Company Banking On Youth Sports

Tampa Bay Online:

Who knew that kiddie flag football could become big business?

I9 Sports, a Brandon youth sports company dreamed up by a 39-year-old sports fanatic, has grown to 115 franchises in 28 states. On Saturdays, from Florida to Hawaii, franchisees erect canopies with the i9 Sports logo on city and church sports fields. They hold flag football, soccer, cheerleading and other contests for thousands of youngsters.

Company founder Frank Fiume is preparing for a big growth spurt. He recently added employees in marketing and franchise support, and purchased a second office condo in Brandon to train franchisees in how to run their businesses.

One of Fiume’s biggest challenges is convincing potential franchisees - who purchase the right to run i9 leagues in their community - that someone can make a living at this. People assume that youth sports organizations are all nonprofit, and, in fact, many are run by the YMCA or nonprofit community groups. But sometimes there are people behind the scenes who draw a paycheck, Fiume said.

“They don’t understand, ‘Hey, wait a minute, you can actually make money doing this,’” he said.

I9 Sports’ roots go back to an adult softball diamond on Long Island, N.Y. Fiume had been in medical sales in the mid-1990s but got so wrapped up in his softball league that he began organizing and running softball leagues for a living, launching a full-time business called ABA Sports. After he and his wife moved to the Brandon area in 1996, he continued running the Long Island leagues and expanded his company by starting youth flag football leagues in the Tampa Bay area.