Sparkx targets 250 parks with franchising as its growth driver

Flemish operator Sparkx aims to build a network of 250 sports and leisure parks by 2045. Around 200 could be run by franchisees. Management outlined the growth plan to Trends, as reported by L’Express Franchise on 26 October 2026. For Belgium’s franchise sector, this is a striking ambition from a young concept, but not yet a formal invitation to prospective franchisees.

From Hasselt to an international growth plan

Sparkx launched in 2023 in Hasselt, Belgium, with a 3,500-square-metre indoor park. Visitors can try more than fifty sports, from curling to football. The concept combines sport and leisure, bringing a wide range of activities together under one roof.

A site in Ghent followed Hasselt. In March 2026, a park also opened in Schelle, in the province of Antwerp. This brings the Belgian network to three locations, all in Flanders, the country’s Dutch-speaking region. No sites have yet been announced for Wallonia or Brussels.

The fourth location is in Nieuwegein, south of Utrecht in the Netherlands. At 7,500 square metres, it is the network’s largest park. Sparkx sees this first site outside Belgium as a gateway to further international expansion. The Dutch project was announced in February 2026 and serves as the first overseas pilot site in its growth strategy.

The move into the Netherlands and the stated franchising ambition are therefore part of the same development: Sparkx does not intend to restrict the concept to its Belgian home market.

Around 200 parks could be franchised

The long-term plan distinguishes between company-operated and franchised parks. Sparkx intends to continue operating around fifty parks itself. The remaining two hundred or so could be entrusted to franchisees. Management believes franchising can accelerate the network’s growth.

This split indicates the role independent business owners could play in the future network. Under this ambition, franchising would not be a minor addition to company-operated sites, but would account for most of the planned expansion.

However, this is a target for 2045, not a confirmed opening schedule. Management itself qualifies the scale of the plan: the ambition is particularly bold, while delivery may ultimately be more modest. The figure of 250 parks should therefore be read as a long-term aspiration, not a series of confirmed projects.

For prospective operators, that distinction matters. An announced direction for growth reveals a brand’s intentions, but is not the same as an available franchise offer with detailed terms.

Belgian parks illustrate the concept

The existing Flemish locations offer an insight into Sparkx’s approach to sport and leisure. The Schelle park is situated alongside the A12 road in a former events centre. It offers more than forty activities, including semi-virtual ski jumping, floorball, padel, archery and a zip wire.

This sets it apart from venues built around a single sport. Sparkx brings different activities together in one place: more than fifty sports in Hasselt and more than forty activities in Schelle.

The reported floor areas also show differences between sites: the original Hasselt park covers 3,500 square metres, compared with 7,500 square metres in Nieuwegein. These figures describe individual locations. They are not an announced standard for a future franchised park.

The work of translating the concept into a repeatable franchise offer has yet to be set out in detail. Sparkx has not announced a standard floor area for franchised locations. The existing parks therefore provide examples of the concept, but not yet a full set of site requirements that candidates could use to select premises.

What prospective franchisees can assess now

Sparkx has not yet published a franchise offer. Neither the required investment nor a timetable for accepting candidates has been announced. The announcement therefore mainly sheds light on the growth strategy, rather than the financial or operational terms for an independent operator.

For anyone considering a franchise in Belgium, the statutory disclosure process is also relevant. For a franchise proposal in Belgium, Book X of the Code of Economic Law requires the franchisor to provide a pre-contractual disclosure document at least one month before signing.

Practical conclusion: anyone following Sparkx as a potential franchise opportunity would be well advised to wait for an official prospectus setting out investment requirements, site criteria and a timetable. The growth plan has a clear ambition, but the entry requirements for operators have yet to be defined.