Youth sports leaders who are in-the-know are ahead of the game—so we’re bringing back the industry’s most comprehensive source for what’s happening in youth sports each week.

You can get this information sent straight to your inbox, every Tuesday morning, by subscribing to the Youth Sports Highlight Reel here. 

Read on for news, insights, resources, and events that will put you and your organization ahead of the curve!

Youth Sports Industry News

1. The Aspen Institute released its annual State of Play 2023 report.

One of the takeaways is that sports participation is increasing for girls, but declining for boys.

Another takeaway? State governments are paying more attention to youth sports. Maryland and Massachusetts invested in programs that use sports as a tool for youth development and New York began distributing mobile sports betting revenue to youth sports providers.

2. Front Office Sports released its list of 2023 Best Employers in Sports (a list LeagueApps has been on three times!).

Total Package Hockey (TPH), one of our partners, made the list for the second time this year!

3.  Erin Matson—the head coach of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill’s field hockey team—just became the youngest college head coach to win a national championship, according to NCAA.com.

Regional Youth Sports News

1. The boy’s high school soccer team in Lewiston, Maine—the city that was the site of a mass shooting a little over two weeks ago—just won the state title.

Lewiston goalie Payson Goyette told the Sun Journal, “We have been saying the past few weeks, ‘Do it for the city.’ It feels great to win for the city and bring some good to the city.”

2. The Cincinnatus, NY girls soccer team won its first-ever state crown after a 3-0 win against Fillmore at Homer High School.

3. South Bronx United celebrated its 13th Anniversary Benefit last week, and raised $400K in support of its youth programs in the classroom, not he field, and in the community.

Youth Sports Resources

1. Believe it or not, the participation trophy is a controversial topic — proponents think it’s necessary to acknowledge all kids for showing up, while its critics think it’s for losers.

What do you think?

2. Khalid Cannon didn’t have your typical path to ivy league athletics. Having grown up on a chicken farm in Alabama with an incarcerated father, he turned to sports as an outlet which led him to athletic and academic success.

He has dedicated his career to delivering the same benefits of youth sports to other kids with incarcerated parents through his nonprofit Put Me In! You can learn more about Khalid and Put Me In! On the Sports Travel Magazine Podcast Episode 106.

Youth Sports Events

Dec. 13—The AVCA Annual Volleyball Convention is coming up December 13-17 in Tampa, FL.

Jan. 4—The 2024 ABCA Baseball Convention is January 4-7 in Dallas, TX.

Jan. 10—The 2024 United Soccer Coaches Convention is January 10-14 in Anaheim, CA.

Subscribe to the Youth Sports Highlight Reel

To get information like this sent directly to your inbox every Tuesday morning, subscribe to the Youth Sports Highlight Reel. 

Do you have an event, story, or resource we should feature in a future issue? Let us know here!

Image Credit: AP News