How to Price Group Training vs Private Sessions (With Profit Math)
You can be an amazing coach and still feel stuck on pricing.
One parent says, “We can only do $40.” Another says, “Can you do a group for the whole team?” Your calendar is full, but your bank account doesn’t match the hours you’re putting in.
That’s the real problem: you’re not just pricing a session. You’re pricing your time, your prep, your travel, your risk, and your business.
And when you start comparing private vs group pricing, it gets messy fast. Group training sounds like more money. Private training feels more valuable. Both can be true… or both can be a headache if you don’t run the math.
Also, the admin work is real. Scheduling, collecting payments, tracking who’s coming, and sending reminders can eat your week. Platforms like AthleteCollective handle your scheduling, payments, and client management so you can focus on what you do best — coaching.
Let’s break down group training pricing, group session economics, and how to protect your coaching profit margins with simple, real numbers.
Group training pricing vs private sessions: the simple idea most coaches miss
Here’s the core truth:
- Private sessions sell “personal attention.”
- Group sessions sell “energy + affordability + competition.”
- Your business needs “profit per hour” and “predictable income.”
Most coaches price based on what others charge. That’s risky because your costs might be different:
- Facility rental
- Equipment
- Insurance
- Driving time
- How many no-shows you deal with
- How much planning you do
If you want pricing that actually works, you need two numbers:
- Your hourly business cost
- Your target hourly pay (profit)
Then you build private and group prices that hit those targets.
For more context on typical rates by sport, see our private training session pricing by sport.
Coaching profit margins: the 2 numbers you must know before setting rates
Your “true hourly cost” (what it costs you to coach for an hour)
Let’s say you run sessions at a rented indoor turf.
Example monthly costs
- Insurance: $60/month
- Software/tools (booking, forms, etc.): $40/month
- Marketing: $100/month
- Equipment replacement: $50/month
- Background check / youth safety stuff averaged out: $10/month
Total overhead: $260/month
Now add session-based costs:
- Facility rental: $30 per hour
- Payment processing fees: about 3% (varies)
And don’t forget the hidden cost: your time that isn’t coaching. If you coach 20 hours/month but spend 10 extra hours on texts, payments, and scheduling, your “real” work time is 30 hours.
Overhead per real work hour = $260 / 30 = $8.67 per hour
Now your true hourly cost for a 1-hour session looks like:
- Overhead allocation: $8.67
- Facility: $30
- Total cost before you pay yourself: $38.67
That means if you charge $50 for a private session, you’re not “making $50.”
You’re making about $11.33 before taxes.
That’s why so many coaches feel busy and broke.
If you’re not covered yet, don’t skip this part of the business. Here’s our guide to liability insurance for sports coaches and our overview of general vs professional liability insurance.
Your target hourly pay (what you want to earn for each hour of real work)
Pick a number that makes coaching worth it.
Common targets:
- Part-time coach building up: $40–$60/hour
- Solid side business: $60–$90/hour
- Full-time pro with demand: $90–$150/hour
Let’s choose $75/hour target pay.
So your pricing needs to cover:
- $38.67 cost
- $75 pay = $113.67 per hour revenue goal (round to $115/hour)
That $115/hour is your “North Star” for both private and group options.
Private vs group pricing: profit math that makes the decision obvious
Private session math (1 athlete)
If your revenue goal is $115/hour, then a 1-on-1 session should be around:
- $115 per hour (or more)
But maybe your market won’t pay that yet. That’s okay. You can:
- Raise price over time
- Sell packages
- Add semi-private
- Use group sessions to lift your hourly average
Here’s a clean way to think about private session pricing:
Private session profit example
- Price: $90
- Facility: $30
- Overhead allocation: $8.67
- Net before taxes: $51.33
That’s not terrible. But if you want $75/hour take-home (before taxes), you’re short.
This is where “private vs group pricing” becomes a strategy, not a debate.
Group session economics (same hour, more athletes)
Let’s keep the same costs:
- Facility: $30/hour
- Overhead allocation: $8.67/hour
- Total cost: $38.67/hour
Now you run a group and charge per athlete.
Group session example A
- 6 athletes
- $25 each
- Revenue: 6 × $25 = $150
- Costs: $38.67
- Net before taxes: $111.33/hour
Now you’re above your $75/hour target pay.
Group session example B (smaller group, higher price)
- 4 athletes
- $35 each
- Revenue: 4 × $35 = $140
- Costs: $38.67
- Net before taxes: $101.33/hour
Still strong.
Group session example C (big group, low price)
- 10 athletes
- $15 each
- Revenue: $150
- Costs: $38.67
- Net before taxes: $111.33/hour
Looks great on paper… until you realize 10 athletes might be too many to coach well in one hour. Quality matters because quality drives referrals.
So the real goal is:
- Charge enough
- Keep the group size you can coach well
- Hit your hourly target consistently
If you want ideas on structuring groups so they run smoothly, check our guide to running group training sessions and charging more per hour.
Group training pricing that actually works: the “minimum viable group” method
Here’s a simple method I’ve used and seen work for youth coaches and trainers.
Step 1: Set your hourly revenue goal
From earlier: $115/hour
Step 2: Pick a group size you can coach well
Be honest. For most skill work:
- Ages 8–12: 4–6 is great
- Ages 13–18: 6–10 can work (depends on sport and structure)
- Strength/speed groups: 6–12 can work if stations are tight
Let’s pick 6 athletes.
Step 3: Do the math for price per athlete
You need $115 revenue.
Price per athlete = $115 / 6 = $19.17
Round up to $20.
Now add “reality padding” for:
- One athlete missing sometimes
- Payment fees
- Your time setting up cones, texting, etc.
