DOES YOUR YOUTH SPORTS CLUB HAVE A FACILITY ACCESS ISSUE? INDY PREMIER

Case Study 2: Indy Premier, IN, USA

LEADERSHIP QUESTION:  What options does a youth sports club have when membership growth exceeds the capacity of facilities for training and games?

Matt Quinn is the Business Director of Indy Premier in Fishers, Indiana. He helps lead a large nonprofit club serving around 3,000 athletes, supported by 28 full-time and 30 part-time staff.

The Issue

Indy Premier had struggled for years to secure enough outdoor field space in Fishers. Land costs were high, and local history tied to the club’s separation from the town recreation soccer program had also made access harder.

The club wanted more long-term control. Renting helped in the short term, but it did not give the club the stability or influence it needed for future growth.

The Solution

• Chose to lease rather than build or buy
• Secured control of a 52,500-square-foot facility for more than 10 years
• Invested just over $1 million to build out the space
• Designed the facility around the weekday training needs of about 100 travel teams -Monday to Thursday evenings for team training
• Treated indoor space as a year-round asset, not just winter overflow
• Used weekends for leagues and clinics
• Turned the building into both a training hub and club headquarters
• Created a model that now generates 20 percent of annual club revenue and forecasting a $500,000 in profit over three fiscal years

Why it worked

Matt and his team wanted dependable space and a model that would strengthen the club over time.  They made smart use of the facility. Weekdays served team training. Weekends generated revenue through leagues and clinics. That dual-purpose thinking made the building much more valuable than a simple indoor rental.

Leadership Lessons

First, control matters. Renting may ease the immediate problem, but it rarely solves the long-term one.

Second, indoor space can invaluable. Used well, it can support training, operations, and revenue.

Third, a strong facility move can influence the wider market. By creating a solution outside Fishers, Indy Premier helped push the local conversation forward around future subsidized opportunities.

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Key Insights

Three Steps Leaders Can Take in the Next 90 Days

SIX CASE STUDIES: Each one focuses on the same core challenge, improving access to the right facilities for the needs and ambitions of the club, yet each leader has approached the issue in a very different way. Together, these case studies demonstrate that the issue is widely shared, and the best solutions are shaped by local context, strategic thinking, and strong leadership.

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