How to Grow a Youth Sports Club: 9 Data Points to Know

Running a youth sports club takes experience and instinct. But the best decisions come from data. At the NextUp Dallas panel “Data That Drives Growth,” three youth sports leaders shared the numbers they track and how they use them. What we learned was that better data can help clubs market smarter, keep more families, and grow. Here’s what we found.

1. 85% of Youth Sports Purchases Are Made by Moms

Norman Shippers, founder of Alodia Basketball Academy, found that 85% of the people who register and pay for his programs are mothers.

That changed how his team markets.

“I can get tied up in all kinds of basketball lingo that ex-players may want to know,” Norman said. “But we’ve got to drive our messages so moms understand it, because they’re buying it.”

Research from emarketer shows that 84.2% of sports parents say youth sports influences their purchase decisions. 40.1% of sports parents said they spend “somewhat more” during key sports times, the study found. 20.1% said they spend “significantly more.”

The takeaway: Find out who actually registers your players. Cater your marketing for that person!

2. Posting at the Wrong Time Wastes Your Marketing Budget

Norman’s team told him to post on social media at 7 a.m. instead of the middle of the day.

He realized they were right. Working parents often check social media early in the morning or later at night, not during work hours.

A strong post can still fail if your audience never sees it.

How to do this on Instagram:

1. Open Instagram and go to your profile.
2. Tap Professional dashboard.
3. Tap New followers or Total followers. The label can vary by app version.
4. Scroll down to Follower active times or Most active times.
5. Switch between Days and Hours.
6. Find the days with the most active followers.
7. On those days, find the 2–3 hours with the highest activity. Those are your best starting times to test.

Then, don’t assume the busiest hour is automatically the best posting time. If you have a Business or Creator account, you can test it:

1. Pick your top 2–3 time slots.
2. Post similar content across those slots for 2–3 weeks.
3. In Insights, compare each post’s reach, shares, saves, comments, and engagement.
4. Look for the time that consistently performs best, not just the post with the most views.
5. Make that your main posting window and repeat the test every few months.

In LeagueApps: Don’t limit this to Instagram! Email Performance Metrics show when people open and click emails. 

3. Check Registration Trends Before It’s Too Late

Norman compares this season’s registration pace with last season’s. He pays close attention about 20 days before registration closes.

He also separates new families from returning families. A drop in either group can point to a different problem.

His team once found that early-bird pricing ended two days before many local families got paid. They extended the deadline by two days.

In LeagueApps: The Program Comparisons Report compares seasons. The Registrations Report and Org KPI Dashboard help track registration over time. The Player Retention Report separates new and returning players.

4. Experience Can Build Fairer Teams Than Age

Mike Gilligan, Founder and President of PENN Athletics Club, recommends recreational leagues to not use drafts or tryouts. Instead, track how many seasons each player and coach has played and use that number to build balanced teams.

They preserve friend groups

With two-grade divisions, half the roster typically ages out each year, forcing teams to be rebuilt. Single-grade teams can stay together from kindergarten onward, keeping friendships intact.

They improve retention

Mike believes stable teams and friendships can keep kids playing for 10–12 years, helping counter the major participation drop around sixth grade.

They make parity easier

Because teams stay together, organizations get a clearer picture of each team’s experience year over year. That makes it easier to place teams in appropriate competitive divisions without breaking up strong friend groups.

They build skill through continuity

Players and coaches develop together over multiple seasons, creating a natural path for improvement without relying on drafts, combines, or talent-based selection.

They increase lifetime value

A child who stays with a program for a decade may represent $5,000–$10,000 in revenue, with substantially more value from multi-child, multi-sport households.

They support a “rec-first” philosophy. Mike isn’t trying to turn these teams into select teams. The goal is to provide a legitimate, high-quality competitive experience while protecting friendships and keeping the sport accessible.

Mike uses seasons played as the key number for balancing teams, too. “A player who has played one season is significantly different than a player who has played two seasons,” Mike said.

This has helped prevent blowouts, especially in sports where new players need time to learn the rules.

In LeagueApps: The Player Retention Report shows how many players return each year.

5. One Player Can Be Worth $5,000 to $10,000 Over Time

Kelci, CEO of Willow Reserve Capital, looks at what a player is worth over many years, not just one season.

