35+ Lucrative Sports-Related Business Ideas In Nigeria Or Africa

Worth almost $400b as of 2020, the sports industry remains one of the largest sectors on the global scene. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, business opportunities in the sports sector continue to grow sporadically. The opportunities span rights management, broadcasting, ticket sales, sponsorships, scouting and training, as well as the production of sports materials.

With so many opportunities in sports, there is a prospective growth avenue for every active sportsperson, entrepreneur, investor or band in the sports industry. In essence, irrespective of available capital, there is a spot in the sports value-chain for every interested individual to “pitch their tent” and build a thriving business.

Given that sports is an evergreen sector, investors are bound to experience continuous patronage in whichever sports business they choose. If you want to invest in the sports sector, here are 35+ lucrative sports-related business ideas you can start in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world.

1). Football Viewing Center Business:

The surge in viewing centres across Africa is testimony to the massive consumption of sports content among the people. Among others, football takes the crown and is a major source of income for people in this line of business.

To start a football viewing centre, a safe space and structure, basic equipment such as TV sets, chairs and decoders, and a premium package are enough.

2). Open A Sports Betting Shop:

Opening a betting shop is another common sports-related business idea in Nigeria. Sports lovers who wish to earn from their passion for the game regularly bet in hopes of getting massive rewards.

With betting platforms such as Betking, Nairabet, Bet9ja and Betway, among others, all you need to do to get started is to subscribe to any of them and set up a functional shop equipped with the right betting gadgets for people to bet through those platforms from your shop.

3). Open A Sports Accessories Shop:

Reports reveal that although Africa is the smallest sports accessories market, the region is witnessing rapid growth. As the interest in sports increases, people now encourage their young ones to participate actively in sporting activities.

Opening a sports shop puts you favourably in the market in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world. Materials such as soccer boots, footballs, tennis balls, batons, lawn tennis materials, boxing gloves, basketballs, and much more are in high demand.

4). Sports Photography Business:

With the growing attention towards local leagues in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, sports photography is one of the growing sports-related business ideas with a lot of prospects.

Individuals with a background in photography in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world can choose to delve into the sports sector but it is also open to fresh hands looking to get started.

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5). Sportswear Production And Retail Business:

Every sporting activity has its unique wear. Producing and retailing sportswear, ranging from joggers to jerseys is one of the highly lucrative sports-related business ideas in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world.

As a manufacturer, your prime targets are sports academies, sportswear retail shops and sportspersons. Similarly, as a retailer, you can open a digital store to reach a wide market and boost your sales.

6). Open A Swimming School:

Swimming is one of the sporting activities that enjoy little attention in Nigeria. Although there are swimmers at the local level who swim for fun, there are very few facilities for training world-standard professional swimmers.

This leaves a gap for businesses in the sector. If you have enough capital, you can start a swimming facility and invite professionals to train interested people for national and international competitions.

7). Open A Gym Centre:

Fitness enthusiasts have boosted the market for the gym centre business. Here is one of the sports-related business ideas that enjoy continuous patronage because members tend to subscribe for a long period and visit the gym regularly to get and maintain visible results.

With sufficient equipment and professional instructors in place, a gym centre in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world can be immensely profitable.

8). Open A Video Game Center:

Video games are fun activities that appeal strongly to young males especially. Most youths who cannot afford the game setup resort to video game centres. As video games are naturally fun and competitive, it keeps people coming back, and this, in turn, boosts the market sales for video game centre operators.

With some capital to purchase video game devices, an interested entrepreneur can start a game centre and make a lot of money in time.

9). Sports Magazine Business:

The sports magazine business is one of the high-level sports-related business ideas. It incorporates several professionals, ranging from photographers to content writers. Sports magazines are in high demand, especially among high-class professional sports lovers and sportspersons.

Notwithstanding, the business enjoys a continuous market in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world, with strong indications of growth in the nearest future.

10). Jersey Customization Business:

Jersey customization is a common practice in Nigeria among professional players and sports lovers. This is a sports-related business that requires very little capital and more creativity in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world.

With the right tools and a great location, you can get customization contracts from football clubs, academies, organisations and individuals.

