Start a community baseball club

Players or their parents pay season fees. Local businesses pay for sponsorship, and some clubs earn extra from canteen sales and fundraising events.

Season membership fees, sponsorship packages, canteen and event income, and sometimes coaching clinics or school holiday camps. Most clubs run close to break-even, with income covering field hire, gear, insurance and coaching costs.

• Organising people and fixtures
• Coaching or teaching beginners
• Approaching local businesses for sponsorship
• Basic bookkeeping

• Most clubs set up as an incorporated association, so check the rules with your state's fair trading or consumer affairs body
• Public liability and player injury insurance, often arranged through state affiliation
• Working With Children Checks for coaches and volunteers, and child safe requirements in your state
• Council field hire terms, booking availability and fees
• Profits generally cannot be paid out to members of a not-for-profit association, so check how any paid coaches or staff are handled
• Registration with the ATO and whether GST applies once turnover grows

Startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on equipment, insurance, field hire and how many teams you field in your first season. These are estimates only and will vary with your local competition.

Monthly revenue is typically around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on membership numbers, sponsorship and extras like canteen sales and fundraisers. These are estimates, not guarantees. Profits generally cannot be paid out to members of a not-for-profit association.

Check the rules for setting up an incorporated association with your state's fair trading or consumer affairs body. Also check insurance, Working With Children Checks and child safe requirements for coaches and volunteers, and council field hire terms and fees.