A child who joins in kindergarten and stays for 10 years could spend $5,000 to $10,000 in program fees. Families with several children or sports can be worth much more.

That changes how clubs should think about retention.

Refunding $150 to keep a loyal family may seem expensive today. It may be a small cost compared with losing thousands of dollars in future revenue.

In LeagueApps: The Org Enterprise Metrics Dashboard and Customer Insights track customer lifespan and lifetime value.

6. Referrals Can Beat Paid Ads

Norman and Kelci both said referrals are among their cheapest ways to find new customers.

Norman gives families a $25 credit for referrals. “That’s a lot cheaper than Google,” he said.

Nielsen has also found that recommendations from people we know are among the most trusted forms of advertising.

In LeagueApps: Referral Tracking shows how members found your program. Promo codes can support referral credits, but a full two-sided referral program still needs to be managed manually.

The takeaway: Test a referral reward against your paid ads. Compare the cost and quality of each new customer.

7. Don’t Underestimate the Rec Player Market

Norman pointed to a major gap in youth soccer marketing. About 300,000 to 400,000 children play elite soccer nationwide, while more than 3 million play in recreational and state association programs.

But much of youth sports marketing still focuses on elite and travel players. That leaves a much larger recreational audience with less competition for its attention.

In LeagueApps: Program Type filters can show your own mix of recreational and travel players.

The takeaway: Compare your marketing spend with the size of each audience. You may be underinvesting in recreational families.

8. Make Decisions Fast, Then Check the Data

Kelci’s simple view is that clubs should make decisions, learn quickly, and adjust. But moving fast does not mean ignoring the numbers.

Norman said relying too much on instinct caused about a 20% error rate in some of his numbers. Mike once used the wrong spreadsheet formula and ordered hundreds of extra jerseys.

The lesson is not to wait for perfect data. It is to check your work often.

In LeagueApps: Live dashboards give clubs access to current numbers without waiting for someone to build a spreadsheet.

9. Data Can Settle Arguments

Kelci described a board debate over which technology platform to use. Instead of simply overruling the board, she researched the platform’s privacy and security practices. She found that it did not meet U.S. children’s privacy requirements under COPPA.

Once the board saw the financial and legal risk, the debate ended.

In LeagueApps: LeagueApps has a general privacy policy and a separate Youth Athlete Privacy Policy. Customers keep ownership of their data, and LeagueApps says it does not sell that data.

The takeaway: When people disagree, look for data that can answer the question.

Bonus: AI Can Handle More of the Spreadsheet Work

All three panelists said they use AI tools. Common uses include writing emails, reviewing financial data, building schedules, and working through spreadsheets.

Kelci starts by defining the question in a tool like ChatGPT or Gemini. She then uses Claude for spreadsheet work.

She recommends asking AI tools for two things:

• Live formulas: Keep formulas in the spreadsheet instead of returning fixed numbers.
• An assumptions tab: Show how each number was calculated.

That makes it easier to check the work later.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best data point for a small youth sports club to track first?

Start with registration pace compared with last season. Separate new families from returning families. This gives you an early warning when sign-ups slow down.

LeagueApps users can track this through Program Comparisons and Player Retention reports.

Is it true that 70% of kids quit sports by age 13?

That statistic is repeated often, but its original source is unclear. Better-supported research shows that many children stop playing sports around middle school. CDC survey data also shows that high school sports participation has stayed near 50% for many years.

How much can one athlete be worth to a club?

Youth sports leaders estimate that one athlete can generate $5,000 to $10,000 in fees over about 10 years. Families with several children or sports can be worth much more.

Do referrals beat paid ads?

They can.Research from organizations such as Nielsen shows that people trust recommendations from people they know.

The exact results will differ by club. Track your cost per new customer from referrals and compare it against your paid ads.

What tools do clubs use to track data?

Most clubs do not need complex tools. They commonly use Google Sheets or Excel, social media analytics, LeagueApps Analytics, and AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.

Should recreational leagues market differently from travel programs?

Yes. Recreational players make up a much larger part of the youth sports market, while much of the industry’s marketing focuses on travel and elite programs.

Clubs should build separate messages for recreational families based on what those families value.