In 2019, only 38% of kids ages 6-12 played sports regularly, and kids from lower-income families were half as likely to play sports as those from higher-income families. These accessibility issues have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

When we launched FundPlay in 2016, we made it our mission to get more youth involved in sport—giving away technology grants to organizations serving underserved athletes and supporting them through a variety of community efforts. Our commitment to this work is even greater now that so many families are struggling to make ends meet.   

Part of what makes LeagueApps so unique is that we count both the country’s leading club and travel organizations and a number of inspiring sports-based youth development organizations (SYBDs) as our partners. Until recently, however, we had never brought them together to have a dialogue about accessibility and what the future looks like. 

That’s why we recently partnered with WeCoach to organize a series of discussions about how to create change through collaboration—convening a group of 25 organizations for a four-part virtual conversation.  

Here are some of the main takeaways from these conversations and glimpse of what we plan to do next:

The system issues that lead to inaccessibility in sport have no simple fixes or easy answers. But small actions can make a significant difference. Here’s what we intend to do over the course of the rest of this year. 

We believe that collaboration and buy-in from all youth sports stakeholders is what will really move the needle when it comes to making sport accessible for all, and we’re excited to see where things go. 

If you want to be a part of the solution, provide feedback and direction, or simply hear more about the ways we are impacting the youth sports community, please reach out and let us know!