For many midsize cities, a professional sports franchise is much more valuable than the crowds and excitement it brings. It can be a catalyst for economic growth, national visibility, and community pride. But pursuing a team is also a deliberate and thoughtful undertaking – one that requires strategic planning, a clear understanding of market realities, and lots of stakeholder coordination.

At McCullers Group, it’s a process we help communities undertake every day. And if you’re considering joining them, there’s lots of intelligence to gather and scenarios to consider long before you enter serious discussions with a league or ownership group. Here are 10 factors and functions we’ve found to be the most beneficial:

1. Having The Land

Any conversation about a sports team eventually comes down to real estate. Whether it’s a stadium, arena, training facility, or mixed-use development, you’ll need to identify viable sites early. That includes evaluating parcel size, access to transit, environmental considerations, and zoning needs. Even if you don’t yet have a specific project in hand, showing that your city has suitable land options (and understands the process to develop them) will signal your seriousness and readiness. Cities that come prepared with site concepts often move further, faster.

2. Understanding The Incentives

Professional franchises, like other large-scale businesses, want predictability. While incentives aren’t always required, many teams will expect you to demonstrate financial tools that could support the project, from tax districts and infrastructure commitments to fee waivers and public-private partnership structures. Be clear about what’s possible under your state laws, what has precedent in your region, and what your city government is likely to support. Setting realistic parameters early will save time and avoid misunderstandings later.

3. Knowing Local And Regional Demand

Before chasing a team, make sure you fully understand whether your residents want one – and whether they’ll financially support one. Demographic trends, household income, corporate presence, and cultural inclinations all play a role in team sustainability. Take stock of local sports habits: Are people driving long distances to attend games in other cities? Are youth sports thriving? Is there an existing fan base for certain sports? Demand isn’t just about population size – it’s about enthusiasm, engagement, and spending behavior.

4. Conducting A Market Analysis

A market analysis goes deeper than basic demand. It examines your city’s economic fundamentals: population trajectory, tourism, corporate headquarters and sponsors, media market size, and consumer spending patterns. This data is central to a team’s assessment of your long-term viability. A solid market analysis also helps your city counter outdated perceptions or highlight untapped potential that leagues might overlook.

5. Commissioning An Economic Impact Study

While economic impact projections must be realistic, they remain essential for public decision-making. A clear, transparent impact study helps articulate how a team could influence jobs, visitor spending, tax revenue, and community development. It also prepares you for constituent and media scrutiny. Most importantly, it helps you evaluate whether the pursuit aligns with your long-term economic development strategy.

6. Completing A Feasibility Study

A feasibility study synthesizes your land, market, and economic data into a realistic picture of what type of team your city can support and at what scale. It typically includes seating capacity ranges, revenue expectations, likely development footprints, and potential financial models. Done well, it becomes your playbook for the pursuit – helping guide decisions and providing credibility with leagues and owners.

7. Assessing The Competition

If you’re pursuing a soccer club, minor league baseball team, or even a cricket club, you may be competing with dozens of other cities for the opportunity. Make sure you know which cities, leagues, and teams are currently evaluating, what they offer, and how your strengths compare. Understanding your competitive position helps you create a compelling value proposition and prevent overcommitting out of fear of missing out.

8. Forming A Local Steering Committee

Cities that successfully land a team rarely act alone. That’s why it’s so valuable to create a steering committee that brings together elected officials, business leaders, civic organizations, destination marketing groups, higher-education partners, and other key influencers. This committee becomes your unified voice, evaluating the assessments and helping coordinate messaging, political support, and community enthusiasm. Leagues want to know that a bid is backed not just by government, but by the broader community ecosystem.

9. Identifying Potential Ownership Groups

Even if your city plans to contribute land or infrastructure, professional leagues require strong, stable ownership. Know who in your region has both the financial capacity and the interest to lead ownership, or whether external ownership would be needed. Early conversations with potential owners will help you shape a strategy that aligns your city’s goals with their vision and resources.

10. Engaging The Community

Now more than ever, public sentiment can make or break a sports project. Community engagement – whether that’s through surveys, listening sessions, digital forums, or stakeholder meetings – helps residents feel heard and provides valuable feedback on concerns, desires, and expectations. Engagement also builds legitimacy for any public decision-making process. If a project gains momentum, you’ll be grateful to have the foundation of transparency and trust that community engagement brings.

Pursuing a professional sports team is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also complex and competitive. Cities that succeed do so because they prepare early, coordinate widely, and ground their pursuit in data and community priorities. By focusing on these fundamentals, you’ll not only strengthen your position with leagues and ownership groups, but you’ll also ensure the pursuit is in line with your long-term vision for the community.