What started in 2003 with love for a kid sister and the sport of golf has TGA Premier Sports (TGA) on the path to introducing a million kids to sports through curriculums that combine academics with athletics.
The leading youth sports franchise company vests entrepreneurs at the local grassroots level in creating a unique home-based business that delivers introductory youth sports programs directly at schools and community centers. It happens with before- or after-school enrichment programs and then transitions students and families to recreational camps and leagues.
The program’s differentiator is the multi-level station-based curriculum and how students participate in interactive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Labs that allow them to explore and relate concepts such as gravity, aerodynamics and simple machines through the sports they are playing. Progressive skill development in sports along with academic subjects, life lessons, physical fitness and rules and etiquette round out each class.
Joshua Jacobs, company founder and CEO of TGA and a former collegiate golfer at Emory University, had recently graduated and was in the New York City area when September 11th, 2001 struck. In the recent aftermath, he decided to return to his immediate family in California and follow his passion – sports and kids.
“Sports are a powerful tool for America’s youth to learn life lessons, teamwork, resilience and in our case, academics,” Jacobs said. “I wanted to create a low-cost business opportunity for other entrepreneurs in their communities to break down traditional barriers to entry for sports and make them accessible to everyone.”
While helping his little sister pick after-school programs in the fall of 2003, Jacobs noticed golf was not on the menu of activities offered at her elementary school, or at other schools in the Los Angeles area. He recognized an opportunity to develop an innovative model and program that could introduce youngsters (ages 3-13) to his favorite sport by delivering the sport on school campuses.
In just three years his original idea had evolved into the first and still only youth sports franchise model dedicated to golf. In 2012, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) recognized TGA’s success with golf and asked them to develop the same franchise model for tennis.
In 2017, TGA launched six additional sports, Flag Football, Floor Hockey, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee and Cheerleading to continue to change the message of early sport specialization in the U.S. and give children the opportunity to participate in multiple TGA sports. They also aligned with the American Development Model (ADM) created by the U.S. Olympic Committee stressing the importance of age-appropriate activities that emphasize motor and foundational skill development, multi-sport participation, as well as a progressively challenging atmosphere.
Most recently, TGA completed a $750,000 curriculum and business infrastructure investment to streamline operations across its eight sports platforms. The investment helps facilitate franchise growth and lays the foundation for future expansion strategies across the TGA system including 50-75 new franchises and increasing the number of programs from 7,200 to 15,000 by 2021. TGA currently has 124 franchises in 74 markets across 27 states.
“This buildout was critical to servicing our families, providing the best experience for our students and helping our existing franchises growth more efficiently,” said Jacobs. “After three years, we’ve created a higher value proposition for potential and current franchise owners, our schools and facility partners and our customers.”
For more information on TGA Premier Sports, visit www.playtga.com.
