Offering multi-business advisory: Sydney Sports Management Group’s growth journey with PKF

PKF isn’t just an advisory firm, they’re part of our team. Their strategic insight, financial governance, and ability to adapt to our fast-moving business have been critical to our success. Richard Price, CEO at Sydney Sports Management Group

Richard Price, an experienced business leader, joined Sydney Sports Management Group (SSMG) with a bold vision: transforming a small network of tennis centres into a leading multi-sport organisation. The transition required significant structural changes, financial governance and operational efficiency to secure long-term local government contracts.

Navigating this complex expansion required strategic expertise. Luckily, Richard found Andrew Chen, a Business Advisory Partner at PKF Sydney who became a trusted partner in guiding SSMG with his knowledge in multi-business advisory, financial structuring, compliance and tender success.

Governance, financial structure and scaling challenges

When Richard stepped into the business, SSMG faced several challenges:

• Lack of financial structure: They had no centralised reporting for individual centres, making it difficult to track performance and scale.
• Operational inefficiencies: They were operating as a cash-based business with outdated booking systems and no payroll consistency.
• Compliance and tender limitations: Without strong governance frameworks, securing and managing local government contracts was challenging.

PKF played a pivotal role in addressing these issues by:

• Introducing profit and loss statements for each centre, which provided financial clarity.
• Implementing HR and payroll compliance to align all staff under the correct award system.
• Advising on digital transformation to replace manual processes with cloud-based financial and booking systems.
• Providing strategic guidance in local government tenders to help SSMG win key contracts by demonstrating strong governance.

With Andrew and the PKF team’s support, SSMG built the foundation needed to scale from four centres to over 50 locations across Sydney.

How our partnership made a difference

Beyond financial structuring, PKF played an active role in SSMG’s tendering success. The team’s ability to provide audited statements, compliance reports and financial credibility gave SSMG an edge in securing 10 and 20-year local government contracts.

One of the most significant wins was Willoughby City Council’s 15-court tennis & multisport complex, a highly competitive contract. Andrew helped SSMG present a compelling proposal backed by solid financial governance, ensuring the council’s trust in the business’s long-term sustainability.

PKF also helped SSMG navigate strategic acquisitions and partnerships, most notably with Voyager Tennis. By structuring a partnership where Voyager handled tennis operations while SSMG focused on governance and multi-sport diversification, SSMG was able to maximise facility use and revenue potential.

Words of wisdom for business leaders

Reflecting on his experience, Richard emphasises the value of a strong financial and governance foundation:

"In the world of sports facility management, winning tenders isn’t just about being the best operator, it’s about proving governance, compliance, and financial strength. PKF helped us build that credibility, allowing us to scale and secure contracts that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise."

He also highlighted the importance of having a trusted multi-business advisory team, and the support of Andrew:

"Andrew and the team’s responsiveness and agility have been game-changers for us. We work at a fast pace, and their ability to match that intensity while providing strategic clarity has been invaluable."

A lasting partnership and future growth

Today, SSMG continues its rapid growth, operating across 50+ recreation locations across Sydney. With PKF’s ongoing advisory support, the business is set to explore further expansion opportunities, leveraging its governance-driven approach to win new contracts and develop new multi-sport offerings.

"PKF isn’t just an advisory firm, they’re part of our team. Their strategic insight, financial governance, and ability to adapt to our fast-moving business have been critical to our success," Richard concluded.

Learn how our strategic business advisory services can help begin your business’ growth journey.