The financial impact of hosting competitive swimming - aquatic sports facility management

Parks & Recreation, Nov, 1997 by Chris Moler, Bret Wood

Believe me, we have heard it all. But the reality is a well-organized competitive swim program can impact your bottom line in a positive nature and provide a host of other benefits to your aquatic program.

Listed within this article are several key areas that today's aquatic managers could use to generate revenue from their competitive programs. A financial analysis included.

Swim-Team Lane Rentals

The goal of an aquatic manager is to fill every possible square foot of your pool during operating hours Renting out the deep-water lanes to local swim teams is one of the best ways to do that. Many United States Swimming (USS) clubs work out 12 months a year, high school teams practice five to seven months a year in most states, and in some warmer climates, 11 months a year. Managers can charge anywhere from $4.00-$10.00 per hour per lane for each team, depending upon your location. At Oklahoma City Community College (OKCCC), we charge $5.50 an hour. and our gross annual income is approximately $30,000. Additional fees can be charged for use of workout equipment, timing system, exercise equipment, and more. Higher lane rentals may be assessed during peak hours. For 50-meter pools that are divided into two pools, you may consider charging more for long-course lanes to cover set-up costs, as well as exclusive usage of the entire space.

Hosting Special Events

The next phase of working with competitive swim teams is to host swim meets at your facility. There are three ways to approach this: through a direct outside contract, a third-party contract, or run the swim meet yourself. Depending on the size of your facility and size of meet to be held, facilities can earn $30-$130 per hour to host a swim meet. At OKCCC, we currently charge $50 an hour for the lap pool or diving well, or $75 an hour for exclusive use of the entire facility. There is a two-hour minimum.

Additional charges include $10 an hour for each lifeguard, $12 an hour for security, and $12 an hour for maintenance and janitorial services. Clubs can save money by providing their own certified security or by using a volunteer off-duty police officer. They also can reduce a portion of the janitorial bill by having volunteers clean up throughout the meet. As a result, you may charge for two hours of final janitorial service rather than billing them to have a janitor on site throughout the entire event. As the aquatic manager, it is critical that these two are part of the contract because this helps alleviate wear and tear on the facility. Also, USS Swimming requires an official meet marshal! to control and be prepared for emergencies.

If you are deciding to host your own swim meet, there are several key factors to consider before doing so. The type of meet to be held, the time, equipment and space needed to host the event, and the volunteer base and financial commitment required. Although many swim meets can bring in additional dollars for your facility, Et poorly planned meet can drain your staff and create a disaster and a financial loss. A punch list of expectations is included within this article.

Entry and Admission Fees

Your biggest revenue source from a swim meet is the entry fee. Fees can be determined for your meet as a set amount per swimmer, such as $10 or $15, depending upon the size of the meet. Some may be as low as $3 and others as high as $25. Also, you may charge a set amount per number of events entered' which is usually anywhere from three to six events. This may be in the range of $2 to $6 per event, and is issued on top of the surcharge fee. The more events a swimmer enters, the more money you earn.

Depending on the size and duration of the meet you are hosting, you may decide to charge an admission price. This can be levied as a one-time rate for all-day meets or a per-session rate for preliminaries and finals. Sometimes an event charge may be assessed for multiple-day meets with a variety of sessions, allowing guests to come to all sessions. Preliminary meets draw the largest number of swimmers, but finals draw the largest number of spectators. The charges for admission should always be very minimal and should only increase if the quality, size, and stature of your event increases. Often times. you can split your admissions with the club or give the entire admission to the club (if they completely manage it), and then negotiate a higher contract rate, which gives you a guaranteed income regardless of attendance. That also allows the club to charge a higher-than-normal rate because the parents know it's a source of income that supports the club.

Miscellaneous Revenue Producers From Swim Meets

Concessions always bring in additional revenue. Both food sales and retail sales can mean big money for your facility. Both of these services can be contracted out or run by volunteers. Often, a parents' club supporting your local team or pool may provide baked goods, salads, nachos, popcorn, or baked potatoes. These are relatively inexpensive items that you can sell. Avoid name-brand candy bars, canned soda pop, or other name-brand items, because your profit margin is not nearly as high.