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Sports Focus Coaching Increased Revenue by 74% with a Class Booking Software Built for Growing Kids’ Clubs
See how Sports Focus Coaching grew from a small project to a 35-venue operation with 26 coaches and a clear path for long-term expansion.
Supporting Business Growth with the Right Class Booking Software
When former PE teacher Ollie Kanner founded Sports Focus Coaching in 2019, he wanted to offer engaging sports programmes that children would enjoy and parents would trust. What started as a one-person operation quickly grew, and as more parents booked, Ollie’s time shifted away from coaching to an admin workload that felt impossible to manage. That’s exactly when he began exploring class booking software and chose ClassForKids, the leading class booking software trusted by 4,500+ kids’ clubs.
Since adopting ClassForKids, Ollie has achieved a 74% increase in revenue, expanded to 35 venues across London, Surrey, and Berkshire, and built a confident coaching team. The admin tasks that used to take hours are now managed in one simple platform, which allows Ollie to focus on creating great experiences and growing his business.
From Sports Camps to Creative Adventures
Ollie believed that children benefit from a variety of activities, not just sport. He saw an opportunity to offer holiday camps and after-school clubs that encouraged creativity as well as physical confidence.
Just offering sports is fairly limiting, so we do our best to offer as many different things as we can. We want the children to feel excited to come out of class to our after-school club.
ClassForKids gave him a structure that supported this variety. With bookings, registers, payments and communication in one place, Ollie had the confidence to expand at a pace that felt right for his business.
ClassForKids is a great bit of software, and we’d be lost without it.
Sports Focus Coaching now offers Lego, dance, gymnastics, cooking sessions, bouncy castles, magician shows and more. Parents appreciate the variety and enjoy flexible options such as half-day bookings, early drop-offs and late pick-ups, all managed easily through the ClassForKids class booking software.
Tune into our podcast to listen to Ollie as he shares his story as well as his top tips.
Class Booking and Payment Software that Simplifies Admin
Before ClassForKids, managing the admin side of the business was a significant challenge. Ollie remembers how he often found himself buried in paperwork rather than spending time with the kids.
Before ClassForKids, we sometimes spent more time on emails and spreadsheets than with students. But ClassForKids revolutionised the way we do things.
Once he adopted the ClassForKids class booking and payment software, everything lived in one place. Bookings, registers, payments and parent communication became far easier to manage.
I’m not a tech guy at all, but ClassForKids handled everything, starting from our first introduction to the product, very professionally, and their support made everything so easy. The booking system itself is very slick and works wonderfully. We’re very happy to have ClassForKids on board.
This shift allowed the team to reclaim their time and dedicate it to planning activities, supporting children, and strengthening school partnerships.
The Class Booking Software Features that Helped Sports Focus Coaching Grow
As the business expanded, two ClassForKids features became essential for Ollie’s team: Camps and Parent Communication.
Activity camps that are easy to set up and even easier to manage
Holiday camps demand organisation, and the old setup process felt slow and manual. Managing schedules, capacity and parent updates all needed individual attention.
Setting up camps is quite tricky; it takes a lot of time and marketing. But with ClassForKids’ Camps feature, it’s all done quickly, with all the information going on our website automatically.
The Camps feature brings everything together in one place, puts all the information online instantly and makes it easy for parents to book individual days, half days or full weeks. With the admin sorted, the team had more time and headspace to be creative, which helped Sports Focus Coaching broaden its offering. They also introduced simple add-ons like early drop-offs and late pick-ups, which supported working parents and created an extra stream of revenue.
Parent Communication that Builds Trust and Boosts Bookings
Communication plays a crucial role in the success of Sports Focus Coaching. Parents want to feel informed, supported, and confident that their children are in safe hands.
Communication is really central to our business. ClassForKids helps us get information out, and it’s a great tool for marketing.
Automated booking confirmations, invoices, waiting list management, and updates keep parents informed and connected without extra admin for the team. This reliable communication also supports bookings, because parents receive the information they need at the right time.
Sustainable Growth with a Reliable Class Booking System
Sports Focus Coaching started with a handful of school partnerships and a one-person team. Today, it operates across 35 venues, works with 26 coaches, offers a wide range of activities and has a clear path for long-term development. Despite the scale of the operation, Ollie remains focused on sustainable growth.
Our plan is to keep hiring the right people to keep growing at the right rate, and not get too big too quickly.
ClassForKids plays a key role in this stability. With bookings, payments, registers and communication handled in one system, Ollie can plan and invest in new ideas with confidence. The team also has more time for training, development, and building strong school relationships.
Looking ahead, Ollie plans to introduce more wraparound care sites and expand the creative activities that parents value most. With ClassForKids taking care of the admin, he can focus on delivering experiences that feel exciting for children and reliable for parents.
If you are exploring your own growth plans, take a look at our self-guided tour to see how our class booking and payment software supports confident expansion.