11). Soccer Boots Retail Business:

Soccer boots closely follow jerseys when it comes to the demand in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. With considerable capital, any entrepreneur can start a soccer boots retail business. More so, the ability to target a prime market puts you at a great advantage. Academies, football clubs and school teams make up the major clientele for this business.

12). Pitch Maintenance Business:

All field events, ranging from football to the high jump, require pitches in excellent condition. More so, for optimal performance and durability, it is important to maintain pitches. This leaves a business opportunity for interested individuals.

Maintaining pitches requires extra care and professionalism, depending on the type and nature of the pitch in question. To make the most of this business in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world, network with club sides, academies and school teams for contracts.

13). Open A Snooker Bar Business:

Snooker is one of the most popular indoor games in Nigeria and Africa at large. It is commonly played in casinos, clubhouses, beer pubs, and much more. However, for business purposes, you can start a snooker bar business where lovers of the game come to unwind.

You can equally organize snooker competitions to keep gamers interested. Most entrepreneurs in this business sell alcoholic drinks on the side to make extra cash.

14). Basketball Court Installation Business:

After football, basketball is one of the few other games that draw public interest in Nigeria. Academic institutions, sports training facilities and basketball clubs all require basketball court installation services.

As an expert in the business, it is also your role to recommend the best hoops to use and how frequently to replace them.

15). Start A Sports Blog Or Website:

With so much happening in the sports world, there is a lot to report each passing day and sports lovers are always on the lookout for rumours, statistics, records, fixtures, and more.

You can start a sports blog or website where you can post updates on any selected sport. Over time, as you build a steady readership, you get to earn from ads and sponsorships.

16). Start A Football Academy:

A football academy is an institution that scouts, admits and trains football talents. It is equipped with staff and equipment for training and grooming young players with prospects into professional players.

Starting a football academy is not just a source of income but a platform to help young stars become the best they can be in the game.

17). Ball Production And Retail Business:

The manufacturing of football involves a mechanized process with the use of equipment and devices. Whereas football production could be farfetched in Nigeria, retailing is a highly lucrative enterprise.

Available in different designs and prices, footballs are affordable to all categories of persons or players, ranging from street players to professional football teams.

18). Start A Sports YouTube Channel:

The digital space is a wide platform for every business. Sports enthusiasts can create a YouTube channel and post instructional sports videos, sports commentaries or analyses. Whatever the niche is, there is an existing audience to consume the content.

As you build a large audience and viewership, you position yourself to earn from ads, affiliate marketing and sponsorship deals in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world.

19). Sports Radio Talk Show:

Similarly, a sports enthusiast can start a radio talk show centred on sports. Such talk shows could be daily, weekly or biweekly. All it requires are your expertise for show presentation, ample knowledge of chosen sports and sufficient capital for booking radio sessions. Over time, you stand a chance to run ads or get sponsorship deals.

20). Open A Basketball Training Facility:

Basketball is another popular game in Nigeria, Africa or many places around the world. Opening a basketball training facility remains one of the most lucrative sports-related business ideas because it opens both trainees and facilitators to a lot of opportunities.

With sufficient capital and professional trainers, you can build your basketball training facility to a global standard.

21). Sports Consultancy Business:

With the teeming opportunities in the sports industry, it could be difficult for certain entrepreneurs to choose which sports-related business ideas to invest in or how to efficiently grow their chosen business. Hence, they resort to consultants in the sector.

As a sports consultant, your role is to help individuals and brands make viable decisions to grow their businesses and get paid for them.

22). Football Scouting Services:

Clubs, football academies and agents require the services of talent scouts to discover talents from the nooks and crannies of the world. In Nigeria and Africa at large, scouting for talented players is a common practice.

As a football scout, you can work with football associations to organize tryouts in several communities to get the best talents possible.

23). Ticket Sales for Sporting Events:

Major sporting events, including football games, wrestling, boxing, and basketball, among others, all involve selling tickets to potential spectators. To sell tickets for sports events, you simply need to network with the organizers, get the tickets and sell them for commissions.

