Youth & adult sports training

Books and taxes for sports complexes and turf facilities.

Six fields rented out to a dozen different clubs at different rates, a hosted tournament weekend with gate and concessions, a sponsor's name on your main field, and turf that will need full replacement someday. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MarchExample month
$37,000
what you made

March came in at $37,000. The hosted tournament weekend's gate and concessions got tracked apart from your regular field rental income.

  • Field rental, weekly rentersField rental income
  • Tournament gate and parkingTournament hosting
  • Concessions restockConcessions
  • Turf patch and infillField maintenance
  • Event staff, tournament weekendEvent staff pay
Money in$145,000
Money out$108,000
Set aside for taxes$8,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A turf facility's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your complex rents fields to a dozen different clubs at a dozen different rates, hosts tournaments with their own gate and concessions, and carries turf that will eventually need full replacement. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which field, or which weekend, is actually carrying the business.

  1. 1

    Field rental rates from different renters get blended into one number

    An anchor tenant club renting weekly at a discounted rate and a one-time corporate event booking at full price both often land in the same rental income line, hiding which renters are actually the most valuable.

    What we doKeeps rental income tagged by renter type, so you can see which relationships are worth protecting and which rates need a second look.
  2. 2

    Tournament weekend income gets mixed with everyday rental income

    A hosted tournament brings in gate fees, parking, and concessions on top of the field rental itself, but if all of it lands in one general revenue line, you cannot tell whether hosting the event was worth the extra staffing and setup.

    What we doKeeps tournament hosting income in its own category, apart from regular rentals, so an event weekend's real profit is visible.
  3. 3

    Concessions get run like a side hustle with no real accounting

    A concession stand selling snacks and drinks at games is its own small retail operation, with inventory and its own thin margin, but it often gets folded into general facility income with no visibility into whether it's profitable.

    What we doTracks concessions revenue against what's spent restocking it, so you can see whether the stand is worth running.
  4. 4

    Turf replacement never gets planned for because it doesn't happen every year

    Turf typically needs full replacement after several years of heavy use, a cost that can run into six figures, but because it doesn't come up annually, it's easy to treat every year's books as if that cost will never arrive.

    What we doFlags turf age and expected replacement timing so a large future cost isn't a surprise when it finally comes due.
  5. 5

    Sponsorship and naming rights deals get booked the year they're signed

    A multi-year sponsorship deal for naming rights on a main field is often paid up front, but if it's booked entirely in the year it's signed, later years look like they're missing revenue that was already earned.

    What we doSpreads a multi-year sponsorship payment across the years it actually covers, so each year's number reflects the sponsorship it earned.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a sports complex.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Field rental incomeWeekly renters and one-time bookings, tagged by renter type.
  • Tournament hostingGate fees, parking, and entry fees for hosted events.
  • ConcessionsSnack bar and drink sales at games and tournaments.
  • Sponsorship and naming rightsMulti-year sponsorship deals, tracked to the years they cover.

Money out

  • Grounds crew payRegular maintenance staff, kept apart from event staffing.
  • Event staff payPart-time staff hired for tournament weekends.
  • Field maintenanceTurf patching, infill, mowing, and lining.
  • UtilitiesLighting and irrigation across the whole complex.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability coverage for a multi-field, multi-renter facility.
  • Scheduling softwareBooking and reservation systems for renters.

What we watch for you

  • Rental utilization by field

    How much of each field's bookable time is actually rented out.

  • Tournament weekend margin

    What a hosted event nets once staffing and setup costs are counted.

  • Concessions margin

    What the concession stand nets against what it costs to restock and staff.

  • The set-aside

    What rental and tournament income actually owe, tracked monthly across a busy calendar.

Ask Gus

Things sports complex owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

We host a big tournament twice a year. Is it actually worth the extra staff we bring in?

I keep those weekends in their own category, gate, parking, and concessions included, so you can see the real profit against everyday field rental instead of guessing.

Our turf on field 3 is getting old and will need full replacement in a few years. Should we be planning for that now?

Yes, worth starting now. I flag the age of your turf so the eventual replacement cost isn't a surprise, and the accountant can help you plan ahead for it.

We signed a three-year naming rights deal and got paid up front. How should that be booked?

I spread that payment across the three years it covers, so each year shows the sponsorship revenue it actually earned instead of dumping it all into year one.

The tax side

The tax side of a sports complex.

Most of what trips up a complex is timing multi-year money correctly and planning for the big infrequent costs that come with running turf.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Turf and field improvementsTurf installation and major field improvements are usually depreciated over several years rather than deducted all at once. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property acquired after January 19, 2025, which may apply depending on the improvement.
  • Event staff classificationPart-time staff hired for tournament weekends who work your schedule and your equipment are usually employees, not contractors.
  • Multi-year sponsorship incomeA sponsorship or naming rights payment covering several years is usually recognized as income across those years rather than all at once.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when rental, tournament, and sponsorship income are booked to the right periods.

Deductions sports complexes and turf facilities miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Turf infill and patching materials
  • Field lining paint and equipment
  • Mowing and grounds equipment
  • Concessions inventory
  • Liability insurance
  • Scheduling software fees
  • Lighting and irrigation repair
  • Event staff uniforms
  • First aid and event medical supplies
  • Signage and sponsor banners
  • Storage for grounds equipment
  • Parking lot striping and repair

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A sports complex's year, kept every month.

Renters come and go across every season, but your taxes come on a fixed schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the event staff 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, right as spring rental season fills your schedule.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer tournament weekends changed the number.

  4. October

    Before winter rentals

    Before winter indoor rentals ramp up, Gus looks at turf and equipment worth budgeting for before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for sports complexes and turf facilities. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions sports complex owners ask first.

Can Gus tell us which renters are actually the most valuable?

Yes. He tags rental income by renter, so you can see which weekly tenants and one-time bookings are actually worth the field time you're giving them.

We run concessions at every event. Is that worth tracking as its own thing?

It is. Gus keeps concessions revenue and restocking costs separate, so you can see whether the stand is actually profitable or just breaking even.

Our turf will need full replacement in a few years. Should we start planning for that now?

Yes. Gus flags turf age so the eventual cost is visible well before it arrives, and the accountant can help you plan for it rather than face it cold.

We rent fields through a scheduling app for renters to book online. Do I have to change anything?

No changes needed there. Gus reads whatever lands in your account from the scheduling app, and if a deposit from a renter is unclear, he checks with you once and remembers it going forward.

Our books have been handled inconsistently since we added more fields. Can that be sorted out?

Yes. Send over your bank statements, and Gus works through them field by field and renter by renter until the whole complex has a real number to plan around.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in youth & adult sports training

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever