New rules, safety laws, scams to look out for, and not to mention parents literally brawling on the court—how do you people do it?!

The choice to dedicate your life to youth sports is not something we take lightly—and that’s why we want to shout out the incredible youth sports coaches and leaders who are keeping kids playing… like  NCFC Coach Josh McKinney, Maegha Ramanathan, the founder and president of Girls4Sports in California, Sunshine Volleyball Coach Kristin Keefe, and more.

Do you want to nominate a special coach or organizer for a spotlight? Email us!

Beyond that, enjoy this week’s most comprehensive youth sports news roundup out there:

Youth Sports News

1. Girls wrestling and boys volleyball are officially fully recognized as Indiana High School Athletic Association sports, as of Monday’s annual meeting.

2. Maegha Ramanathan, the founder and president of Girls4Sports in California, is recognized as the 7800th Daily Point of Light Awardee for her remarkable contributions to empowering female athletes globally.

3. Youth and amateur sports travel is fueling hotel spending—with Americans having taken a record 204.9 million sports event-related trips last year.

4. A new New York state law requiring an AED or automated external defibrillator at all camps and youth sports programs has gone into effect as of Wednesday.

5. ETS Performance and NFL defensive Tackle Harrison Phillips announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art facility in West Omaha—which will serve as a hub for young athletes to enhance their athletic skills and embark on a transformative journey toward a successful athletic career.

6. Major League Soccer announced initiatives to expand MLS GO—the league’s youth soccer program—as it continues to explore ways to make soccer more accessible to players at the grassroots level. The new initiatives include MLS Go Playbook, a free online resources for youth coaches, and the MLS Go Play Fund, an annual grant that can offset seasonal costs for players to join MLS Go teams.

7. [VIDEO] A fight breaks out among parents at a children’s basketball tournament in Charleston, SC.

8. Youth baseball and softball, fueled by increasing participation, are attracting investors and seeing huge growth.

9. Five decades of Sounders FC alumni are committed to developing the next generation of soccer players and fans in Seattle through coaching youth soccer and directing youth programs.

10. Wegmans and the American Heart Association are teaming up to distribute CPR kits to ten local Buffalo youth sports organizations.

11. US Men’s Paralympic soccer player Josh McKinney, who has been a youth coach for more than ten years with NCFC Youth soccer, will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Saturday.

12. The National Federation of High School Associations released 12 new rule changes to girls and boys youth basketball on Thursday, including instances “when a player simulates being fouled or makes theatrical or exaggerated movements when there is no contact,” or flopping. The first instance will warrant a warning, and the second will result in a team technical foul.

13. This high school basketball coach will be honored as Mr. Louisiana Basketball by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches on Saturday. It is the most prestigious annual award given by the LABC and is presented annually to someone who has made a significant, long-term contribution to the game of basketball at any level in the state.

14. Northern California law enforcement issued a scam alert for Spartan Sports, an organization pretending to raise money for local youth.

This Weekend’s Wins

1. Click here for USA Lacrosse’s High School Boys’ Players of the Week2. Six Chicago junior basketball players to keep an eye on

3. Congrats Connecticut Junior Rangers for going undefeated the entire tournament and winning the Low Country Classic!

4. Congratulations Southern Soccer Academy 2016 U8 SSA Marietta Elite Boys for finishing as CHAMPIONS at the AFU Elite Cup!

5. Congrats Seattle United B11—1st year in the ECNL and already champs!

6. Congrats Synergy Force on all of your wins this weekend! 14 Dawid won the Liberty Division at Far Westerns, Double Qualifying them for USAV Nationals! 14 Cassidy finished 3rd in the USA Division at Far Westerns. And finally, 13 Tricia, 12 Michele and 11 Gold all won their Divisions at Power League Finals!

7. Congratulations Sunshine Volleyball 15 Pacific on winning the Battle of the Bids! 15 Pacific also punched their ticket to the 2024 GJNC in Las Vegas later this summer. Plus, shoutout to Coach Kristin Keefe on your induction into the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame!

10. Congrats San Antonio Juniors 17 Adidas on finishing 3rd at Lone Star Regionals.

11. Congrats Tsunami Volleyball South 12 Elite Jeff on your 3rd place finish at SRVA Regionals and secured bid to the USAV National Championship in Dallas!

12. Congrats Florida Elite USA 2007 ECNL Boys on qualifying for the ECNL National Playoffs!

13. Way to go Club Fusion Volleyball 14-1 BG on going undefeated at the Cornbelt Showdown! 14. Congratulations to Pro Hockey Development 2014 Elite Petersen B Division, who are taking home a championship trophy!

15. A huge congratulations to Analy High School — the 2024 Boys Volleyball North Bay League CHAMPS!16. Congratulations to Vipers Peewee Major on their second place win at Windy City Rumble this weekend!

Resources

1. A coach’s attitude is so important in youth soccer

2. Time to get serious about teaching kids what youth athletics are all about

3. Adults are ruining youth sports

4. Rest is critical in youth sports, doctors warn