Video Description

Learn pricing best practices and how to set fair pricing for your wrestling club or non-profit organization.

Lesson Resources

Lesson Overview.

This lesson is for non-profit and for profit clubs alike. Pricing is one of the most common challenges for both new and established wrestling clubs. Many clubs make costly mistakes that limit sustainability and growth. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to set fair pricing that helps keep you in business. 

Mistakes Clubs Often Make:

  • Set their price based on what the competition charges. You don’t know their real expenses. This is a recipe to go under.
  • Undervalue their time. Many clubs don’t factor end all of the actual costs to their program.
  • Not first understanding what are your financial needs, and what goals do you have and building pricing from this.

Copying Competitor Prices

Many clubs base their rates on what others in the area charge. The problem? You have no idea what your competitors’ costs, funding sources, or staffing models look like. They may have free facilities, unpaid coaches, or no insurance. By setting your prices to match theirs, you risk undercharging and signaling lower quality.

Ignoring Your Own Expenses

Your expenses (not the market) should be your baseline for pricing. If you don’t account for costs like insurance, coaching pay, facility use, and administrative work, your club won’t be sustainable. Clubs that ignore expenses often end up in debt or relying on personal loans just to survive.

Key Takeaways.

Takeaway

1

Understanding Competitor and Market Positioning.

You should research competitors – but only to understand your market positioning, not to set your prices. When comparing, make sure you’re looking at equivalent programs:

  • Similar class lengths (e.g., 45 minutes vs. 90 minutes)
  • Similar coach-to-student ratios (e.g. 1 coach:6 kids vs. 1 coach:30 kids)
  • Similar value or outcomes offered

Also look beyond wrestling. Youth sports like soccer, gymnastics, and martial arts can provide benchmarks for what families are accustomed to paying for organized, quality instruction. These programs are often more professionally run than wrestling.

Takeaway

2

Factoring in All Expenses.

When calculating your pricing, start by listing every expense, including:

  • Facilities (rent, utilities, maintenance, cleaning). Whether you lease, own, or rent space by the hour, it’s critical to calculate your facility cost per hour of use. If your space costs $2,000/month but is only used five hours per week, that’s $100/hour—a major inefficiency. Consider shared spaces, Rec Centers, or additional programming to lower your hourly cost and increase revenue. More hours of programming = lower cost per hour = higher return on your facility investment.
  • Insurance (liability, property, athlete coverage)
  • Coaching pay (should be a livable, competitive wage)
  • Administrative pay (time on email, scheduling, parent communication)
  • Business Owner Pay or Draw
  • Equipment and supplies (mats 10 year replacement cost, training equipment, cleaning)
  • Technology tools (registration software, accounting systems)

Don’t forget to pay yourself. Even in a nonprofit, your time as a director or coach has value. Paying for administration or coaching ensures long-term stability and prevents burnout.

Takeaway

3

Building Sustainable Pricing Strategies.

Your pricing should allow your club to:

  • Cover all fixed and variable expenses
  • Pay staff and coaches fairly
  • Leave a profit (or reserve) to reinvest in the club

If your goal is to earn a full-time living or hire quality coaches, start by identifying the income target you need to make that possible (e.g., $60,000–$100,000 annually). Work backward from that goal using your projected class hours and student counts.

For nonprofits, it’s equally important to budget for sustainability. Many community clubs fail after a long-time volunteer leaves because there’s no funding to replace them with a paid administrator or coach.

A good strategy is starting with a profit-first approach (starting with the amount you need left at the end of the year) and working backward. A well-designed spreadsheet can help you calculate:

  • Cost per class (based on time, facility, and coaching)
  • Profit per level (e.g., beginner, intermediate, elite)
  • Break-even points and margins for each program

This ensures you understand which classes are truly profitable and which might be draining resources.

Takeaway

4

Tracking Profit, and Retention.

Your two key metrics:

  • Profit per class – helps identify which programs sustain your organization.
  • Retention rate – shows whether families stay long-term. Aim for 80–90% retention, especially in smaller group or private lesson formats.

Mass practices with mixed skill levels tend to have poor retention (50–60%), even with good coaching.

  • Most wrestling clubs focus heavily on their top-tier athletes, but high-performance classes (advanced, elite) often have longer sessions, smaller groups, higher coaching demand, and lower profitability
  • In contrast, entry-level programs (levels 0–2), catered towards younger and newer athletes, tend to be more profitable and form the foundation for both growth and long-term retention.

Conclusion

Setting fair pricing isn’t about charging the lowest rate, it’s about creating sustainability. Whether you’re running a nonprofit or private club, understanding your expenses, knowing your value, and planning for profit ensures your organization can continue to serve athletes for years to come.

Next Lesson.

Lesson 2. What Policies do I need? Building Club Policies and Procedures

Learn how well-defined policies and procedures help your wrestling club run efficiently, build trust, and maintain a safe, professional environment.