Building a Racket Sports Budget That Actually Works: 2026 Online Forum (Chat & Chew)

About This Event

Every fall, racket sports directors face the same conversation. Someone hands them a spreadsheet and asks them to justify every line item, or asks them to build one from scratch with no template and no benchmark. This Chat & Chew is for the professionals who have been through that meeting and want to walk into next year's version better prepared. Join us for an open, practical conversation about building a racket sports departmental budget that reflects the real costs of running a program, communicates value to ownership and leadership, and holds up under scrutiny. HOST AND SPECIAL GUEST • Host: Coach Ben Hestley • Special Guest Presenter: Scott Gates, Director of Racquet Sports, Ansley Golf Club WHAT WE WILL COVER • Hidden revenue: the revenue line items most directors underestimate or forget entirely. • Real expenses: the expense categories specific to racket sports operations. • Benchmarks: how to compare your numbers against industry data. • Selling your budget: how to present your numbers to a board, GM, or ownership group that does not speak racket sports. • Making it work: what to do when you are handed a number and told to make it work. WHO SHOULD ATTEND This forum is designed for directors of racket sports, club managers, head professionals, and facility owners who build, defend, or approve a racket sports budget. This is not a finance lecture. It is a working conversation between people who run programs and deal with budgets in the real world. EVENT DETAILS Format: Online forum Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 Time: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET Cost: Free to attend CE Credits: 0.5 CE credits expected for RSPA and PTR Hosted by the American Racket Sports Association.