Our History

How it Began?

My City Allstars Franchise dates all the way back to 2001, when Tamar Hill (founder) started the Spartan Allstars Girls Basketball Camp; a successful half-day girls basketball camp while she was the Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach at La Canada High School. Her favorite part of the camp was that current and former players got to help teach skills to future players. By coaching the game themselves, it made them better players and improved their confidence.

Transition & Growth

Fast forward to the summer of 2011. While serving as the school's athletic director, it dawned on her that not all sports had the opportunity to host a camp. She also noted that many parents in her community needed full-time care for their children in the summer. Her experiences as an overnight camp counselor in New Hampshire during college summers came flooding back, and she was inspired! She spoke with other coaches on about helping and set the plan into motion.

Today

In 2012, Spartan Allstars officially opened as a full day, coed, multi-sports day camp. The camp quickly grew into the most popular sports camp in Southern California! Everywhere she travels throughout the country, parents ask when she's going to open a camp in their neighborhood, when learning about her camp. Now, with the My City Allstars franchise opportunity, everyone can have a program in their community for as little as $15,000!

What is the Business Model?

Historically, the My City Allstars focus is for each franchise to operate a full day, multi-sport summer camp for a minimum of 6 weeks each summer. However, the model does allow for a franchisee to expand to more weeks of camps (including winter, spring and fall), host clinics, leagues, and after-school programs.

How did My City Allstars get it's name?

The naming of My City Allstars has a long tenured path. The original camp, Spartan Allstars, was named over a decade ago after the mascot of La Canada High School, the Spartans. Allstars was chosen to signify that everyone could be an Allstar, not just the elite. However, in bringing the brand to the national scale, the name had to be changed.

The 2022 Spartan Allstars office staff brainstormed and debated for weeks to come up with the new national brand name. It was important that the name conveys the feeling of community and camaraderie that exists at the flagship location. Ultimately, “My City” was chosen because we felt that it embodied that feeling.

We want campers to be proud of their community and their roots and give back when they’re older and able. “Allstars” was added as a nod to the flagship location. Hence, My City Allstars got its name!

About the our Founder

Tamar Hill, Founder

Our team is led by Tamar Hill, the director and founder of My City Allstars. She is a graduate of Palo Alto High School and Occidental College. During college, Hill worked four summers at Pierce Camp Birchmont, a sleep-away sports camp in New Hampshire. After earning her Master’s degree at Occidental College, she was hired by La Canada High School where she taught Biology for 16 years. In addition to teaching, she coached the Girls Varsity Basketball team for 14 seasons, spent 2 years as the ASB advisor, and 3 years as the athletic director.

Hill founded Spartan Allstars in 2001 as a girls basketball camp and in 2012 transitioned it into an all-day coed sports camp. The camp became a hit and quickly grew into the most popular sports camp in Southern California. Now, she has franchised her successful camp formula as My City Allstars!

Tamar is no stranger to the franchise world! In 2014, she joined the Kona Ice Franchise and built up the Pasadena, California area to 3 territories consisting of 5 mobile units before selling it in 2019 to pursue her other business ventures. No matter the pursuit, every summer she returns to La Canada to run her baby, the sports camp.

“My summer camp is what gave me my financial freedom. First to buy a house. Then I invested in Kona Ice. Soon thereafter, I was able to retire early from teaching. It all started with $5,000 in the bank to start my summer camp! I want to share what I did with others. What I learned as a Kona Ice franchisee will help me be a better franchisor. I know my success depends on the individual success of each location. It’s a symbiotic relationship. My summer camp is a well oiled machine because of 10 years of mistakes, setbacks, and successes. I’m ready and excited to teach others how to turn their summers into a profitable business. I did it, so can you… and I can get you there faster than I did!”

Franchise Experience

“What I learned as a Kona Ice franchisee will help me be a better franchisor. I know my success depends on the individual success of each location. It’s a symbiotic relationship. My summer camp is a well oiled machine because of 10 years of mistakes, setbacks, and successes. I’m ready and excited to teach others how to turn their summers into a profitable business. I did it, so can you… and I can get you there faster than I did!”

Is My City Allstars seeking minority or female owner-operators?

My City Allstars is an equal opportunity franchisor. Our founder is a woman and encourages anyone that has the entrepreneurial itch to join this amazing new franchise. We need franchisees who are organized, motivated, passionate, enjoy working with kids, and have excellent customer-service skills. Often minority and women-owned businesses are eligible for special programs with the Small Business Administration (SBA).