How do I sell a hockey school or sports academy?

A school or academy is different from a store, because the thing for sale is a program and a reputation, and often your own face. A buyer will want to know the school runs when you are not on the ice. Most of your preparation is about showing that it does. Give yourself a full season or more to get the records and the handover in order before you go to market.

Choose the timing

Registrations drive the year, so a sale tends to go better when a buyer can see a full cycle: sign-ups open, camps run, families return. Consider where a registration push falls when choosing a listing date. Talk to your accountant about when a closing date makes sense, and ask your lawyer how a closing between seasons would affect deposits and bookings.

Separate your name from the program

If the school is known by your name, ask whether it can carry on under a name the buyer can use, and whether you will stay involved for a set time. Write down the curriculum, practice plans and the way you run a session. Put coach arrangements on paper, and talk to key coaches early about whether they will stay. This is the work that makes the school transferable.

Records, prepaid fees and telling families

Gather the ice and gym booking agreements, registration history, deposits received and any open obligations. Decide with your lawyer how prepaid registrations will pass to the buyer, since families have paid for sessions that are still to come. Plan the announcement with the buyer: who tells families, when, and what stays the same.