2025 Report on the CrossFit® Ecosystem – What Coaches & Owners Are Really Saying

IntroductionOver the past few years, I’ve spoken with hundreds of coaches and affiliate owners. Many of them feel like they’re on an island passionate about what they do, but unsure how to make it work as a long-term career. Some have left coaching or closed their affiliate, not because they stopped believing in CrossFit®, but because they couldn’t make it sustainable.

At the same time, more and more people in the ecosystem want to take a professional approach to their work. They want coaching and affiliate ownership to be seen, and supported, as real careers.

This survey was created to give those people a voice. I wanted to ask questions that often go unspoken, and to get a clearer picture of what life is really like inside the CrossFit® ecosystem. The responses show patterns, struggles, and some hope too.

This report shares those insights. It’s not perfect or complete, this is an early step, not a final answer. But I hope it opens up important conversations across the ecosystem: from coaches to course providers, from affiliate owners to members, and even those leading at the country or global level.

Because if we believe CrossFit® can change lives, we need to make sure the system that supports it can survive and thrive too.

This survey gathered responses from 644 people across the CrossFit® ecosystem. While not representative of every voice, the responses reflect a diverse group of coaches, affiliate owners, and others who contribute to the daily work of training, leading, and supporting members (click on the arrow to see more).

How the Analysis Was DoneThis report is based on an exploratory analysis of survey responses. Quantitative data, like demographics, roles, pay, and experience, were analysed using basic statistics and group comparisons. In some cases, correlations and regression were used to explore possible relationships.

For the open-ended questions, responses were grouped into themes based on common topics and repeated patterns. These themes were then clustered to highlight coach-level needs, business challenges, and broader systemic issues.

The goal wasn’t to reach definitive conclusions, but to surface the key tensions and opportunities shaping the CrossFit® ecosystem today.

This report shares the 4 main themes that were identified in this analysis.

It’s a line that’s stayed with me not because it’s dramatic, but because it echoes what so many others have shared over the years. Coaches and affiliate owners alike often carry deep passion for their work, but struggle to make ends meet.

In this survey, many described the financial strain of coaching:

Just over half of respondents said their work in the CrossFit® space was their only source of income. But for many, coaching is still treated and paid like a side gig. And when coaching is treated like a side gig, affiliate owners and the eco system in general feel less pressure to pay fairly.

The result is a vicious cycle: coaches work just a few hours a week, they get fewer reps to develop their craft, they can’t justify investing in their own growth, and coaching remains something done “on the side.”

But this isn’t just about coaches. Many affiliate owners shared that they too are not paying themselves a living wage. Some are barely covering costs. The financial reality is more complex than simply raising hourly rates , especially in small gyms with fluctuating membership and rising expenses. Coaches also need to recognise the pressures that affiliate owners face. A sustainable solution needs to work for everyone involved.

Over time, this affects more than just individual coaches. It limits the depth of expertise in our gyms, weakens the continuity of relationships with members, and discourages newer coaches from seeing a long-term future in the profession. What starts as a financial issue becomes a developmental one for both coaches and the communities they serve.

If we want high-quality coaching and long-term sustainability, we can’t rely on passion alone. We risk losing good coaches and weakening the ecosystem not because they stopped believing in the work, but because the system couldn’t support them doing it well.

So how do we break the cycle without breaking the system?

Do we follow the lead of some UK shops that display a sticker on their front door with a simple but powerful statement: “Everyone working here earns a living wage.” What would it mean for affiliates to do something similar? To make a visible commitment that coaching is valued, and that those delivering it are paid fairly, not just in words, but in action?

Do we help members shift how they view their gym? Not just as a sports club, but as a place where health and longevity are built, and where coaches offer something of immeasurable value.

Coaching isn’t a product. It’s a relationship, a craft, and a service that requires time, consistency, and trust. If we don’t recognise and support that value, we risk losing the very people who make it possible.

This simple sentence captures something many coaches feel, a mismatch between what they pour into their work and how that work is seen, supported, or compensated.

Across this survey, coaches spoke of deep belief in what they do. Many described their coaching as a calling, not just a job. They show up early, stay late, build relationships, support struggling members, and carry a level of emotional and professional responsibility that goes well beyond the hour-long class.

Yet this kind of commitment often goes unseen. Several coaches shared that while some members appreciate them, there’s a lack of wider recognition, from some within all levels of the ecosystem, that coaching is skilled work. It requires ongoing development, energy, and presence.

Some referred to “invisible hours”, that is the time spent programming, mentoring, prepping for class, following up with members, as real work that for many still goes uncounted and unpaid. Others described the frustration of being asked to grow and evolve as professionals without the pay, time, or support to do so.

When the work that makes great coaching possible goes uncounted, it also goes undervalued, and so do the people doing it.

When the role of the coach isn’t recognised as professional, it becomes harder to advocate for fair pay, structured development, or long-term pathways. It also shapes how coaches see themselves. If the system treats coaching like a side task, even those within it start to believe that’s all it can be.

But treating coaching as a profession isn’t about how many hours you coach. It’s about how you prepare, reflect, and develop yourself to be the best coach your members need you to be. Professionalism shows up in mindset and commitment - in how seriously you take your growth, not just your schedule.

Recognition isn’t only about money, it’s about status, structure, and support. If we want the CrossFit® ecosystem to grow stronger, we need to elevate the role of the coach and not just in rhetoric, but in reality.

So what might it look like to change this?

Could we start by giving “invisible hours” visibility formally recognising follow-up, mentoring, and prep as part of a coach’s workload, not just extras done out of passion?

Could affiliate owners and coach developers shift their focus from evaluating coaches to supporting them by creating regular space for reflection, feedback, and development? Not just to track performance, but to actively invest in helping coaches grow as professionals.

Could we build a culture where continuing education isn’t seen as optional, but something we plan for with time, budget, and a clear development path?

Most importantly, can we shift the way we talk about coaching, not as something you do “on the side,” but as real professional work that shapes lives?

In a healthy ecosystem, there’s a clear pathway for growth. You can see where you are, where you want to go, and what support exists to help you get there. But in this survey, the message from many coaches and affiliate owners was clear: that kind of pathway is missing.

Support, when it’s available, often depends on the gym you’re in, the country you live in, or the people you happen to know. For some, there are no systems in place at all. Coaches are left to figure it out themselves: how to develop, how to earn more, how to build a future in coaching that lasts beyond the next six months.

Affiliate owners aren’t immune to this. Many find themselves isolated too, expected to lead, hire, and retain coaches while running a business and serving their community. Without (easy) access to business support, they fall into the habit of reinventing the wheel. And because affiliates are often seen as competitors, not collaborators, owners can feel like they have to figure everything out alone.

One thing stood out in the support needs survey responses: a strong demand for business education. Coaches want to understand how gyms operate. Owners want help with financial planning, marketing, and leadership. The need isn’t for more content, it’s for systems, mentorship, and connection.

One thing that came through clearly was the need for business education and leadership support. Coaches want to understand how gyms operate. Owners want help with planning, marketing, and systems. But what’s missing isn’t more content, it’s coaching, mentorship, structure, and community. Too many people feel like they’re figuring it out alone.

But the issue runs deeper than just support gaps , it’s also about vision. Right now, the unspoken assumption is that if you want to grow as a coach, you eventually become an affiliate owner. But not everyone wants that. And they shouldn’t have to.