24). Chess Training Facility:

Chess is a highly cognitive indoor game, and it has continued to draw attention from all parts of the world. Individuals across all age groups are willing to learn how to play and excel at the game both at local and professional levels.

You can set up a standard facility where people can be taught how to play chess. You can also organize local competitions to boost interest in the game.

25). Sports Laundry Services:

As farfetched as it sounds, laundry is an essential service in sports. Football clubs, basketball clubs and others employ the services of professional laundry experts to clean the team kit.

A savvy entrepreneur can start a laundry company dedicated only to sports laundry and get contracts from academies and sports clubs.

26). Start A Coaching And Refereeing School:

Coaches and referees are key officials in sports and are essential for the success of a team. For effectiveness, they require continuous training to learn the right strategies for proper team and game management.

Starting a coaching and refereeing school is a high-level business in the sports industry but it is one of the most underrated, yet lucrative sports-related business ideas.

27). Karate Training Facility:

In the martial arts sector, karate and judo trail boxing and wrestling, but are very common sports activities all across the world. Besides sports, these are martial arts activities are necessary for self-protection.

Hence, opening a training facility can be a great business idea because it has a market both within and outside the sports cycle.

28). Organize Local Sports Competition:

In most communities in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, community sports competitions are commonplace. They are often organized by influential private individuals who are buoyant enough to sponsor the events.

However, there is a business dimension to organizing sports competitions. Organizers can get financial aid and sponsorships from brands and companies in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world.

29). Personal Fitness Training:

Besides establishing a gym, personal fitness training could be another sport-related business idea for earning a substantial income. Celebrities, public figures and other individuals who do not have the time to visit public gyms often request the services of personal fitness instructors and pay them handsomely.

30). Sports Public Relations Business:

Although athletes’ and clubs’ success is performance-based, they need to build a good reputation with the public to put them in a good light with sponsors, as well as the media. This need calls for the services of trained public relations personnel.

The job of the PR agency or agent is to deal with all issues concerning the athlete or club’s public face while they (the athletes or clubs) focus on improving their games.

31). Golf Training Facility:

Golf is considered the elite game in most parts of the world. Notwithstanding, there is room for training individuals who might be interested in participating in the sport for personal or professional purposes.

Hence, there is a lucrative market for starting a golf training facility. Golf training is one of the underrated but lucrative business ideas in the sports industry in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world.

32). Sports Therapy Business:

School teams, academies and professional clubs all require the services of health workers to cater to their athletes when injured. Such health services range from physical to mental health since athletes have to be in their best state of mind for optimal performance.

As a sports therapist agency or personnel, you can work with multiple teams on a contract basis and earn a good income.

33). Become A Referee:

Referees are important officials in a football game. They make vital decisions that could affect the outcome of the game. Hence, they have to be properly trained and well-paid to make unbiased decisions.

34). Boxing Training Facility:

Like every other sporting activity, boxing requires professional training. Most professional boxers employ the services of a team of trainers. Notwithstanding, starting a training facility for young boxers is a great way to groom the next generation of boxers and also generate great income.

To make the most of this business, you need to equip your facility with sufficient equipment as well as trainers.

35). Design Sports Websites And Applications:

Although it doesn’t involve active sports participation, designing sports websites and apps is one of the highly lucrative sports-related business ideas. It requires technical know-how in web programming, app design, UX design, and more.

As the demand for sports content increases, individuals across the globe require more convenient web-based platforms to be able to watch games live at their convenience.

36). Race Training Facility:

Track events also require quality training and time for personal development. If you’re a veteran in a race or an investor with sufficient capital, you can set up a race training facility and employ the services of qualified trainers.

To Sum It Up

The opportunities in sports continue to rise by the day as more innovative ways of getting sports content to people across the internet are introduced to the scene. Sports reporting, analysis and commentary online are now commonplace and they create job opportunities as well. And these are aside from active sports participation.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an investor, there is always a workable business idea for you in the sports industry. If you’re looking for business opportunities to take advantage of in the sports sector, you can start with any of the 35+ lucrative sports-related business ideas discussed in this article.

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What are your thoughts on these 35+ lucrative sports-related business ideas in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere around the world? Let me know by leaving a comment below.