thousands of adult participants, and the company maintains no disclosed outside investors, parent company, or external funding.

Name

CLUBWAKA

Legal name

WAKA Group, LLC

Website

https://clubwaka.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CLUBWAKA operates social-first adult recreational sports leagues across 14 U.S. states and 31+ cities, offering co-ed kickball, volleyball, dodgeball, cornhole, soccer, flag football, bowling, and pickleball with weekly games, after-parties, tournaments, and corporate wellness programs for adults 21+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Social Sports Leagues

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sport-Specific Amateur Leagues & Circuits (Non-Professional) (MPAKACAJ)

Keywords

• Adult sports leagues
• Social recreational sports
• Co-ed kickball
• Corporate wellness programs
• Adult volleyball leagues

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. League Registration Fees: Adults 21+ pay registration fees to join co-ed sports leagues (kickball, volleyball, dodgeball, cornhole, soccer, flag football, bowling, and more). Leagues run once per week for approximately 8 weeks plus playoffs. Players receive team shirts, scheduled games, and access to sponsor bar specials.
2. Tournament and Event Fees: National and regional tournaments (WAKAPalooza, Sand Kickball Showdown), destination events/vacations, local bar crawls, and one-day tournaments generate additional registration revenue.
3. Corporate Wellness Programs: Companies pay for employee sports leagues and corporate wellness events to promote team building, health, and company culture. The company offers sponsorship opportunities and charitable tie-ins.
4. Bar and Venue Partnerships: Sponsor bars provide food and drink specials to league members, with venues benefiting from guaranteed weekly foot traffic. The company approves all sponsors and partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CLUBWAKA organizes and operates co-ed adult recreational sports leagues (kickball, indoor and beach volleyball, dodgeball, cornhole, soccer, flag football, bowling, softball, and pickleball) on an approximately 8-week seasonal schedule with playoffs, team shirts, and after-parties at sponsor bars, run by local League & Social Managers across 31+ U.S. cities. The company also sells corporate wellness leagues to employers and runs national/regional tournaments and destination events such as WAKAPalooza.

Product overview

CLUBWAKA operates as a social-first adult recreational sports league network offering co-ed sports leagues across 14 U.S. states with 32+ city locations. The core portfolio includes eight primary sports (kickball, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, dodgeball, cornhole, soccer, flag football, and bowling), supplemented by additional activities including softball, pickleball, and Ultimate Frisbee. Each sport is offered as a standalone league product running 6-8 week seasons with playoffs, team shirts, and mandatory after-party gatherings at sponsor bars. The company also operates a Corporate Wellness Program (add-on B2B service), manages regional tournaments including the annual WAKAPalooza Virginia Beach championship, and runs destination events and vacations. A distinctive New Friend Guarantee program serves as a risk-reversal mechanism for first-time participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult Kickball Leagues Co-ed adult kickball leagues blending athletic competition with social networking; players join as free agents, small groups, or full teams for ~8 weekly games plus playoffs and after-party gatherings at sponsor bars.
• Indoor Volleyball Leagues Co-ed 6v6 indoor volleyball leagues played with rally scoring, featuring front-row and back-row players, setter/hitter/libero positions, and first-to-25-points sets.
• Beach Volleyball Leagues Outdoor beach volleyball leagues offered as part of CLUBWAKA's volleyball portfolio, complementing the indoor volleyball season.
• Dodgeball Leagues Adult dodgeball leagues governed by official CLUBWAKA rules, providing a dynamic team sport experience for adults 21+.
• Cornhole Leagues Adult cornhole (bags) leagues with official rules governing competitive play, including tournaments and open play sessions.
• Soccer Leagues Adult soccer leagues typically running 20, 22, or 25 minute halves depending on the league, with games lasting approximately one hour.
• Flag Football Leagues Adult flag football leagues featuring timed gameplay with strategic team matchups, part of CLUBWAKA's broader sports portfolio.
• Bowling Leagues Adult bowling leagues governed by official CLUBWAKA rules, offering recreational competitive play and charity tournament formats (e.g., Hampton Roads charity bowling tournaments benefiting Sentara Brock Cancer Center).
• Softball Leagues Adult softball leagues featured in Hampton Roads and other markets, including charity tournament formats.
• Pickleball Leagues Pickleball leagues offered in select markets such as Newport News/Hampton Roads for various skill levels, including beginner divisions.
• Tournaments and Special Events Regional and national tournaments including the WAKAPalooza Virginia Beach annual kickball championship, Sand Kickball Showdown, destination events/vacations, local bar crawls, and charity tournaments.
• Corporate Wellness Programs Customized sports leagues and team-building events for corporate clients, designed to improve employee health, productivity, retention, and team cohesion through workplace wellness initiatives; includes sponsorship opportunities and charitable tie-ins.

