D-BAT operates a staffed indoor baseball and softball Facility combining the Membership Program, instruction, camps and clinics, cage and pitching-machine use, and an approved pro shop. The franchisee runs local people and premises; D-BAT Academies, LLC controls membership mechanics, technology, suppliers, and operating standards.
Direct operating answer
How does a D-BAT franchise operate after opening?
The Facility converts local player and team demand into scheduled training, cage use, camps, memberships, and retail transactions. An equity-holding Operating Principal supervises the business, a trained General Manager and Assistant Manager run the Facility, instructors deliver training, and front-desk staff record bookings and sales in D-BAT-prescribed systems.
The operating engine is a controlled customer loop: attract players and parents, schedule instruction or practice, sell or honor Gold and Platinum memberships, process approved merchandise, and feed transaction, inventory, and accounting data into systems D-BAT can access, inspect, and audit.
Offering and demand
What does the Facility sell, and who buys it?
The contractual core is baseball and softball training, practice access, and a pro shop. Buyers include players of all ages, parents, recreational and select teams and leagues, and school-related accounts; current D-BAT consumer materials emphasize youth players and families.
Required and established offerings
- Membership Program
- Gold and Platinum memberships with required benefits and discounts. The official membership page currently connects benefits to lessons, camps and clinics, cage use, pitching machines, and pro-shop merchandise.
- Instruction
- Personal training in hitting, pitching, catching, and fielding. The Manual table of contents separately addresses Lessons and Camps and Clinics.
- Practice access
- Cage rentals, baseball and softball pitching machines, and related usage supplies. The official cage page describes 30-minute rentals with balls, an L-screen, and a batting tee.
- Retail pro shop
- Approved bats, gloves, balls, uniforms, apparel, footwear, and other designated inventory. Wholesale equipment and apparel sales are prohibited.
Authorized extensions require verification
The official franchise revenue-stream page also presents swing credits, event uses, birthday parties, weight training, vending, tournaments, and uniforms. These are not automatically authorized: the Franchise Agreement permits only D-BAT-approved products and services.
Item 19 groups full-year 2025 Facilities into 7-10, 11-14, and 15-25 batting-cage bands. Some Facilities have artificial turf, but the FDD establishes no separate turf-field format.
Customer cycle
How does work move through a D-BAT Facility?
The FDD does not prescribe one universal customer itinerary, but the agreements and operating materials support the following recurring path. It separates demand generation, scheduling, fulfillment, payment, and control rather than treating every visit as a single retail transaction.
Generate and capture local demand
- Actor:
- Operating Principal, General Manager, and local staff.
- Action:
- Promote approved lessons, memberships, camps, clinics, cage use, and pro-shop offerings through local advertising, leagues, coaches, community relationships, and brand-controlled digital pages.
- Required system/asset:
- D-BAT-approved creative, local advertising spend, official locator and campaign materials.
- Output:
- Inquiry, walk-in, lesson request, camp registration, or cage reservation.
Book, qualify, and record the visit
- Actor:
- Front-desk staff, General Manager, Assistant Manager, or instructor.
- Action:
- Select the authorized service, instructor, date, cage, camp, clinic, membership, or merchandise transaction and record the customer details.
- Required system/asset:
- D-BAT’s specifically designed scheduling and point-of-sale software.
- Output:
- Reservation, enrollment, member record, or retail order ready for fulfillment.
Deliver instruction or facility access
- Actor:
- Baseball and softball instructors, camp personnel, and Facility staff.
- Action:
- Provide personal instruction, conduct camps or clinics, allocate cages or pitching machines, and maintain safe, clean, functional customer areas.
- Required system/asset:
- Climate-controlled Facility, approved cages, pitching machines, balls, tees, screens, optional turf, and Manual standards.
- Output:
- Completed lesson, practice session, camp participation, or other approved service.
Process payment and member benefits
- Actor:
- Front-desk staff, D-BAT or its payment designee, and merchant-services provider.
- Action:
- Apply required membership discounts, accept approved non-cash payments, and sell designated pro-shop inventory. D-BAT acts as collection agent for Membership Fees.
- Required system/asset:
- Point of sale, membership software, merchant processing, and approved inventory.
