If you're thinking about building an indoor baseball facility you’re probably asking: How much does it cost? We’ve previously covered the hidden costs, many of which relate to the ongoing expense of an indoor sports complex.
In this post, we’ll do a deep dive into all the numbers, from initial startup costs to the ongoing expenses of a baseball training facility. Whether you’re a coach, entrepreneur, or investor, understanding these costs before opening your doors will set you up for maximizing your business's profitability.
Here’s what we have coming up:
Let’s start at the very beginning and look at the startup costs for an indoor sports facility.
Renting a warehouse or industrial space is often the most practical option in large cities. Based on numbers from the Q1 CBRE report, average lease rates in New York City for industrial spaces came in at $29.95 per square foot.
In contrast, cities in southern states typically offer much lower industrial lease rates. Based on a 2023 industrial market report for Atlanta, industrial spaces averaged about $8 per square foot. Smaller towns may have ever lower rates, though the specific numbers can vary widely depending on the exact location and market conditions.
👉 Example: Leasing a 10,000 sq. ft. space in NYC costs ~$299,500 per year.
👉 Example: Leasing a 10,000 sq. ft. space in Atlanta costs ~$80,000 per year.
Depending on the leasing rates available to you, purchasing land and building your own facility from the ground up could be a viable option. Your own build will give you complete control over the layout, size, and truly enable you to create a building designed exclusively for baseball.
Turning an industrial space into a baseball facility requires serious renovations. Starting from scratch with a build of your own will be even more costly.
Estimates vary, but here’s a rough breakdown:
👉 Example: The build cost of a 10,000 sq. ft. facility could range from $1.5M to $2.5M
While that cost might seem steep, with the right source of financing and/or investment building could be the best option for your facility. In the US, exploring loan options from the Small Business Administration (SBA) is a commonly suggested option.
You can’t just roll out turf and a few hitting mats and call it a day. A quality baseball facility requires specialized equipment. Let’s take a look at the must-haves for any indoor baseball facility.
You don’t want to skimp out on your turf. Especially for long practice sessions for infielding or outfielding, not only will turf get torn up quickly, the athletes might be exposed to higher injury risk from the harder surface. The good news is turf is everywhere and multi-sport. There’s a good chance you can find some used turf in bulk from other facility owners downsizing or moving locations.
While turf will likely cover 80-90% of your square footage, don’t forget about the costs of other flooring like weight room rubber matting, laminate flooring for a front desk / retail section, or tiling in the bathrooms.
Quality netting is crucial to limiting ongoing maintenance costs and avoiding potential hazards with ripped material. #36 Gauge Nylon is the most commonly used material for indoor cages as it has a lifespan of 3-5 years depending on usage.
The dimensions of battings cages (sometimes referred to as “Tunnels”) typically come in two standard sizes 55’x12’ or 70’x12’.
Though square footage and your building layout will largely dictate how many cages (and their sizes) you can accommodate, it is important to consider the profitability of each size.
Smaller cages (55’x12’) will typically garner lower revenue per hour as they cannot be used for full-distance pitching (ie. 60.6’ mounds).
If your layout cannot accommodate larger cages, or full-distance pitching isn’t a large part of your business plan, sometimes facilities opt to use portable pitching mounds in an open turf multi-use space. This allows your cages to stay dedicated to hitting.
However, if your business will rely heavily on teams it might be important to have at least one extra large cage (70’x12’ or bigger) to accommodate live-abs (ie. pitchers throwing to batters). This is also an important consideration for facilities in colder climates where you’ll be forced indoors for the majority of your off-season. As in place of a traditional “Spring Training” many teams and athletes will perform simulated games indoors to ramp up to game speed and improve their pitchers' workload capacity.
In today's game, no baseball facility is complete without a pitching machine or several. Prices here vary dramatically depending on what features you are interested in.
Rental facilities catering to a more recreational clientele might opt for self-feeding machines like an Iron Mike. These machines were fixtures throughout the early 2000s but have started to get phased out as baseball technologies keep advancing. Today, many facilities are investing in more portable solutions capable of throwing higher velocities and different pitch types.
Entry-level machines like the Hack Attack or Spinball are typically in the $3,000 range. Opting for a self-feeder attachment can almost double this price.
High-tech machines like Spinball’s iPitch model might be an attractive option for facilities catering to advanced high school, college, or professional athletes. This model allows you to randomize or program a sequence of pitches with velocities upwards of 100mph and spin rates of 3000rpm making it extremely game-like for hitters.