Quantifiable outcome

• New Friend Guarantee ensures members make at least one new connection or receive free next season
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Sentara Brock Cancer CentercoreOthers · 25 February 2026CLUBWAKA Hampton Roads has raised $120,000 for the Sentara Brock Cancer Center through various fundraising events including charity bowling tournaments. Approximately 200 members from seven cities participated in recent fundraising efforts.
• Los Angeles RamsflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 November 2021CLUBWAKA and the LA Rams organized a first-ever kickball tournament at SoFi Stadium benefiting veterans organization Merging Vets & Players (MVP). The event drew press coverage from CBS Los Angeles and raised $25,000+ for the veteran's organization. Players from across the region participated on the famous football field.
• Merging Vets & Players (MVP)minorOthersVeteran's organization that received $25,000+ from the LA Rams/CLUBWAKA SoFi Stadium kickball tournament. MVP helps soldiers transition back into civilian life through community connections.
• Benedictine Health FoundationminorOthersPartnered with WAKA Kickball for inaugural Kick for Mental Health charity tournament. Event raised $15,500 to support adolescent mental health programs in Kingston, NY.
• Sponsor Bars (Local Venues)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEach league promotes a sponsor bar where teams receive food and drink specials. Sponsor bars benefit from guaranteed weekly foot traffic. CLUBWAKA approves all affiliates and partnerships. The company maintains relationships with venues close to game facilities.
• LeagueAppscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform powering all clubwaka.com league registration, team management, scheduling, and member communication. Each market has dedicated LeagueApps subdomain (e.g., clubwakahamptonroads.leagueapps.com).

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ZogSports: NYC-founded adult co-ed social sports league operator offering kickball, volleyball, dodgeball and similar sports across multiple US cities. Closest direct competitor to CLUBWAKA in target demographic (adults 21+), product mix, and after-party-driven community model.
• Volo Sports: Washington DC-origin social adult sports league operator running co-ed leagues (kickball, volleyball, touch football, etc.) across multiple US cities. Directly comparable to CLUBWAKA on target customer, sport menu, and league-format-with-after-party structure.
• Sport & Social Group: Adult social sports league and event operator running co-ed leagues and tournament-style events in multiple US and Canadian markets. Direct competitor on sport mix (kickball, volleyball, dodgeball) and social-first adult positioning similar to CLUBWAKA.
• NZone Sports: Regional adult recreational sports league operator with a multi-sport league calendar (kickball, softball, volleyball) and tournament offerings. Comparable operating model and customer segment to CLUBWAKA, focused on the Midwest/Southeast.

Broad incumbents

• HomeTeam Sports Pub & Grub: Sports-bar chain that hosts and promotes adult league play (cornhole, dart leagues, etc.) at scale across multiple US locations. Broad incumbent with overlap to CLUBWAKA's bar-anchored, league-driven social experience but competing in venue-led rather than registration-led form.

Others

• LeagueApps: Software-as-a-service registration and league management platform powering CLUBWAKA's entire registration, scheduling, and payment flow across all cities. Ecosystem participant and enabling technology peer rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Championship Volleyball (CVB) / Social Volleyball: Operator of adult co-ed volleyball leagues and tournaments with tournaments in destination markets. Comparable to CLUBWAKA's volleyball league product line and tourney-style revenue stream, though narrower in sport mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/clubwakahrva
• Xx.com/WAKA_Kickball
• Facebookfacebook.com/clubwaka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clubwaka

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CLUBWAKA