- Output:
- Transaction record, membership collection, inventory movement, and customer receipt.
Reconcile, report, and follow up
- Actor:
- Franchisee management and D-BAT Academies, LLC.
- Action:
- Maintain accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory, and membership records; service repeat bookings and renewals; and respond to inspections, surveys, or audit requests.
- Required system/asset:
- QuickBooks, prescribed reports, remote servers or repositories when required, and current Manual communications.
- Output:
- Monthly membership remittance, operating records, compliance evidence, and the next customer cycle.
Evidence: 2026 FDD Items 1, 6, 8, 11 and 16; Franchise Agreement Sections 7, 8, 11 and 15; Manual table of contents. The official camps page routes customers to local schedules.
People and accountability
Who performs each operating function?
D-BAT requires an ownership-linked supervisory role and a separate Facility management structure. The franchisee controls hiring, discipline, compensation, and daily employee direction, while D-BAT controls required training, role qualifications, brand standards, and the operating procedures those people must follow.
The Operating Principal must hold equity, control day-to-day activities, supervise with best efforts, complete training, and remain D-BAT-approved. The Franchise Agreement also requires at least one General Manager and one Assistant Manager at all times. The model is not disclosed as absentee ownership.
Responsibility map
Operational responsibility is divided among the franchisee, D-BAT Academies, LLC, and designated third parties.
Franchisee organization
- Operating Principal supervises day-to-day activities and serves as primary contact.
- General Manager and Assistant Manager operate the Facility and train staff.
- Instructors deliver lessons, camps, clinics, and player-development work.
- Front-desk staff schedule visits and process approved sales.
- Franchisee sets wages, benefits, shifts, and discipline.
D-BAT Academies, LLC
- Defines authorized offerings, membership terms, pricing structures, hours, and Standards.
- Approves sites, advertising, suppliers, equipment, signage, and relocation.
- Provides the Manual, training, advice, and brand-fund administration.
- Collects Membership Fees and remits the balance after permitted deductions.
- Accesses data and may inspect, interview, test, grade, or audit.
Third-party dependencies
- Rawlings/Easton supplies designated pro-shop inventory on consignment.
- Merchant-services providers process non-cash transactions.
- Approved vendors support prescribed systems and security.
- Approved suppliers provide cages, machines, signage, furniture, and other inputs.
- Landlord and authorities constrain premises, permits, safety, and employment compliance.
The official D-BAT jobs page identifies management, instructor, camp, and front-desk roles; the FDD discloses no staffing ratios.
Inputs, systems, and control
Which suppliers and technology are mandatory?
The unit is supplier- and system-dependent. D-BAT can designate suppliers and brands, prescribe inventory mix and equipment, require its scheduling and point-of-sale software, mandate QuickBooks, require upgrades and remote connections, and access operating data without a contractual access limit.
| Operating input | Classification | What it controls | Franchisee discretion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rawlings/Easton pro-shop inventory | Designated supplier | Approved bats, gloves, balls, apparel, footwear, and related consignment merchandise. | Inventory must meet required type and mix; alternative sourcing requires approval where permitted. |
| D-BAT scheduling and point-of-sale software | Required proprietary or specially designed system | Bookings, sales, membership data, and operating records. | No unapproved substitute; upgrades and license terms may be required. |
| QuickBooks | Required accounting software | Bookkeeping and financial reporting. | QuickBooks Premier is preferred, not required. |
| Cages, pitching machines, turf, signage, furniture, fixtures | Approved specifications and suppliers | Facility capacity, safety, layout, and service delivery. | Hardware may be sourced from suppliers meeting requirements unless a designated source applies. |
| Merchant and data-security services | Designated or approved provider | Card acceptance, stored value, PCI compliance, and customer data protection. | Franchisee bears compliance responsibility and may be required to retain an approved remediation vendor. |
Item 8 states a pro-shop inventory threshold of up to $40,000, while Franchise Agreement Section 11.D states a $50,000 minimum. Because the contract governs, reconcile the signed agreement, Summary Pages, current Manual, and supplier program before relying on either threshold.
