Happy December! The fall sports season is coming to a close, and many teams who we’re so proud to partner with are ending it with a bang. To start this week’s Youth Sports Highlight Reel, we’re spotlighting some of the youth sports wins from this past weekend.

Have a win you want to share? Be sure to let us know so we can include it in next week’s newsletter and spotlight you on social!

Without further ado, here’s this week’s Youth Sports Weekly Wrap—with all of the youth sports news, wins, resources, and events you need to know about this week.

This Weekend’s Wins

Cameron Hickey, a senior soccer player for Sporting CT, was voted CT Insider Athlete of the Week. It’s no surprise—a few weeks ago, her goal and assist led her high school team to win the CIAC Class S championship!

The 2024 and 2025 boys teams at SoCal Express Lax won the Legends Lacrosse National Cup for their age group. The tournament consisted of 130+ boys and girls teams, a 5-game guarantee, skills challenges, and 50+ men’s college coaches on site. 

The 2010 Boys team at JahBat won the Lou Fusz Winter Classic Tournament—a tournament hosting 225+ teams and 60+ college coaches annually.

Seattle Starz 2026s are the 2023 Adrenaline Lacrosse Blackjack Classic Champions!

The 2012 Pre-ECNL girls  team at FC Alliance Knoxville won the GSA Invitational.

The Cleveland Barons 2010 Elite Team won the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League Youth Championships – Slavin Division this weekend. Plus, their Lady Barons U8 team won the Snowball Shootout in Euclid!

Multiple teams for United Futbol Academy won at the Generations Adidas Norcross Cup—including UFA 15B Premier, UFA 08B Gold, and UFA 15B Gold.

The 13G Premier 4 girls team at Albion Hurricanes were finalists in the Bat City Cup in Austin.

The Iron Horse Lax Mongoose are Legends National Cup champions for their age group!

Industry News

Two of the most innovative companies in baseball, Marucci and Diamond Kinetics, just unveiled the Marucci CATX Smart—the first smart bat with an integrated sensor approved by USSSA for in-game use. 

Youth sports is a multi-billion dollar industry—and it makes sense when you consider all of the crucial benefits it provides to its beneficiaries. The NASDAQ is even recommending how and why to invest in the industry. The unfortunate downside to this financial growth is that kids are getting priced out of these pay-to-play programs—so it’s more important than ever to put pressure on governments to allocate funds to grassroots programs. Read a bit about how LeagueApps and FundPlay Foundation are leading the charge in this effort through the PLAYS Act.

A new study finds that 20-40% of youth baseball players between the ages of 9 and 12 complain of elbow pain at least once a season—and this stresses growing bones, joints, and muscles. Here are four things you can do to help your players prevent injuries, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Regional News

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan and Quarterback University have joined forces to empower young athletes through specialized youth training. QBU has renowned expertise in position-specific training focused specifically on development and enhancing their potential. The program is set to commence this month. 

The Suffolk County Youth Bureau just announced the launch of the Suffolk County Team Sports Grant program—offering $25,000 for nonprofit organizations to fund youth team programs. This program mirrors the mission of LeagueApps’ founded FundPlay Foundation—an organization that grants free, perpetual licenses to LeagueApps software for youth sports nonprofits.

Resources

Data is one of the most important places to look when figuring out what to prioritize in a youth sports organization. Our Product Team just upped the LeagueApps data & analytics game—click here to learn about how the update is already changing the game for youth sports organizations across the country.

Events

The Toledo baseball program is hosting a Youth Winter Camp for ages 5-12 on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Fetterman Training Center. Click here to register.

LeagueApps and 431 Sports are hosting a happy hour for youth volleyball leaders at Harpoon Harry’s Crab House during the AVCA Convention. Register here.

Social Media Spotlight

Some of you may have seen the viral story about Mitchell Robinson, the New York Knicks center who invited his high school coach to move in with him after his wife died this year. 

Youth sports builds lifelong families—and the same was the case for this TikToker who shared how his high school baseball coach used to keep the gym unlocked in case he needed a safe place to sleep. Watch the tear-jerker below:

The Youth Sports News Highlight Reel

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