Strengthen the Framework

2026-31

The five-year operating plan is designed to bridge the gap between USQ’s recovery phase and the league’s long-term 2036 vision: US Quadball is a league built for a lifetime. From accessible youth leagues in major cities to sustainable college programs and a thriving club ecosystem to an engaged alumni network, the pathway is clear at every stage. USQ is built to endure and ensure quadball continues to grow and thrive across generations. 

The three-year operating plan outlined our focus on stabilization and infrastructure. Years four and five focus on regional maturity, operational professionalization, further revenue diversification and positioning USQ as sustainable long-term–beyond crisis management and volunteer dependency.

Over the next five years, USQ will prioritize:

  • Sustainable participation growth over rapid expansion

  • Regional density over isolated teams

  • Retention alongside recruitment

  • Systems over heroic volunteerism

  • Revenue diversification over dues dependency

  • Accessibility and inclusion alongside competitiveness

  • Long-term durability over short-term optics

  • Reverse participation decline

  • Rebuild college pipeline

  • Launch youth programs

  • Diversify revenue

  • Build core operational systems

  • Strengthen regional ecosystems

  • Expand summer quadball

  • Add regional coordinators

  • Improve media and broadcasts

  • Grow alumni engagement

  • Secure larger sponsorships

EXPLORE THE PLAN

YEAR ONE-THREE RECAP

    • Total players: +129

    • Youth participants: +10%

    • College players: +75

    • Club players: +44

    • Active college teams: 40

    • Active club teams: 32

    • College → club transition rate: 25%

    • Year-over-year team survival: 80%

    • Volunteer retention: 85%

    • Total revenue growth: +$88,939

    • % non-dues revenue: 57%

    • Total event revenue: $389,935

    • Total sponsorship revenue: $13,965

YEAR FOUR

    • Total player members: 1,250

    • College players: 640

    • Club players: 570

    • Establish recurring youth programming in multiple regions

    • Increase local playing opportunities and regional density


    Key Actions

    • Fully relaunch regional coordinator/state representative program

    • Create regional hub expectations:

      • Recruitment

      • Local scheduling

      • Youth outreach

      • Officiating development

      • Club-college collaboration

    • Expand:

      • Developmental competition

      • Recreational and no-contact formats

      • Summer quadball infrastructure

    • Reduce geographic isolation by increasing number of conferences or similar clustered growth models

    • Increase total revenue by 45% (over Year 1 revenue)

    • Increase non-dues share to 59%

    • Secure $6,750 in sponsorships and/or licensing deals

    • Scale youth program revenue to $45,000

    Key Actions

    • Develop:

      • Youth sponsorship inventory

      • Regional sponsorship packages

    • Expand:

      • Merchandise strategy

      • Vendor partnerships

      • Local event monetization

    • Increase destination and host-city partnerships

    • College → club transition rate: 27%

    • Volunteer retention rate of 86%

    Key Actions

    • Alumni mentorship systems in every region

    • Leaguewide graduating-player outreach system fully standardized

    • Expanded leadership development resources

    • Club participation integrated into offseason recruitment efforts

  • Event Quality

    • Standardized event expectations nationwide

    • Reliable schedules and communication across all tournaments

    • Improved spectator experience and venue presentation

    Officiating

    • Launch advanced officiating development pathways

    • Regional practical clinics and video review systems

    • Improve officiating consistency metrics

    Marketing

    • Standardized stream packages for major events

    • Improved storytelling and onboarding content for new audiences

    • More accessible explanations of gameplay and rules

    • Regional ecosystems become operationally self-sustaining

    • Participation growth expands beyond core markets

    • Revenue diversification significantly reduces reliance on dues and emergency fundraising

YEAR FIVE

    • Total player members: 1,380

    • College players: 720

    • Club players: 610

    • Expand youth participation into a sustainable national intake system

    Key Actions

    • Increase geographical access to local play opportunities

    • Formalize:

      • Alumni engagement system

      • Long-term volunteer pathways

      • Adult low- to no-contact recreational pathways

    • Expand club support infrastructure in underserved regions

    • Youth

      • Expand into markets in which youth has not yet been established. This may be schools, recreation departments, community organizations, and/or camps

