Jump Start Sports

What Jump Start Sports does

Jump Start Sports is a US-based for-profit company that operates a multi-sport youth sports platform for children ages 3–12. It was founded in 2002 in Hudson, Ohio by Rick Hart, a former advertising executive and University of Pennsylvania athlete, and initially delivered programs directly across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina. The portfolio spans 12+ sports — including baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, pickleball, flag football, floor hockey, golf, track & field, and cheerleading — delivered through summer camps, preschool camps, school-break camps, before/after-care programs, and a junior-counselor Leadership Program. A franchise system launched in 2023, adding 10+ franchise territories across Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida. Each franchise operates under a defined geographic territory with turnkey launch support, local marketing sites, and registration infrastructure.

The company's core technology footprint is intentionally minimal: no proprietary platform is referenced in source materials, and the corporate website and franchise registrars run on Upper Hand Sports, a third-party youth-sports management SaaS. No APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Operations and curriculum are differentiated by coach quality (a stated focus on recruiting "world-class coaches" rather than elite athletes) and a Positive Coaching Alliance partnership aligned to life-skill and character development.

Revenue is generated through two streams: per-camper registration fees for directly operated and franchise-delivered camps, clinics, and before/after-care programs; and one-time franchise fees plus ongoing royalties from franchise partners running branded local locations. Go-to-market is hybrid — direct-to-consumer via local franchise websites for parents, and a parallel franchise-recruitment motion via a dedicated jumpstartsportsfranchising.com site targeting entrepreneurs in the secondary "Families with Children Ages 3–12" and "Franchise Entrepreneurs" customer segments. Branded merchandise is monetized through Signature Locker as a minor attach channel. Leadership is led by Founder Rick Hart, with Dave Rhodehamel as CEO | Chief Development Officer and Cindy Rhodehamel as President | COO overseeing franchise expansion and operations.

Name

Jump Start Sports

Legal name

Jump Start Sports

Website

https://jumpstartsports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jump Start Sports is a US youth sports company operating multi-sport camps, clinics, and before/after-care programs for children ages 3–12 across 12+ sports. Founded in 2002 and franchising nationwide since 2023, it serves families through 10+ franchise locations spanning six states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Instruction & Camps

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF)

Keywords

• Youth sports programs
• Youth sports camps
• Sports instruction
• Youth coaching services
• Sports franchise opportunities

Headquarters

HQ city

Hudson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Camp and Program Registration Fees: Revenue is generated through registration fees for youth sports camps and programs. Fees vary by program type including summer camps, preschool camps, school break camps, before/after care, and various sports programs. The company also generates franchise fee revenue from franchise partners.
2. Franchise Fees: The company generates revenue through franchise fees charged to franchise partners who operate local Jump Start Sports locations. The franchising opportunity includes turnkey launch support, website and registrations, and ongoing support.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jump Start Sports provides organized youth sports camps, programs, and before/after care services for children ages 3-12 across multiple sports including soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, flag football, volleyball, tennis, track, cheerleading, pickleball, hockey, and golf. The company operates through a franchise model launched in 2023, with local franchisees delivering age-appropriate, themed single-sport and multi-sport instruction focused on skill development, teamwork, and life skills in a fun, low-competition environment.

