Athletes HQFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Athletes HQ franchise requires a total initial investment of $179K – $330K, including a $25K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $888K[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $179K – $330K
- 31st pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $888K
- 44th pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 3
- 16th pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Health & Fitness avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 3.5x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $179K – $330K including a $25K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $888K/year.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 60/100.
- Revenue data based on only 2 reporting units. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Athletes HQ Systems, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 500 Lake Cook Road, Suite 475, Deerfield, Illinois 60015
- Auditor
- Sassetti
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $29K
- vs $37K prior year
Affiliated brands
- that offers franchises in different lines of business
- Athletes HQ
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Athletes HQ franchisees operate sports training, coaching, or athletic facility centers serving youth and adult clients. Day-to-day responsibilities include managing coaching staff, scheduling classes/sessions, member retention, facility maintenance, marketing to build client base, and handling administrative/billing operations.
- CEO
- Jordan Dean
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25K | $25K | |
| Lease depositnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Leasehold improvementsnot refundable | $38K | $70K | |
| Facility Build-outnot refundable | $75K | $169K | |
| Computer system(s)not refundable | $6K | $7K | |
| Signage and graphics (interior and exterior), wall signs and instructional postersnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Uniformsnot refundable | $250 | $1K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Utility depositsnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Travel related expenses during trainingnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Facility Opening Marketing Feenot refundable | $8K | $8K | |
| Blue prints, plans and permitsnot refundable | $5K | $7K | |
| Furniture, fixtures and misc. equipmentnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Legal, accounting and professional feesnot refundable | $3K | $8K | |
| Royalty Paymentnot refundable | $4K | $4K | |
| Team Players Feenot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Additional funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $4K | $9K | |
| Total initial investment | $178K | $330K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$257K
29.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
99%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
12 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $179K – $330K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $4K – $9K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- $300 per week for first 52 weeks; $500 per week for remai…
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $888K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 2 units
- vs category median 11 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $484K→$1.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 3 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 180 Health & Fitness brands
vs Health & Fitness averages
How Athletes HQ Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 3
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 67%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +100.0%
- Net unit change last year
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage sports franchise with minimal unit count, undisclosed profitability metrics, and a suspicious royalty ramp structure that misaligns franchisor-franchisee interests.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $25,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Sassetti
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 — unable to verify actual profitability despite $887K average revenue claim
- 02MINOROnly 3 units in system with 100% YoY growth appears artificially inflated (1→2→3 is small sample size, not market validation)
- 03MINORRoyalty structure is unusually low ($300/week) initially then doubles ($500/week) — incentivizes early exit after year 1
- 04HIGHGoing Concern flag is FALSE but typically franchisors disclose this voluntarily — lack of transparency raises questions
- 05MINORFranchise fee ($25K) is low relative to investment range ($178-330K) — suggests high capex with unclear ROI
- 06HIGHNo litigation disclosed but only 3 units limits exposure history and complaint visibility
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 11 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 13 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Athletes HQ · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Athletes HQ franchise?
The total investment to open a Athletes HQ franchise ranges from $179K – $330K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Athletes HQ franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Athletes HQ FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $888K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Athletes HQ's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Athletes HQ (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Athletes HQ franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Athletes HQ has 3 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Athletes HQ a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Athletes HQ as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 60 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.