Pitching machines are just the beginning of the different technology baseball facilities are using nowadays. Check out our article on the top 5 technologies you need at your baseball facility to stay ahead of your competitors.
The costs don’t stop after construction. Regular expenses are required to maintain your sports complex and ensure a quality experience for your customers. These costs will be crucial to the day-to-day operation of your facility and important to incorporate into your financial planning.
Examples of operating costs include things such as:
For facilities heavily centered around lessons, classes, clinics, and camps, instructor costs will be a large ongoing expense.
Retaining your instructors can also incur costs and an expense to account for when planning any future growth. Despite the cost, instructors can bring in new clientele to your facility and increase customer retention by offering lesson packages.
Check out our complete guide on hiring and charging instructors to learn all the costs associated with instructors.
Monthly utility bills can be another sustainable expense for an indoor sports facility. When establishing a budget, energy costs for lighting, heating/cooling, and other maintenance are important to consider.
Costs here largely depend on your square footage and facility layout. However, you can find a rough estimate with a quick search for your state. Across New York, for example, industrial spaces' monthly average retail price of electricity was seen from 7.54 cents to 9.72 cents per kilowatt-hour depending on the time of year.
Having a comprehensive insurance plan will protect your business against unforeseen events and accidents. These expenses can include property insurance, liability insurance, and workers’ compensation.
PS: ensure your clients have signed a liability waiver to reduce your risk. Use our free liability waiver template to get started.
Keeping your indoor sports facility running smoothly will require modern facility management software. This software will typically cover key features such as online booking & payments, membership management, packages & credits, payroll, reporting, and more.
Investing in the right software will be a revenue generator, not a sunk cost. It should save you and your staff hours of manual work, and open up new sources of revenue that you may not have previously considered.
View our comparison page for a comprehensive guide on popular options in the industry and learn which software is the right fit for your business.
PS: Swift offers a substantial discount to new businesses. You can book a free demo with a member of our team to hear more about this offer.
Now that we’ve gone through all the costs of starting an indoor baseball facility, let’s recap some of the variables that affect the total cost.
Industrial spaces in metropolitan cities have steep rent costs, but purchasing land comes with its own challenges and higher startup costs. If you’re looking for a lower commitment out the gate, leasing space is likely the best option. You can also look to stockpile savings from your initial lease and look to expand into building your own location later on.
A larger space means more money spent on the build-out, renovation, equipment, maintenance, etc. However, more square footage can also lead to higher foot traffic and revenue. It can also open your facility up to more revenue opportunities like showcase events.
Adapting an industrial space requires significant investment to meet safety and zoning laws. These types of spaces however will be the most conducive to an indoor baseball feature with features like high ceilings and a relatively open concept.
High-quality turf, netting for cages, lighting, and training technology add to your upfront investment. Out the gate you might feel inclined to cut costs here, but ensuring you purchase the right gear will offset your ongoing maintenance costs and position your facility for the most success when trying to build a clientele from scratch.
Staffing, utilities, scheduling software, insurance, and other hidden costs are recurring expenses that must be factored in as you look to open your facility. Clearly outlining these expenses and looking for the best value can help you price your services to ensure profitability.
In the end, starting a sports facility is no cheap task. Each area we’ve covered comes with its own tradeoffs and considerations. As a facility owner only you know the type of risk tolerance, ambition, and vision you have for your business.
Seeing these costs stack up can make you wonder if an indoor baseball facility is a profitable business. The answer is if managed well, absolutely.
Profit margins vary considerably, with many facilities' margins falling between 10% and 20% and annual revenues ranging from around $100k, going all the way up to $1M+.
Check out our guide on how much money an indoor sports facility can make for a more in-depth look at the numbers and key revenue streams.
Opening an indoor baseball facility requires careful planning and a sizable investment. However, with the right financial planning you can create sustained profitability.
Thinking about starting a facility? Check out the guides below to get a head start.
5 Hidden Costs to Starting a Sports Facility
5 Technologies Your Baseball Facility Needs in 2025
5 Reasons Your Baseball Facility Needs Modern Scheduling Software
5 Ways to Maximize Indoor Sports Complex Profitability
Ready to open your baseball facility? Book a free demo with our team, we’d love to hear about your facility and how we can help you grow your business on auto-pilot.
