Membership pricing might not be the first thing you think about when opening a baseball facility, but it should be near the top of your list.
Your membership model, pricing, and the cost of your services don’t just affect revenue. They influence how members interact with your space, how full your schedule becomes, and how consistent your cash flow is month to month.
At Swift, we’ve seen hundreds of baseball facilities take different approaches to pricing. Most successful models fall into one of two categories: Discount-Based or Credit-Based.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each and what to consider when choosing the right fit for your facility.
Discount-Based Memberships
This model is built on straightforward membership tiers. Members pay a low-to-medium flat monthly fee and get automatic percentage-based or flat-rate discounts on services like lessons, cage rentals, or drop-in classes.
Why do facilities choose discount-based memberships?
- Simple: Low commitment and minimal barrier to entry
- Transparent: Easy to explain the value and market to new customers
- Flexible: Members book on their own terms with fewer restrictions
If your goal is to attract more customers and keep your services flexible, discount-based memberships are a great model to start with. They drive volume and lower the barrier to entry for new members; however, most revenue will still come from individual bookings, making your revenue less predictable, especially in slower months. And if availability becomes scarce, members may question the value of their monthly membership.
Credit-Based Memberships
This approach uses monthly credits tied to membership levels. For example, a Silver member might get 15 cage rental credits and 2 lesson credits per month. Credits can be limited by service type or time of use. At the high end, some facilities offer "unlimited" memberships, which are great for daily athletes but intimidating for new members.
Why do facilities choose credit-based memberships?
- Predictable: High amount of recurring revenue
- Structured: Built-in capacity management through credit limits
- Consistent: Encourages regular member engagement
While this model takes a bit more effort to explain, it often leads to stronger retention and member loyalty. It's best suited for facilities that want to automate operations and scale high-tier memberships. It pairs well with tools like 24/7 access control for premium members.
Already at capacity? Explore other revenue streams like holiday camps or HitTrax leagues to maximize revenue in off-peak hours.
Choosing the Right Membership Model
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. When deciding which model fits your facility best, here are a few things to think about:
- Revenue Stability: If you need consistent, forecastable income, credit-based might be a better fit.
- Customer Type: Want to reach more casual users or newer players? Discount-based will likely appeal more.
- Your Involvement: Credit-based structures are easier to automate, especially with the right software in place.
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Your facility may also benefit from a hybrid approach. For example, you could use credits for core services like cage time, while offering small discounts on new programs like classes to encourage early adoption.
After working with hundreds of sports facilities at Swift and managing my own high-performance baseball facility, the best advice I can offer is this: Keep your pricing fluid.
As coaches, we love the game. But to succeed long-term, we need to be just as invested in the business. Set aside time each quarter to:
- Review pricing
- Run sales and revenue reports
- Analyze membership retention
- Evaluate whether your structure still aligns with your goals
Need Some Help? Get the Full Guide
We’ve broken all of this down in the Baseball Facility Pricing Guide, including:
- Membership tier templates
- Real examples from facilities on Swift
- Tips on service pricing and packages
- Side-by-side comparisons of each structure
If you’re planning a new facility or rethinking your current model, this is a great place to start.
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Let us know if you have questions or want to see how others are structuring their memberships. We’re always happy to connect facilities with examples that fit their goals.
Looking to take your memberships to the next level? You can book a free demo to speak to a member of our team and see everything Swift has to offer.
