BALLER ACADEMY

Name

BALLER ACADEMY

Legal name

THE BALLER ACADEMY

Website

https://theballeracademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Mentoring

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Sport Skill Academies (Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, etc.) (MPAKAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF), Sport-Specific Amateur Leagues & Circuits (Non-Professional) (MPAKACAJ), Sport-Specific Skills Coaching (e.g., soccer, basketball, tennis) (HSADAEAA)

Keywords

• Youth basketball mentoring
• Nonprofit youth services
• Community youth development
• Youth fitness programs
• Youth sports training

Headquarters

HQ city

Sugar Land

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to support uniforms, training aides, and supplies. Accepted via Zelle, PayPal, and credit card.
2. Sponsorship Programs: Multi-tiered corporate sponsorship program offering branding visibility on uniforms, event access, promotional booklet advertising, and media mentions. Tiers range from $150 (Select/Uniform) to $6,000 (Diamond).
3. Player Registration Fees: Player fees primarily sponsored by corporate partners. Individual players must purchase uniform packages ($200-$325) and AAU cards ($16).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

THE BALLER ACADEMY is a 501c3 nonprofit youth mentoring organization that delivers basketball training, mental wellness support, academic encouragement, and healthy eating education to youth ages 2-17 across the Houston metropolitan area. The program is delivered at multiple community centers and schools, with elite competitive teams (e.g., 8th/9th Grade Elite Boys) participating in national tournaments.

Product overview

THE BALLER ACADEMY is a nonprofit youth sports and mentoring organization (501c3, Federal Nonprofit #45-5053609) based in Sugar Land, Texas. The core offering is the Youth Basketball Mentoring Program, which combines basketball training with mental wellness support and healthy eating education. The organization runs Elite Boys Basketball Teams that compete in national tournaments. Additional services include corporate sponsorship tiers at various price points, student registration, and community center partnerships. The program has been operating since 2012 and has mentored students from multiple schools in the Houston area. Funding comes through donations (Zelle, PayPal, credit card), corporate sponsorships, and player fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Basketball Mentoring Program A 501c3 nonprofit youth basketball and mentoring program that combines basketball training with mental wellness support, academic encouragement, and healthy eating education. The program accepts students from all walks of life and focuses on keeping youth engaged to help prevent negative life outcomes.
• Elite Boys Basketball Teams (8th/9th Grade) Competitive amateur basketball teams including the 8th/9th Grade Elite Boys Teams that participate in national championship tournaments such as the Primetime National Championship. Players are required to have AAU cards, uniforms, and attendance at mandatory parent meetings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74% of youth ages 2-17 experience depression and anxiety; program addresses this through mental wellness support
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, featured and minor.

• USA BasketballcoreOthersUSA Basketball Gold Coach Certified program. All coaches obtain this certification for coaching youth basketball.
• Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA)coreOthersPartnership for coaching education and development philosophy. PCA certification for coaches.
• SafeSportscoreOthersSafeSports Trained & Certified organization ensuring safety standards for youth sports programs.
• Catholic CharitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified Catholic Charities Mentor program. Partnership for providing mentorship services.
• Advocates Of Healthy MindsfeaturedStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured sponsor focused on youth mental health advocacy. Featured on the Mentors page.
• Emancipation Community CentercoreOthersCommunity center location where mentoring programs are conducted.
• Freed Community CentercoreOthersCommunity center location where mentoring programs are conducted.
• Candlelight Community CentercoreOthersCommunity center location where mentoring programs are conducted.
• Landmark Community CentercoreOthersCommunity center location where mentoring programs are conducted. Partner with Fort Bend County for community center membership.
• Marian Community CentercoreOthersCommunity center location where mentoring programs are conducted. Received $7,500 in pressure washing services donation from a local company.
• Harris County TRIAD ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership program for youth services.
• Reading Jr. High SchoolminorOthersSchool partnership for student mentoring and recruitment.
• Stafford Youth Basketball Association (SYBA)minorOthersSYBA Sponsor. Supporting local youth basketball association as a sponsor.
• Expose Excellence Youth Program (EEYP)minorOthersPartnership with youth program for mentoring services.
• Evelyn TraylorfeaturedOthersFeatured mentor with documentary on youth mental health issues. YouTube channel documenting youth mental issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• YMCA of Greater Houston: YMCA operates youth basketball leagues and mentoring programs out of community facilities across the same Houston metro geography. It is a direct peer in mission (youth development through sport), funding model (donations + memberships + sponsorships), and target demographic (underserved youth).
• Amateur Athletic Union (AAU): The AAU is the primary national governing body for amateur youth basketball in the U.S., sanctioning tournaments and issuing the AAU cards that Baller Academy requires of all players. It is the most directly comparable organization on both product (competitive amateur basketball) and customer (youth athletes ages 2–17) dimensions.
• Police Athletic League (PAL): PAL chapters across the U.S. use athletics (notably basketball) combined with mentoring to steer at-risk youth away from negative outcomes, very similar to Baller Academy's stated mission. Both operate as community-anchored youth-development nonprofits with sport at the core.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs combine athletic programming (including basketball) with mentoring, academic support, and health/wellness for at-risk youth in community-based club facilities. Mission, target population (at-risk youth ages 6–18), and facility-based delivery model closely mirror Baller Academy's approach.
• America SCORES: America SCORES delivers youth-development programming through soccer in community centers across multiple U.S. cities, combining sport with academic and wellness programming for underserved youth. Same mission, same facility-based delivery, and same at-risk demographic — only the sport differs.
• National Junior Basketball (NJB): NJB is a national nonprofit youth basketball league serving boys and girls across multiple U.S. markets with community-based club teams. Direct competitor for amateur youth basketball participation and tournament play — same sport, same age group, same nonprofit operating model.

Emerging players

• Up2Us Sports: Up2Us Sports trains and deploys coaches in community-based youth sports programs focused on positive youth development for underserved communities. Partial overlap with Baller Academy's mission but operates as a coach-training intermediary rather than running its own teams.

Others

• USA Basketball: USA Basketball is the certification body for Baller Academy's coaches (Gold Coach certification). It is the governing body for basketball in the U.S. and thus an enabling peer — not a competitor, but the entity that legitimizes Baller Academy's coaching credentials.
• Catholic Charities USA: Baller Academy is a Certified Catholic Charities Mentor, making Catholic Charities a partner/administrative relationship rather than a competitor. Included here because it represents the type of large national nonprofit that funds and certifies youth-mentoring programs like Baller Academy.

Broad incumbents

• Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA): PCA is Baller Academy's certification partner and operates across many youth sports with a much wider portfolio than a single program. It is a broad incumbent in the youth-sport coaching space rather than a direct programming competitor, but it is highly comparable on coaching philosophy and youth-sport development mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVymFGxlkq4bErJzPqvKZSw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baller-academy

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 BALLER ACADEMY