"How much should I charge?" is one of the first questions every academy owner asks, and one of the hardest to answer. Charge too little and you're coaching for free, or worse, paying to coach. Charge too much and the academy never fills up.
There's no single right number. But there is a right way to get to your number, and a clear way to structure it so parents understand what they're paying for. This guide covers both.
All the numbers below are made-up round examples. Swap in your own.
Start with your costs, not your competitors
It's tempting to look at what the academy down the road charges and copy it. Do that later. First, work out what it actually costs you to run your academy for a month.
List everything:
- Venue: pitch, court, pool or hall hire, per session or per month
- Coaches: salaries, per-session pay or allowances
- Equipment: balls, cones, bibs, nets, replaced over the year
- Kit you don't charge for separately
- Insurance and first aid
- Federation or association fees, if you pay any
- Admin: phone, transport, software, printing
- Your own time: if you're not paying yourself, the academy isn't sustainable yet
Turn yearly costs into monthly ones. If balls and cones cost 1,200 a year, that's 100 a month.
Here's an example for a small academy running three training groups:
| Cost | Per month |
|---|---|
| Pitch hire (12 sessions) | 3,000 |
| Two coaches | 4,000 |
| Equipment (yearly cost ÷ 12) | 300 |
| Insurance and first aid | 200 |
| Admin and software | 300 |
| Your own pay | 2,000 |
| Total | 9,800 |
Work out your break-even fee
Now divide your monthly cost by the number of players you can realistically count on. Not the number you hope for. The number who reliably pay.
In the example above, with 50 paying players:
9,800 ÷ 50 = 196 per player per month
So in this example, a fee of around 200 covers your costs. Anything above that is a margin to save for new equipment, a quiet month or growth.
Then test it. What if only 40 players pay? 9,800 ÷ 40 = 245. If your academy only works when every single place is full, your fee is too low or your costs are too high.
Then check the local market
Now look around. What do other academies in your sport and area charge? What do swimming lessons, music lessons or tuition cost locally? Parents compare you with all of these, not just other academies.
If your break-even fee is well above the local going rate, you have three options:
- Cut costs: share a venue, run bigger groups for younger players, or train at quieter times when hire is cheaper.
- Grow numbers: add a group, but only if your coaches and venue can handle it.
- Justify the higher fee: better coaching, smaller groups, more sessions per week, matches and tournaments. Be specific about what parents get.
If you're well below the going rate, you can probably charge more than you think. Underpricing doesn't just hurt your income. It can make parents wonder what's wrong.
Why a monthly fee works best
You can charge per session, per term or per month. For most academies, a fixed monthly fee is easiest for everyone.
| Model | Good for | Problems |
|---|---|---|
| Per session | Drop-in, holiday camps | Unpredictable income, lots of small payments to track |
| Per term | Schools-style programmes | Large one-off amounts, hard for families to budget |
| Monthly | Ongoing training groups | Needs a clear policy on missed sessions |
A monthly fee gives you predictable income and gives parents a predictable bill. The key is to say clearly what the fee covers, for example "two sessions a week, all year except public holidays", so nobody expects a refund for a rained-off Tuesday.
Should you charge a registration fee?
A one-off registration fee, paid when a player joins, is common and sensible. It can cover:
- Their first training kit
- Insurance or federation registration
- The admin of setting them up
Keep it modest and say what it pays for. A registration fee that's really just an extra month's fee feels like a trick. A registration fee that comes with a kit bag and a shirt feels like value.
Some academies waive the registration fee during an open week or for siblings. That's a good way to fill places without cutting your monthly fee.
Sibling discounts
Families with two or three children at your academy are your most valuable families. They're loyal, they bring friends, and they're paying a lot. A sibling discount says thank you and keeps them with you.
The most common approach is a reduced fee from the second child:
| Fee | |
|---|---|
| First child | 200 |
| Second child | 160 |
| Third child | 160 |
| Family total | 520 |
Keep it simple: one discounted fee from the second child on, rather than a sliding scale nobody can remember.
Different fees for different groups
Not every group costs the same to run. An elite squad training four times a week with a specialist coach costs more than a beginners' group training once a week. It's fair to charge more for it.
Common reasons to set a different fee for a group:
- More sessions per week
- Smaller group size, or a more experienced coach
- More expensive venue or surface
- Competition costs included
Write each group's fee down, and make sure parents know which group their child is in and why.
Free groups and sponsored players
Sometimes the right fee is no fee. You might run:
- A free community or schools programme that brings new players to your academy
- A sponsored place for a talented player whose family can't pay
- A free group run with a partner, funded by someone else
These are good for your academy and your community. The important thing is to record them properly. A sponsored player should show as sponsored, not as a family with unpaid fees. Otherwise your numbers lie to you, and that family gets reminders they shouldn't.
One-off costs: kit, tournaments and camps
Keep one-off costs out of the monthly fee and charge them separately:
- New kit or a match shirt
- Tournament entry and travel
- Holiday camps
- Festival or end-of-season event fees
There are two reasons. First, not every player takes part, so it's unfair to charge everyone. Second, a monthly fee that changes every month is confusing and starts arguments. Raise a separate invoice for each one-off, so parents know exactly what they're paying for.
Joiners mid-month, and leavers
Decide this before it comes up, not when a parent asks.
For joiners, a simple rule works well. For example:
- Joins before the 15th: pays the full month
- Joins on or after the 15th: pays half, or starts paying next month
For leavers, ask for notice. One month is common. Without it, players drift away, invoices go out to families who've left, and you spend the next month chasing money for sessions nobody attended.
For holidays and injuries, decide whether you pause fees. Many academies don't pause for short absences, because the place is being held, but do pause for longer injuries with notice. Whatever you choose, write it down.
Raising your fees
Costs go up, and at some point your fee has to as well. A few rules make it easier:
- Give notice. At least a month, ideally more.
- Explain why. "Pitch hire has gone up" is a reason parents understand.
- Raise it once a year, at a set time, rather than in small surprises.
- Show what's improved, if anything has: new equipment, an extra coach, more matches.
Most families accept a reasonable increase that's explained well. What they don't accept is finding out from an invoice.
Your fee checklist
Before you announce your fees, make sure you can answer all of these:
- What does the monthly fee cover, exactly?
- Is it the same for every group, or different by group?
- Is there a registration fee, and what does it pay for?
- Is there a sibling discount?
- Do you offer sponsored or free places, and how do families apply?
- Which costs are charged separately?
- What happens when someone joins mid-month, or leaves?
- Do you pause fees for holidays or injuries?
Once your fees are set, the next job is collecting them. Our guide on how to collect sports academy fees without chasing parents covers billing days, invoices, receipts and reminders. And if you're just getting started, read what to put on your registration form so every family agrees to your fee policy when they sign up.
How AcademyPro handles fee setup
In AcademyPro, you set one monthly fee for the academy with a sibling discount. Then you can override it for a group, make a group free, or give a single player their own fee or a full sponsorship. Monthly invoices follow the same rules automatically, so a sponsored player never gets a reminder.
You can also raise one-off invoices for kits, tournaments or registration, and sell kit through the academy shop in the app.
Whether you run a swimming club, a football academy or something else, you can try it free for 30 days with no card required. See pricing for details.