XP League

XP League Franchise

Ever wanted to jump into a franchise where you could play to work? Opening your own XP League franchise could help you do that.

XP League is an eSports league coaching and planning franchise business that follows a similar structure and values to traditional youth sports. 

As a franchise owner, you’ll be a coach or team leader for an eSports league and teach kids how to become better gamers.

In essence, each franchisee works as a league commissioner, taking the out-of-the-box league materials and marketing provided by XP League to jumpstart their own youth eSports leagues. 

If you’ve ever wanted to take your videogame skills and translate them into coaching experience, now’s the chance.

But how do you start, and what are the benefits of working with XP League for this specific franchise opportunity? Read on for the answers to these questions and more.

Reasons to start an XP League franchise

XP League was started in 2020 by Jay Melamed, CEO and Brand President, to provide young video game enthusiasts with a competitive and developmental outlet for their problem-solving skills and strategic thinking that functions similarly to traditional sports. Youth eSports franchises, just like traditional sports teams, can also teach kids valuable social skills. 

In North America and worldwide, eSports has become a veritable industry, with professional teams, competitions, and live events. XP League is part of the eSports wave and has enabled a wave of competitive youth eSports teams. 

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now and take this quiz to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

Partnering with the XP League means you’ll own your own franchise and work as a coach. You’ll get access to a comprehensive team development kit so you can build up your eSports youth league in a matter of weeks.

There are lots of benefits of XP League franchise ownership, including:

• You get access to all the team's official branded gear your youth league may need. On top of that, XP League can help you develop a team name and aesthetic that sets you apart from the competition in your local area.
• You can take advantage of exclusive partnerships with eSports brands for shirts and gaming gear. You’ll also get partnerships with top coaching firms for assistance in securing good youth gaming coaches (that way, if coaching isn’t your heart’s desire, you can offload the responsibilities to someone else).
• Access to plenty of tournament management and national gameplay opportunities allows your team to make it big if they have talent where it counts.
• Access to potential regional events and North American finals for your chosen competitive games.
• Comprehensive support from XP League for marketing and coaching, especially if you plan to coach yourself and need help developing the skills necessary to succeed.
• XP League provides plans for launching, marketing and operations across the board.
• Access to a league commissioner network to connect with the top leaders in the eSports gaming space.

Compared to classic youth sports organizations or athletics, competitive eSports organizations offer lots of the same advantages to their youth participants. Above all else, XP League allows you to run a business teaching kids how to play games competitively. What’s not to like?

In a broad sense, starting an XP League franchise could be a wise idea because the eSports market is already quite large and may only grow in the future. That means you have the potential to grow your business based on parents who want their kids to develop their gaming skills to mean something, not just spend mindless time staring at a screen.

Imagine starting a gaming league in an area that doesn’t have one. With such a league, you could make a difference to tons of kids with less interest in traditional sports who would otherwise have less opportunity to develop essential teamwork skills. Across the country, the market for gaming leagues already exists. All you have to do is provide the product.

In addition, eSports league creation and coaching have minimal overhead cost, which means you have the potential to rapidly grow the business and enjoy the profit margins.

That all comes with added flexibility from XP League. All XP League franchisees have the freedom to choose their league sizes, locations and working hours. 

You don’t need a retail office — just enough space to coach your kids or host your gaming league if you hire additional coaches. The sky’s the limit.

Lastly, you may wish to start an XP League franchise purely to do something good for your community. Starting an eSports team in your area will give kids a chance to learn skills and things like good sportsmanship, which are always valuable for youth.

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XP League franchise reviews

So far, franchisees with XP League are very pleased. For example, J.D. Uhler in Madison, Wisconsin, states, "This is such a professional level product. I am always proud to show it off with parents and community organizations. They instantly want to sign up their child or get involved!”

Other franchisees have similar experiences. With XP League, you can do something good for the community by giving local kids a positive outlet and allowing them to experience teamwork, friendship and good sportsmanship. 

A gaming league teaches kids who are already enthused with games many of the same positive life lessons they would glean from a physical sports field.

XP League franchise cost

One of the biggest benefits of starting an XP League franchise is that it doesn’t require as much money as other franchise opportunities.

You’ll first need to pay an initial franchise fee of $35,000. You can take 10% of this off if you are a veteran. Next, you’ll need to make an initial investment of between $58,000 and $225,000, depending on the total range of gear you wish to purchase. 

Your net worth must be between $250,000 and $750,000, with a liquid cash requirement of $75,000-$200,000.

All told, you’ll need to pay an 8% royalty fee and a 5% ad royalty fee over time. Franchisee agreements last for five years then they can be renewed.

Does XP League offer financing support? 

Yes. XP League offers financing support for the initial franchise fees. That way, if you don’t quite have enough cash to pay the initial fee, you can get a loan to pay it down and pay XP League back over time.

Related: The eSports Gaming Industry is Absolutely Booming

XP League training and onboarding

XP League provides basic marketing and business training as soon as you sign up as a franchisee. Additional training is possible if you plan to coach your team members yourself. 

You can alternatively send coaching employees to XP League’s corporate headquarters to receive the training they need.

After starting your gaming league, ongoing support through the mobile app is also available. This is especially useful when you purchase discounted gaming gear for your team members, such as mice, keyboards and gaming PCs.

How to open an XP League franchise

Opening an XP League franchise is relatively straightforward: contact the brand and explain your goals, and they’ll work with you to send you the coaching and franchising box kit you need to get started.

It all begins with choosing your team name, colors and ancillary materials. Once you've decided on these initial things, you can start marketing your XP League gaming team. That way, you can attract parents and kids from around the area to get team members to fill out your roster.

Should you decide to coach, you’ll be able to take advantage of training resources. You can alternatively hire a coach (or several) depending on how many team members you want to field. 

Opening an XP League franchise does not require finding and leasing a retail location. You can host team members and meetings wherever you like.

XP League can assist with your new eSports league's pricing and marketing aspects. This way, you can make sure that you price your league competitively and have the resources necessary to ensure your team members can compete when you enter them into different competitions.

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Get started with an XP League franchise today

With XP League, you can franchise as an eSports coach and spend time playing games and teaching kids to be better professional gamers. 

Consider becoming a franchisee with XP League today.

Check out Entrepreneur’s other guides and articles for more information on this topic.