Destination Athlete franchise
2025 filing · January 1, 2025Growing
Destination Athlete at a glance
A business supplying equipment, team apparel, fundraising and services to youth, high school and small college teams. At the end of 2024 there were 280 Destination Athlete locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Destination Athlete, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Lebanon, New Jersey
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $28K–$94K
- A home-based business; a retail store adds to the cost
- Franchise fee
- $20K–$50K
- By territory population
- Royalty
- 5%–9%
- 5% of gross sales (9% on internet sales), paid monthly, with a $500 quarterly minimum from year two
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 2% of gross sales, of which up to 1% can go to local advertising instead
- Renewal fee
- $5,000.00
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 280
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 280
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 1 years
- +77
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 29
- Most in Tennessee, Texas and New Jersey
Support and records
From Destination Athlete, LLC’s 2025 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 177; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Destination Athlete among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Destination Athlete | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $60,955 | Costs less than 95% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $20,000 | Lower than 89% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 280 | More than 90% of franchises |
How much a Destination Athlete franchise costs
Opening a home-based business; a retail store adds to the cost costs an estimated $28,300 to $93,610. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the franchises under $30K.
The biggest costs are initial franchise fee ($20,000 to $50,000) and additional operating funds for 3 months ($6,000 to $36,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20,000 | $50,000 | |
| Travel Expenses | $100 | $400 | |
| Living Expenses while training | $150 | $1,500 | |
| Cell/Telephone | $20 | $200 | |
| Fax/copier | $150 | $400 | |
| Lap top computer | $700 | $1,500 | |
| Invoices/proposals | $100 | $160 | |
| Office supplies | $100 | $400 | |
| File cabinet(s) | $80 | $200 | |
| Legal fees | $300 | $1,500 | |
| Accounting software | $200 | $250 | |
| Accounting services | $100 | $300 | |
| Insurance | $300 | $800 | |
| Additional Operating Funds for 3 Months | $6,000 | $36,000 | |
| Total | $28,300 | $93,610 |
Source: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2025 filing, page 15
Destination Athlete franchise fee
The franchise fee is $20,000 to $50,000, by territory population. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2025 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales (9% on internet sales), paid monthly, with a $500 quarterly minimum from year two. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 2% of gross sales, of which up to 1% can go to local advertising instead. |
| Software updates See FA I.H. | Low $10; high $80; but no more than $1,200 a year. |
| Renewal Fee FA XI | $5,000.00 |
| Advertising Program Fund and Local Advertising FA VII | Up to 2% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2025 filing, pages 12 and 14
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Destination Athlete does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2025 filing, page 46
SBA loans to Destination Athlete franchisees
Lenders approved 2 SBA 7(a) loans for Destination Athlete franchisees in 2024, $1.25M in all. None has been paid off or charged off yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Destination Athlete compares
Of the 120 sports franchises on this site, Destination Athlete is the 6th cheapest to open and the 8th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Destination Athlete | Typical sports brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $28K | $227K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $94K | $442K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $20K | $50K | $40K |
| US locations | 280 | 15 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 2.6% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 1 yrs | +37.9% | +38.5% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 77 of 120 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 120 brands in sports franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 151 (+23) | 0 | – | – |
| 2021 | 203 (+52) | 0 | – | – |
| 2022 | 229 (+26) | 0 | – | – |
| 2023 | 260 (+31) | 0 | +31 | 0 |
| 2024 | 280 (+20) | 0 | – | – |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: home-based franchises and franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2020 to the end of 2024, franchised locations went from 128 to 280 (+152, +119%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2023 filing.
Source: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2025 filing, page 47
2020–2021: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2023 filing, page 41
Where Destination Athlete locations are
At the end of 2024, Destination Athlete had franchised locations in 29 states. The most are in Tennessee, Texas and New Jersey.
- Tennessee45
- Texas21
- New Jersey20
- Kentucky18
- Missouri17
- Mississippi14
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Tennessee | 45 |
| Texas | 21 |
| New Jersey | 20 |
| Kentucky | 18 |
| Missouri | 17 |
| Mississippi | 14 |
| North Carolina | 14 |
| Georgia | 13 |
| Florida | 12 |
| Indiana | 10 |
All 29 states
| Louisiana | 9 |
|---|---|
| Colorado | 8 |
| Kansas | 8 |
| Ohio | 8 |
| New York | 7 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 |
| Idaho | 6 |
| South Carolina | 6 |
| Alabama | 5 |
| Illinois | 5 |
| Virginia | 5 |
| California | 3 |
| Connecticut | 3 |
| Massachusetts | 3 |
| Michigan | 3 |
| Nevada | 3 |
| Oregon | 3 |
| Washington | 3 |
| Arizona | 1 |
Source: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2025 filing, page 49
Who owns Destination Athlete?
Destination Athlete franchises are sold by Destination Athlete, LLC.
From Destination Athlete, LLC’s 2025 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Destination Athlete, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Destination Athlete filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Destination Athlete, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued January 1, 2025; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | January 1, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
| 2023 filing | January 1, 2023 | NASAA depository | Locations, 2020–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other sports franchises
All sports franchises
Destination Athlete is also on these lists: retail franchises, business services franchises.