Ready to make an impact in your community?
By Ally Azzarelli
What does success really look like for your facility? Many leaders focus on the latest monthly report or a few headline numbers, but those figures don’t tell the full story.
Without context, it’s hard to tell whether your performance is strong, average, or leaving money on the table. By regularly comparing your numbers, or benchmarking, with peers across the industry, you aren’t relying on guesswork or gut feelings, and you get a more transparent revenue reality check.
Why Benchmarking Matters
By benchmarking or comparing your revenue, expenses, and participation trends with similar facilities in your region and nationwide, you can quickly see whether you’re outperforming peers or lagging behind the competition. This context builds confidence in your strengths and highlights areas of your operation that may require more attention.
For general managers and support staff, benchmarks also create a common language, enabling you to point to shared standards for revenue per court or field, program mix, and usage. That shared understanding leads to more productive conversations with owners, city partners, and internal teams.
See the Real Numbers
A true revenue reality check examines the mix of revenue streams and their efficiency. Categories often include tournament rentals, leagues, camps, memberships, food and beverage, and sponsorships. On the cost side, staffing, utilities, and maintenance are usually the biggest drivers.
When you compare your numbers to benchmarks, you may find that one area is carrying your performance while another is quietly bringing it down. Maybe your tournament revenue is above average, but your camp revenue or sponsorship income trails that of similar facilities. Seeing those comparisons side by side can confirm where your strategy is working and where subtle changes might lead to new funding.
Choose Better Comparisons
Keep in mind, the most useful comparisons align with your size, market, and mission. For example, a mid-sized indoor court facility in a suburban community shouldn’t expect the same numbers as a massive multisport complex in a major destination market.
Look for data that accounts for factors such as square footage, the number of playing surfaces, primary sports, and typical guest drive time. When you choose “apples-to-apples” comparisons, you get a more accurate picture of what’s more realistic and where real opportunity exists.
Learn From Peers
It’s important to keep in mind that some of the best insights come from conversations with peers facing similar challenges. When operators share what’s working/what’s not working, what they have tried, and what they’d change, everyone wins.
Benchmarking becomes more powerful when paired with real examples. A facility that consistently exceeds the average in sponsorship revenue may be structuring multiyear partnerships differently. A team that has grown camp revenue might have changed pricing, added premium experiences, or adjusted its marketing calendar. Consider these examples as ideas to possibly adapt rather than copy for your market.
Turn Insight Into Action
Benchmarks are only valuable if they drive change. Once you see where you stand, identify a short list of realistic next steps which could include refining your program mix, updating pricing, improving financial forecasting, or reallocating marketing efforts toward higher-margin offerings.
Small changes often have a bigger impact when guided by data: a modest increase in utilization on slow days, a new sponsorship package, or a better-staffed peak period can create meaningful gains in revenue and profitability. Choose one or two key metrics to track more closely and review them regularly against your chosen benchmarks.
Strengthen Your Network
Revenue reality checks aren’t limited to a single facility — they focus on building a stronger network of operators who share insights, results, and push one another to improve. When leaders understand how their sites compare and where opportunities exist, they can test new ideas, support one another, and scale what works.
By pairing clear benchmarks with honest reflection, you can reframe your view of success. Instead of guessing, you gain a grounded view of performance, a stronger story to share with stakeholders, and a practical path to improved financial outcomes for your sports or recreation facility.