D-BAT Sports, Inc. licenses the D-BAT Marks to D-BAT Academies, LLC. D-BAT, Inc. was no longer a designated pro-shop supplier as of 2025. The official consumer site describes the “Powered by Rawlings and Easton” relationship, but the FDD controls supplier classification.
Market boundaries
What territory and channel limits apply?
A compliant franchisee receives protection against another D-BAT Facility being operated or franchised inside the defined Territory, but the FDD expressly says the Territory is not exclusive. Customers may come from outside it; direct solicitation outside it requires prior written permission.
Protection that applies
- One approved Facility operates at one approved site within the Territory.
- No other D-BAT Facility may be operated or granted there while the franchisee is fully compliant.
- The Facility may accept customers and members from outside the Territory.
- Relocation requires D-BAT’s prior written consent.
Carve-outs D-BAT retains
- Internet, mail-order, catalog, third-party retail, and alternate-channel sales.
- Businesses outside the Territory regardless of proximity or economic effect.
- Other concepts or proprietary marks inside or outside the Territory.
- Brand-related websites; the franchisee may not create an unauthorized D-BAT web presence.
Territorial protection concerns another physical D-BAT Facility, not D-BAT-branded merchandise, digital demand, or alternative distribution. Local advertising may cover the Territory; school calls, tournament vendor activity, and off-site displays outside it require approval.
System footprint
What does Item 20 show about the operating network?
D-BAT’s U.S. network was entirely franchised at each 2023-2025 year end. Franchised Facilities increased from 153 to 199 over that period, while company-owned Facilities remained at zero. That structure makes franchisee-operated units the operating population represented by the current system.
Year-end U.S. D-BAT Facility count
Franchised Facilities increased across all three reported years; company-owned Facilities were zero throughout.
Interpretation: the reported system added 46 net franchised Facilities between the 2023 and 2025 year ends; the operating model was not supported by a parallel company-owned outlet base.
Source: D-BAT Academies, LLC, 2026 FDD, Item 20, Table 1, p. 35; December 31 year ends. The official open-locations page supports current location review, not FDD counts.
Decision rights
Which decisions remain with the franchisee?
The franchisee controls employment and local execution inside D-BAT’s System. D-BAT does not hire or pay Facility employees, but it prescribes trained roles, authorized offerings, brand presentation, systems, inputs, and compliance tests.
Franchisee decisions and responsibilities
- Hire, compensate, schedule, discipline, and discharge Facility employees.
- Choose instructors or contractors subject to the Manual, training, and confidentiality rules.
- Run customer service, maintenance, bookkeeping, payroll, permits, and local relationships.
D-BAT controls or reserved rights
- Authorized products, services, Membership Program structures, promotions, and hours.
- Suppliers, inventory, equipment, signage, software, data access, and reporting.
- Advertising approval, inspections, audits, corrective action, and Manual revisions.
Buyer verification
What should be verified before relying on this operating model?
The 2026 FDD establishes the control framework, while the Summary Pages, Territory map, current Manual, supplier program, and software agreements determine its application to a particular Facility.
- Confirm whether Operating Principal and Designated Principal identify the same person.
- Reconcile Item 8 with Franchise Agreement Section 11.D and the consignment program.
- Obtain current hours, certifications, and inspection standards.
- Identify the scheduling/POS, Membership Program, merchant, upgrade, and data terms.
- Review the Territory map, solicitation rules, digital leads, and channel carve-outs.
- Confirm which website-promoted offerings D-BAT currently authorizes.
- Determine instructor employee or contractor status under law and the Manual.
- Verify Approved Suppliers, Designated Suppliers, inventory mix, and replacement standards.
The official D-BAT Facility tour shows a front desk, pro shop, machines, cage area, parent lounge, restrooms, and party room; approved plans govern the specific site.
Operating-model synthesis
D-BAT’s mechanism is a recurring player-and-family relationship built on memberships, instruction, camps and clinics, practice access, and approved retail sales. The franchisee executes through the Operating Principal, General Manager, Assistant Manager, instructors, and front desk. D-BAT controls offerings, membership collection, systems, data, suppliers, and Manual standards. A protected Territory does not block alternate channels. The largest open question is how current Manual, software, certification, and supplier terms apply to the proposed Facility.