So you might price it at $25 per athlete.
That gives you breathing room and protects your coaching profit margins.
Step 4: Create a “break-even headcount”
This is the number that keeps you from running a session that pays you nothing.
Break-even headcount = (Costs + Target pay) / price per athlete
Using:
- Costs: $38.67
- Target pay: $75
- Price: $25
Break-even = ($38.67 + $75) / $25 = 4.55 → 5 athletes
So you can tell yourself:
- If I have 5+, we go
- If I have 4 or less, I either cancel, merge groups, or run semi-private pricing
That one rule can save your whole schedule.
Scenario shift: what if you don’t pay facility rental (but you drive a lot)?
Let’s hit a second angle because not everyone rents a facility.
Say you coach at a public field. No rental fee. But you drive 25 minutes each way and you spend more time setting up.
New “cost picture”
- Facility: $0
- Overhead allocation: $8.67/hour (same)
- Travel time: 50 minutes round trip (call it 1 hour of time)
- Setup/cleanup: 15 minutes
If you coach a “1-hour session,” you might spend 2.25 hours of real time.
That changes everything.
If you charge $90 for a private session:
- Revenue: $90
- Costs (overhead): maybe $8.67
- Net: $81.33 But over 2.25 hours, that’s $36/hour.
You didn’t do anything wrong as a coach. The business math just changed.
Fix options
- Run longer blocks (2–3 sessions back-to-back at the same location)
- Charge a travel premium (common for in-home training)
- Push clients into small groups at the same time/location
This is why “profit per hour” must be based on real time, not just session time.
Practical examples: pricing for different coaches in the real world
Example: New coach building demand (lower price, tighter groups)
- Private: $65/hour
- Semi-private (2 athletes): $45 each ($90 total)
- Group (6 athletes): $20 each ($120 total)
This coach keeps groups small, builds results, and raises rates every season.
If you’re still building credibility, make sure your basics are solid (certs, safety, systems). Our complete guide to sports coaching certifications can help you pick what matters.
Example: Experienced trainer with high demand (premium private, premium small group)
- Private: $120/hour
- Semi-private (2): $75 each ($150 total)
- Small group (4): $50 each ($200 total)
This model keeps quality high and makes scheduling easier because fewer total sessions are needed to hit income goals.
Example: Team skills coach running “team pods” (best group session economics)
- 8 athletes, same team/age
- $30 per athlete
- Revenue: $240/hour
- Facility: $40/hour (bigger space)
- Overhead allocation: $10/hour
- Net before taxes: $190/hour
This is why coaches love team pods. Less marketing, better attendance, better vibe.
Common mistakes that wreck coaching profit margins
Pricing group training like it’s “discount private”
A group is not just a cheaper private session. It’s a different product. If you price it too low, you get:
- More behavior issues
- Lower commitment
- More parent complaints
- Less profit
Forgetting the “non-coaching” hours
Texts, reminders, tracking payments, reschedules… it adds up fast.
Instead of juggling Venmo, texts, and spreadsheets, AthleteCollective lets parents book and pay online while you manage everything from one dashboard. That alone can give you back hours each week, which boosts your real hourly pay.
For more on getting paid like a pro, read our guide to collecting coaching payments beyond Venmo and cash.
Letting one missed athlete kill the session
If your group price only works when everyone shows up, you don’t have a business. You have a hope.
Use:
- Pre-pay packages
- Clear cancellation policy
- Break-even headcount rule
Here’s a private training cancellation policy template you can adapt for groups too.
Trying to coach a 12-kid group with a 1-on-1 plan
Big groups need stations, rules, and flow. If you don’t plan for that, the session feels like chaos and parents won’t rebook.
How to set private vs group pricing (a simple step-by-step you can use today)
Decide what you want your calendar to look like
Ask:
- Do I want to coach 10 hours/week or 25?
- Do I like high-energy groups or quiet 1-on-1 work?
- Do I want evenings packed, or spread out?
Your pricing should match your lifestyle.
Build your “pricing ladder”
A pricing ladder gives families options without you discounting.
A clean ladder looks like:
- Private (highest price): best for fast progress
- Semi-private (middle): best value
- Group (lowest per person): best affordability + fun
Example ladder:
- Private: $100
- Semi-private: $60 each (2 athletes)
- Group: $30 each (6 athletes)
Now you’re not arguing about price. You’re offering choices.
Use packages to lock in income
Packages smooth out your month and reduce no-shows.
Common winners:
- 5-pack (small discount)
- 10-pack (better discount)
- Monthly membership (best consistency)
If you want help building these, see our guide to creating coaching session packages that sell.
Set policies that protect your time
At minimum:
- 24-hour cancel window
- No refunds on missed group sessions (offer a make-up only if you can)
- Weather policy (credit vs reschedule)
Track your numbers every month
You don’t need fancy spreadsheets. You need three numbers:
- Hours coached
- Revenue
- Expenses
Then calculate:
- Revenue per coached hour
- Revenue per real work hour (coaching + admin + travel)
If you want to run clean reports and see what’s working without building your own system, set up your business on AthleteCollective to handle the admin side from day one.
Bottom Line: key takeaways on group training pricing and private sessions
- Private vs group pricing isn’t about what feels fair. It’s about profit per real hour.
- Know your true hourly cost (overhead + facility + hidden time).
- Set an hourly revenue goal that protects your coaching profit margins.
- Use group session economics to your advantage: the right group size + the right price can beat private sessions fast.
- Create a pricing ladder (private, semi-private, group) so parents can choose without you discounting.
- Use tools and systems so admin work doesn’t quietly wreck your earnings.
If you want a deeper look at income expectations, check out real income numbers for private sports coaches.