FRANdata’s independent research on the small-sided soccer market reveals a high-growth, underleveraged opportunity for franchisors, lenders, private equity firms, and franchise suppliers — with Soccer 5 as the only franchised field rental brand in an industry where 90% of all soccer participation is small-sided.
Soccer is no longer a niche sport in the United States. With over 14 million outdoor participants as of 2023, an 8% year-over-year surge, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup accelerating investment across the ecosystem, the conditions for franchise expansion in small-sided soccer have never been stronger.
FRANdata studied the full landscape: participation trends, competitive benchmarking, franchise financial performance, real estate economics, and the business model mechanics that make small-sided soccer facilities uniquely profitable compared to full-size alternatives.
What’s Inside This Report
This white paper gives franchise professionals the data they need to evaluate, fund, or position in the small-sided soccer space:
- Market sizing & participation data — 14.1M outdoor soccer participants; small-sided format accounts for ~90% of all soccer activity
- Franchisor benchmarking — financial metrics across 17 sports & recreation franchise brands, including AUV, profit margins, ROI, and initial investment per square foot
- Soccer 5 analysis — the only franchised small-sided soccer field rental brand, with a 41% profit margin and 32% ROI among analyzed brands
- Real estate economics — small-sided fields generate revenue ~31x higher per square foot than full-size fields; construction budgets range from $250K to $5M
- Competitive landscape — Sofive, Goals Soccer Centres, Powerleague, Urban Soccer, and the consolidation trends reshaping the non-franchise market
- Franchise system pipeline data — signed-but-unopened locations signal strong investor demand with execution as the primary constraint
Who This Report Is For
- Franchisors assessing white-space opportunity in sports & recreation franchising
- Private equity firms tracking emerging franchise sectors with strong unit economics
- Franchise suppliers seeking market intelligence on high-growth categories
This report answers the following:
What percentage of soccer participation is small-sided?
Approximately 90% of all soccer participation in the U.S. is small-sided, encompassing players from ages 3 to 65+. Traditional 11-a-side soccer now accounts for less than 10% of the total soccer-playing population, primarily limited to high school and competitive adult levels.
What is the profit margin for small-sided soccer franchises?
Soccer 5, the only franchised small-sided soccer field rental brand in FRANdata’s analysis, reported a 41% profit margin and 32% ROI based on 2023 data. For context, the average profit margin across all sports and recreation franchise brands in the study was 31% — meaning small-sided soccer outperforms the category average.
How does small-sided soccer revenue compare to full-size fields?
Small-sided soccer fields generate approximately 31 times more revenue per square foot per hour than full-size fields — $0.024 versus $0.00077. The gap comes down to four factors: more efficient space utilization, faster player turnover between matches, lower maintenance costs, and broader appeal across casual, corporate, and recreational players.
What is the initial investment required for a small-sided soccer franchise? Based on FRANdata’s analysis of Soccer 5, initial investment ranges from approximately $276,500 to $2,955,500, with an average midpoint of $1,616,000. Real estate expenses — including leases, construction, leasehold improvements, and architectural fees — account for 84% of that total, the highest real estate cost concentration of any brand in the study.
Is small-sided soccer a good franchise investment? The unit economics are compelling. FRANdata’s research points to a lower initial investment per square foot than most sports and recreation peers, a 41% profit margin for the category’s only franchised field rental concept, and significant white-space relative to mature markets like the UK — where 1.5 million adults play weekly across 800+ pitches operated by just two brands. The U.S. market is early-stage by comparison, which represents both the opportunity and the risk.
Why FRANdata
For over 30 years, FRANdata has been the definitive research and intelligence source for the franchise industry. Our data powers lender decisions, franchisor strategy, and private equity due diligence. We study the universe of franchising — and this report reflects that depth.
About the Analysts