Product overview

Jump Start Sports is a multi-sport youth sports company offering a comprehensive portfolio of camp and program services. The core offering consists of Youth Sports Programs (single-sport and multi-sport instruction across baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, pickleball, flag football, floor hockey, golf, track & field, and cheerleading) and Camps (Summer Camps, Preschool Camps, and School's Out Camps for various breaks). These are supplemented by Before/After Care for extended supervision, a Leadership Program for junior counselors, Franchise Opportunities for business expansion, and a Merchandise line. The company operates over 10 locations nationwide following its 2023 franchising launch, with programs designed for children ages 3-12 focusing on sports fundamentals, teamwork, and character development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Camps Full-day and half-day summer camps featuring single-sport programs (Basketball, Flag Football, Soccer, Lacrosse) and multi-sport programs (Summer Sports Spectacular, Olympic Days, Sports Around the World, Survivor Sports, Ultimate Warrior) for children.
• Preschool Camps Age-appropriate sports camps for preschoolers featuring themes like Junior Olympics, Junior Heroes, Junior Ultimate Warrior, Little Hoop It Up Basketball, Junior Goal Getters Soccer, and Junior Safari Sports Adventure.
• School's Out Camps Sports camps offered during school breaks including Spring Break, Fall Break, Winter Break, and Holiday Off camps.
• Before/After Care Camp Extended child care services providing before care from 7:30 AM and after care until 6 PM, including structured activities, outdoor play, and supervision.
• Leadership Program Camp Junior counselor program for children entering grades 7-10, where participants serve as role models while engaging in all camp activities; registration fees are reduced to half of the regular camp fee.
• Baseball & T-Ball Programs Instructional baseball and t-ball leagues including T-Birds T-Ball (ages 3-4), Rookie League Baseball (ages 5-6), and Major League Pitch Baseball (ages 7-9) with age-appropriate skill stations and games.
• Basketball Programs Youth basketball programs including Little Hoop Stars (ages 4-6) and Hoop Stars (ages 7-9), featuring instructional leagues, recreational leagues, clinics, and camps with age-appropriate drills.
• Cheerleading Programs Kickin' It Cheerleading program teaching fundamentals of cheerleading including short chants, basic jumps, longer cheers, and pom routines for children ages 5-12.
• Flag Football Program First Down Flag Football for children ages 5-9, teaching offense and defense fundamentals through fun, low-competition games with staff-led instruction and supervision.
• Floor Hockey/Deck Hockey Programs Youth floor hockey instruction covering puck handling, shooting, positioning, and defending through innovative techniques and drills with fun, supervised games.
• Golf Programs Youth golf instruction covering driving, long irons, chipping, putting, game strategy, and golf rules and etiquette for beginners and intermediates.
• Lacrosse Programs Jump Start Lacrosse for boys and girls ages 5-12, teaching passing, catching, fielding ground balls, cradling, spacing, positioning, and defense with plastic sticks and soft balls provided.
• Pickleball Programs Introductory pickleball program teaching rules and all strokes to children ages 5-12, followed by fun, low-competition games.
• Soccer Programs Youth soccer programs including Hummingbirds (ages 3-4 and 5-6) and Recreational Soccer (ages 7-9), teaching dribbling, passing, trapping, shooting, positioning, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
• Tennis Programs Little Aces Tennis program teaching fundamentals of tennis using fun, age-appropriate drills and game play for children ages 4-9 in 30-minute interactive sessions.
• Track & Field Programs All Around Track and Adventure Running Club for children ages 5-12, teaching techniques for sprints, mid-distance, long-distance, hurdles, relays, and standing long jump.
• Volleyball Programs Jump Start Volleyball instructional and recreational program for boys and girls ages 6-12, covering passing, setting, hitting, blocking, serving, offense, defense, and team strategy.
• Franchise Opportunities Business ownership opportunity allowing individuals to own and operate their own Jump Start Sports franchise location, providing youth sports programs in their community.
• Jump Start Sports Merchandise Branded merchandise including apparel, hats, hoodies, and backpacks available through the Signature Locker online shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 franchise locations nationwide as of 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Positive Coaching AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJump Start Sports is a proud partner of the Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization dedicated to developing better athletes and better people through youth sports. This partnership aligns with Jump Start's mission to foster character education and life skill development alongside sports fundamentals.
• Signature LockerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSignature Locker is an online merchandise store that sells Jump Start Sports branded products including backpacks, t-shirts, hoodies, and hats. This partnership enables the company to offer branded merchandise to customers without maintaining its own e-commerce operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Upper Hand Sports: Upper Hand Sports is the operating-software provider that Jump Start Sports uses to run its website, registrations, and camp management. It is an enabling technology vendor rather than a competitor, but is closely tied to the company's franchise operations.

Direct peers

• Soccer Shots: Soccer Shots is a youth soccer franchise focused on ages 2-8 with franchise territories across the U.S. It overlaps with Jump Start Sports' soccer programs and the broader preschool/multi-sport franchise model.
• Amazing Athletes: Amazing Athletes is a youth multi-sport franchise serving preschool and elementary-age children with sports and motor-skill classes. It is a direct competitor in the franchise-based youth multi-sport instruction category.
• Skyhawks Sports Academy: Skyhawks Sports Academy is a franchise that offers youth sports camps and programs across multiple sports for children, with a similar model of single- and multi-sport summer and school-break instruction delivered through local operators.
• i9 Sports: i9 Sports is a national franchise of youth sports leagues and camps for children ages 3-14. It is the most direct competitor to Jump Start Sports in multi-sport youth programming delivered through a franchise network.
• TGA Premier Sports: TGA Premier Sports runs franchise-based youth sports programs (golf, tennis, lacrosse, etc.) at schools and communities. Overlaps with Jump Start Sports' single-sport franchises and school/community delivery model.

Emerging players

• British Swim School: British Swim School is a franchise that teaches survival and stroke skills to children. While swim-specific, it competes for the same parent wallet and franchisee capital as Jump Start Sports in the youth instruction category.
• Goldfish Swim School: Goldfish Swim School is a large franchise of year-round youth swim instruction serving children 4 months-12 years. Adjacent to Jump Start Sports' youth instruction business and competes for the same franchise entrepreneur pool.

Regional players

• Little Kickers: Little Kickers is a global youth soccer franchise for children ages 18 months-7 years. It is comparable in programming, age range, and franchise model to Jump Start Sports' preschool soccer offering, though it primarily operates outside the U.S.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Sports Camps (NIKE Sports Camps): U.S. Sports Camps, the operator of NIKE Sports Camps, is a major U.S. youth sports camp network. It competes broadly in the same youth sports camp market, though it typically partners with collegiate and club programs rather than franchising.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JSSCleveland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Jump Start Sports