General Manager, Sports and Social Club

About Ballers

Ballers is a sports and social club in Turbine Hall at the Battery in Fishtown, a 55,000 square foot former power plant with pickleball, padel, golf simulators, squash, an indoor turf field, a 100 seat restaurant and bar, a gym and event space for up to 1200 guests. The club was founded by the team behind Fitler Club, and its investors include Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters and Tyrese Maxey. We run a private membership and are also open to the public, and the club is built around hospitality and community: people play, have dinner, watch games at the bar and join weekly leagues. Philadelphia is our flagship, and we also run a smaller outdoor club in Boston.

The Opportunity

We are building the Ballers operating model in Philadelphia and want to prove it here before looking at further growth. That covers service standards, staffing, membership terms, event pricing and weekly reporting. Working with the management team, the General Manager will write this playbook for use in Boston and at any future clubs.

The Role

The General Manager has full authority over the operation of Ballers Philadelphia and reports to Ballers Management. Department heads for events, membership, sports programming, food and beverage, and facilities report to the General Manager. That authority covers hiring and replacing staff, approving spending within the budget, and setting standards for every part of the building, with accountability for the guest experience, financial results and team performance.

We are hiring a hospitality leader. Racquet sports expertise is not required, as the coaches and sports leads run programming day to day and report to the General Manager. Candidates should know how a premium restaurant, bar and events business operates and how to run a club where private members and public guests share the same space.

Responsibilities

• Food and beverage: Lead the 100 seat restaurant and bar, including the Executive Chef. Oversee service standards, menu execution, food and beverage cost, labor, inventory, vendors, and health and liquor compliance.
• Events: Lead the events sales and execution team across private, corporate and community events of up to 1200 guests, from inquiry and pricing through contract and execution.
• Membership: Lead the membership sales team, covering new member sales, onboarding, retention and member benefits.
• Sports programming: Oversee the coaches and sports leads, and the leagues, clinics, ladders and tournaments across pickleball, padel, golf, squash and turf sports.
• Gym, locker rooms and facility: Maintain cleanliness, maintenance and safety standards across every member and guest space.
• Sales and marketing: Set priorities with the marketing team, track which efforts produce members and event bookings, and use a personal network to bring in business.
• People: Hire, train, schedule and manage the team, and develop the department heads.
• Financial results: Build and manage the budget, and report weekly to Ballers Management against targets for membership, events, food and beverage, court use and labor.

First Year Priorities

• Put in place an operating framework with KPIs for every department and a weekly scorecard.
• Base pricing, staffing and programming decisions on that data.
• Improve profitability across membership, events, and food and beverage.
• Improve member retention, grow the membership and strengthen the club's reputation.
• Build awareness of the Ballers brand in Philadelphia.
• Document an operating playbook for Boston and future clubs.

Qualifications

• 8 or more years in hospitality leadership, including at least 3 as GM or AGM of a venue with full-service food and beverage and an events business. Private clubs, members' clubs, boutique hotels, and upscale sports or entertainment venues are all relevant.
• Direct P&L responsibility, including budgeting, forecasting, labor planning and cost control.
• Experience leading events or membership sales teams to targets.
• Experience building operating systems and KPI reporting used by a team every week.
• Experience with a membership or private club model is preferred.
• Experience maintaining service standards in high volume operations, including dining and large private events running at the same time.
• A Philadelphia network in hospitality, sports or corporate circles is preferred.
• Availability for evenings, weekends and holidays, and CPR and First Aid certification within 60 days of starting.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary from $120,000, depending on experience.
• Annual bonus target of 15% to 20% of base, tied to agreed operating targets.
• Comprehensive health benefits and free access to all Ballers facilities and programs.

Pay: $120,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Application Question(s):

• Describe one change you made that increased repeat visits or member retention, with the before and after numbers.
• Name a league, social night or food and beverage program you started that built a regular crowd, and how many people it drew.
• Give the annual revenue of the largest P&L you owned and one decision you changed because of a KPI.

Work Location: In person