    • Increase total revenue by 64% (over Year 1 revenue)

    • Maintain non-dues share at 60%

    • Secure $7,650 in sponsorships and/or licensing deals

    • Scale youth program revenue to $51,816

    Key Actions

    • Secure a major national- or international-level sponsor

    • Package:

      • Streaming

      • Events

      • Youth initiatives

      • Inclusion initiatives

    • Scale event profitability

    • Build reserve fund strategy

    • Expand licensing opportunities

    • College → club transition rate: 30%

    • Volunteer retention: 88%

    Key Actions

    • Expand low-commitment and recreational play formats

    • Reduce leadership turnover impact

    • Expand alumni coaching, officiating, mentorship, and donor pathways

    • Strengthen local leadership succession planning

  • Event Quality

    • Expand fan activations, entertainment, and community engagement at marquee events

    • Improve accessibility standards and accountability measures at marquee events

    Officiating

    • Create sustainable regional officiating leadership structures

    • Expand retention and mentorship systems for new officials

    • Increase certification standards and accountability measures across competitive divisions

    Marketing

    • Expand media coverage and broadcast quality at key local events

    • Build stronger regional and local community visibility

    • USQ operates as a durable, nationally-connected league ecosystem

    • Participation, retention, and revenue growth are sustained year-over-year

    • The league is positioned for long-term expansion beyond recovery and stabilization

5-Year Financial Narrative

View the USQ Participation Revenue Baseline

Years four and five are about turning the stability gained during the first three years into something sustainable long term. The goal is for USQ to no longer be in constant recovery mode, but instead functioning as a consistent national league with a stronger regional infrastructure, healthier operations, a small but engaged staff, and a clear long-term direction. The emphasis remains on steady, manageable growth rather than trying to force expansion the organization cannot effectively support.

By Year 5, USQ should be moving from recovery into credibility. The participation targets rise to roughly 45 active college teams and 41 active club teams, with total player growth of about 330 from the 2026 baseline. That growth is only meaningful if retention improves with it, so this phase puts more weight on the college-to-club transition, year-over-year team survival, and volunteer retention. In the three-year plan, we are trying to rebuild the pipeline. By the five-year mark, that pipeline should be functioning well enough that USQ can begin relying on it instead of constantly rebuilding from scratch.

Operationally, Years 4 and 5 focus heavily on consistency and professionalism. That includes more standardized events, better tournament communication, stronger officiating systems, more accessible broadcasts, and improved public visibility for the sport overall.

Financially, the five-year plan is also a step forward from the first phase. The three-year plan gets the organization healthier. By this point, the aim is to make it more resilient. Revenue is projected to grow by roughly $233,000 over the 2026 baseline, with event revenue still carrying much of the budget, but with sponsorships, merchandise, youth programming, and other outside support becoming more meaningful. This is also where staffing and systems need to become more professional, not just bigger. By Year 5, USQ should be less dependent on emergency volunteer effort, better able to run consistent events, and more prepared to present itself as a serious, sustainable niche sports organization.

Note: These projections are intended to serve as baseline financial models tied to USQ’s long-term strategic planning process. They are designed to show a realistic path through which the organization could potentially reach the participation, operational, and financial goals outlined in this plan. They are not formal operating budgets or exact predictions. More detailed annual budgets, benchmarks, and priorities will still need to be developed each year based on the organization’s actual financial position, participation levels, staffing, and event performance at that time.

Long-term strategic plans are meant to establish direction more than precision. The purpose of a 10-year plan is not to predict exactly where the organization will be in 2036, but to define what kind of organization USQ is trying to become and what a sustainable path toward that future could look like. These projections are therefore intentionally aspirational while still grounded in USQ’s recent financial history, current realities, and realistic assumptions about steady long-term growth.

WHAT THIS MEANS

By 2031, USQ is no longer recovering. Regional ecosystems operate independently. The college-to-club pipeline functions consistently. Youth programs are repeatable. The organization has the profeessional systems necessary for long-term success.

REVIEW THE 10-YEAR PLAN