Batting Cage Franchise vs. Pickleball Franchise: How to Choose?

There are many options available to you when choosing a franchise. Even if you’ve narrowed it down to a particular subset, such as entertainment venue franchises, you can still find yourself wondering what to pick. You may have considered opening a batting cage franchise; it’s certainly a viable option, but the question is whether it’s the best option for you. You may want to consider an alternative like The Pickle Pad. Here we’ll look at what goes into one of these baseball franchises to and how they compare to a franchise like our own.

Understanding Indoor Baseball Franchises

A batting cage franchise is one that provides customers with a safe, comfortable place to practice batting skills. These franchises have potential for profit thanks to widespread interest in indoor sports facilities and personal training spaces. Market analysis firm TrendPath Research reported in February 2024 the fitness and indoor sports center market is forecast to grow from 2024 through 2031.

An indoor batting cage franchise has several strengths that help make it a viable and profitable business. It appeals to a wide range of customers across multiple demographics, including recreational batters, school baseball and softball teams, professional athletes, and more. It also allows customers to enjoy the facilities at any time of year, allowing for steady revenue even during times of inclement weather or harsh climate. You can also increase the number of revenue streams available to you by adding to the facilities you offer, such as VR simulations and advanced pitching machines, as well as additional services such as memberships, event hosting, and special arrangements for schools and sports teams.

The amount of profit you can make varies. Financial modeler platform eFinancialModels hosted a March 2024 report that the average walk-in revenue for a batting cage is $25-$45 per hour. Factors that can affect the amount of money made by a franchise include location, population density, competition, service and facility quality, and additional facilities and services provided.

Batting and Pickleball Franchises Compared

Both batting cage franchises and pickleball franchises share some advantages: the growing interest in indoor sports facilities, the ability to provide year-round service with indoor facilities, and multiple revenue streams. However, batting cage franchises lack something pickleball franchises have: freshness of concept.

Baseball and softball are well-established sports, whereas pickleball’s growth in popularity has been comparatively recent. According to national governing body USA Pickleball’s website, pickleball first emerged as a sport in 1965, and the first tournament was played in 1976. Market research company Gitnux reported in May 2024 there were 3.46 million players in the U.S. but only around 15,000 pickleball courts in the country, including both indoor and outdoor facilities.

In fact, 65% of these courts belong to outdoor facilities, making indoor pickleball facilities a business model with few competing brands. This offers a lot of untapped space and untapped markets in which you can be the first franchisee to open an indoor pickleball franchise.

Play Ball or Serve Something Fresh

Deciding on whether to go with a batting or pickleball franchise depends on what sort of business appeals to you the most. If you want a franchise based around established sports and in a segment of the industry that’s also well-established and well-explored, then you may prefer a batting franchise.

However, if you’re looking for an opportunity to get into new and growing markets with a rising new sport to bring something unexplored to your local communities, with profitable potential for those daring enough to try something new, then you might prefer a pickleball franchise like The Pickle Pad.

Start Your Own Fresh Franchise Idea with The Pickle Pad

We’re excited to offer you a chance to join our growing franchise. We’re an emerging indoor pickleball franchise looking for franchisees like you who are interested in pickleball franchise opportunities. We’re ready to provide you with all the training and support services you need to start your own pickleball franchise. Don’t miss your chance to be the first to bring a pickleball facility to your community; fill out and submit a franchise form today to learn more about franchising with us at The Pickle Pad.