Last week I had the opportunity to again attend the largest youth sports organizer conference in the US, NextUp in New York City. After attending last year and coming back with tons of insights and information, I knew this year would be no different. The speaker lineup was again fantastic and there were lots of opportunities to connect with like-minded youth sports and club operators from around the US - from every sport.
Here are a couple of the biggest topics & takeaways from the conference:
Understanding the evolution of youth sports & how we got to where we are. In the 1950’s education policies were put in place in elementary schools because educators were worries that youth sports in schools would create too much competition. And in the 1960’s the self-esteem movement prolonged sports until later ages. Until the 1970’s, sports were primarily organized for boys, but in 1972, Title 9 was passed which eliminated discrimination by gender in education programs that receive federal financial assistance. Females subsequently flocked to sports - going from 1 in 27, to almost 40% currently for girls in high school. In 1978, congress passed the Amateur Sports Act to create the US Olympic Committee - which caters to finding and developing the highest level athletes with the aim of winning gold medals in the Olympics. So with the combination of government regulation and a focus on delaying competitive sports until middle school, while providing pathways for elite athletes to develop, it left a void for local organizers and operators to create solutions in their communities. This became even more prevalant with the introduction of College athletic scholarships in the 1990’s. Families and athletes quickly realized that doors were now open to attend universities that wouldn’t have been there based on academic merit alone. Sports then becomes an investment for parents. And with the increased investment, along comes more specialization. By the early 2000’s, more innovative and professional sports organizations began to become the norm - mostly focused on middle school or affluent communities. Facilities and complexes begin being built that cater to the youth sports economy - which is now estimated to $75 billion(!), which is larger than ALL professional sports leagues combined. And now, with professional salaries going to astronomical heights and the introduction of NIL which essentially turns the top 5-10% of college athletes into professionals, the competitiveness in youth sports will only increase. So where do we go from here?!
The future of youth sports will be heavily dictated by 3 things: Technological advancements, industry consolidation, and parent/child expectations.
Sports tech is evolving exponentially and is an entire topic on its own, but the integration into everyday lives of athletes is only going to continue to evolve. From video enhancements and analysis, using AI to automate all kinds of tasks, and experiential apps and platforms - tech will continue to layer into the fabric of youth sports
Industry consolidation due to the professionalism of youth sports means that there will be fewer operators, BUT the ability to reach and provide programs for more kids than ever before. Clubs are being run like businesses in that they are going about their strategy in a way that is sustainable and can impact more people. Obviously this varies from club to club across the board, but the best players in the industry are going to continue to take more market share in local communities. This could be a good thing though, as professionally run organizations have the ability to put better systems in place for coach and player development, scheduling and communication, and providing resources to improve fields and facilities.
Parent/child expectations will continue to evolve alongside the evolution of sports at the highest levels. There is a trickle down effect from pro sports, to college, to high school, to youth. Expectations will only continue to increase, along with competition for spots on rosters. The divide between rec and competitive sports will get bigger and we as parents will need to do a better job of managing what we want to get out of our children’s sports experiences. There is no doubt competitive sports and clubs will continue to push forward, but in my opinion, rec or fun/play based sports could even have a greater place moving forward. More parents will and should realize that they don’t need their children to play multiple competitive sports at early ages (and the expenses, travel, schedules and stress that can come along with that decision). If a child just wants to learn a sport or play with friends, there should be more local, lower-cost options for those as they grow and learn which sport they want to focus most of their attention on.
When asking someone ‘how have your experiences been in youth sports?’ there is always a full spectrum of responses. The responsibility for the sports leaders in our communities to provide positive, well rounded and developmental programs will continue to be more and more important.