Anthony Travel / On Location
Overview
The nation’s leading university and sports travel management company, now operating as a division of On Location, which is owned by TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO). Headquartered in Dallas, Texas (primary office) with ~50 HQ staff plus ~50 additional staff embedded at on-campus university client offices nationwide. Serves 300+ events annually across collegiate athletics, professional sports, and youth sports.
Anthony Travel is primarily a collegiate athletics travel company — their core business is managing travel for university athletic departments, coaching staffs, and fans. Youth soccer is a secondary segment, but a meaningful one: they are the Official Housing Provider for the US Youth Soccer National Championships and the Official Housing Provider for all Richmond Strikers Jefferson Cup divisions (one of the largest youth soccer tournaments in the country).
Ownership Chain
- 1990s-2016: Independent company (Anthony Travel founded in Dallas)
- 2016: Acquired by On Location Experiences
- 2019: Endeavor Group Holdings acquires On Location for ~$660M
- 2025: TKO Group Holdings acquires On Location (with IMG and PBR) from Endeavor for $3.25B
Anthony Travel retains its brand under On Location. The website anthonytravel.com now redirects to onlocationexp.com/anthony-travel/.
Portfolio
Collegiate/University clients (core business):
- 31+ colleges and universities with embedded on-campus staff
- SEC championship housing management
- University fan travel packages
- Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Youth Soccer clients (secondary):
- US Youth Soccer National Championships — Official Housing Provider
- Richmond Strikers Jefferson Cup — Official Housing Provider (all four divisions: Boys U9-U14, Boys U15-U19 Showcase, Girls U9-U14, Girls U15-U19 Showcase)
- Players Development Academy (PDA) — multiple showcases and events (Boys College Showcase, Girls College Showcase)
- NC FC (North Carolina FC) — Recreation Cup
- MLS NEXT Cup — tournament hotels
- US Soccer Federation events
Business Model
Multi-service travel management across four lines:
- University team travel — ground transport, hotels, flights for athletic teams traveling to away games/tournaments; embedded staff at client universities
- University fan travel — bowl game packages, tournament fan packages (revenue-creating for host universities via commission split)
- Youth/amateur event housing — tournament hotel blocks, stay-to-play coordination, family booking portals
- International team tours — overseas travel packages for athletic programs
Revenue model: management fees from universities (retainer/per-trip) + hotel commissions on event housing blocks + revenue share with event organizers on fan travel packages.
The TKO/On Location ownership gives Anthony Travel access to On Location’s broader infrastructure (NFL, UFC, WWE, Olympics hospitality) and hotel relationships at the enterprise level.
Strengths
- Institutional credibility — 30+ year history, major university clients, TKO parent company lends enterprise-grade relationships
- US Youth Soccer relationship — official designation for the national championship is the most prominent youth soccer brand in the country
- Jefferson Cup — among the most prestigious youth soccer tournaments (2,000 teams, 4 weekends); being the official housing provider is a meaningful position in youth soccer
- PDA relationship — PDA is one of the largest and most prestigious ECNL clubs on the East Coast; having PDA’s showcase housing is a strong reference
- Scale — 300+ events/year means significant hotel volume and negotiating power
Weaknesses
- Youth soccer is not their primary focus — Anthony Travel’s identity and revenue is anchored in college athletics; youth soccer is a secondary vertical without dedicated positioning
- Corporate parent complexity — TKO/On Location ownership means decision-making is layered above the Anthony Travel team; less agile than independent housing companies
- Premium positioning — as part of the TKO/On Location premium hospitality brand, Anthony Travel likely prices at the high end, which may not suit budget-conscious youth soccer tournament operators
- Not a stay-to-play specialist — their housing model for youth events is similar to other providers but lacks the tournament-community relationships that dedicated youth sports companies (TTS, Traveling Teams) have built
Key People
Not publicly identified on the current On Location/Anthony Travel website. Dallas HQ leadership not disclosed. The company employs approximately 100 staff (50 HQ + 50 campus).
Financials
Not separately disclosed from On Location/TKO financials. Scale proxies: 300+ events/year, 31+ university clients, 100 employees. Revenue almost certainly exceeds $20M given university retainer model plus event housing commissions, but this is a rough estimate (LOW confidence). On Location was valued as part of the $3.25B TKO deal alongside IMG and PBR — Anthony Travel is a modest contributor to that valuation given the collegiate focus.
Strategic Notes
Anthony Travel’s youth soccer presence is notable but not dominant — they have the right logos (US Youth Soccer Nationals, Jefferson Cup, PDA) but youth soccer is a secondary business line within a company that primarily serves college athletics under a private equity/entertainment conglomerate.
For a platform acquirer, Anthony Travel is:
- A potential housing partner for high-prestige tournament properties (they have the credibility for elite events)
- A benchmarking reference for what a premium tournament housing arrangement looks like at the national level
- Not a competitive threat — they don’t own clubs or tournaments; they’re a services vendor
The Jefferson Cup and PDA relationships are most relevant: if a platform acquirer acquires clubs or tournaments in the Mid-Atlantic (Jefferson Cup’s home market), understanding how Anthony Travel’s housing contract works would be strategically useful.
Open Questions
- Is Anthony Travel’s youth soccer business growing or declining under TKO ownership?
- Are the Jefferson Cup and PDA housing contracts exclusive?
- What does Anthony Travel charge tournament operators vs. what it pays back in revenue share?
- Who runs the youth soccer practice at Anthony Travel today?
- Does TKO/On Location view Anthony Travel as a growth vehicle or a legacy asset?