One way to support coaches in Kansas City: Pass state laws requiring coach training and conduct policies in youth sports

A child’s experience in sports is often only as good as the coach. And too few coaches are trained in key areas. For instance, less than 60% of surveyed coaches have ever taken trainings in trauma-informed practices, performance anxiety, emotional regulation and how to work with parents, according to the National Coach Survey as administered by the Aspen Institute, Ohio State, Nike and partners in 2022.

Project Play Communities Council: How local philanthropy is mobilizing to support 63% by 2030

Currently, national participation in an organized sport is 54%. Urban, suburban and rural communities across the country are coming together to share knowledge about what’s working and how to solve issues around the barriers they are facing. Two philanthropic organizations, the Names Family Foundation (Tacoma, WA) and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation (Southeast Michigan and Western New York), and the Aspen Institute are partnering to bring together philanthropists and community leaders to reach that 63% through the Project Play Communities Council.

How regions can activate around the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports

Every child has the right to play sports and, when in the care of adults, the human rights they are born with need to be respected. This simple idea informs the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports, a resource designed to create a shared cultural understanding that all youth should have the opportunity to develop as people through sports.

August 2024 newsletter

Featured highlights:

  • Learn how five state governments have taken action to increase access, equity and quality in youth sports, and download a new two-page resource with 20+ examples to guide your work

  • Learn about our first state initiative, Project Play Colorado, and get involved with Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day

  • Players Health joins the 63X30 roundtable. Meet chief mission officer Kyle Lubrano and learn how Players Health got involved in youth sports policy in Colorado

  • and more…

How five states got in the game of youth sports

States have been reluctant, historically, to establish rules and impose mandates on youth sports organizations.  But in recent years, some have begun providing substantial public resources and setting up guardrails for young children involved in organized athletics outside of schools. The absence of federal regulation, social upheavals let loose during the pandemic, and persistence of the problems with the American “system” of youth sports—low participation rates in poor communities, an epidemic of overuse injuries in others, and a lack of systematic training or oversight of coaches—have spurred the changes in state behavior.

Players Health exec: How insurance helps close gaps in athlete safety

A few years ago, there were about 30 carriers offering youth sports insurance. Today? Just a handful. And rates are skyrocketing, all of which impacts the provision and affordability of programs. That makes Players Health, one of the few carriers still writing policies, a key actor in the rapidly evolving, largely disjointed landscape of youth and school sports. It’s one big reason why the Aspen Institute is excited to welcome Players Health to 63X30.

Chief mission delivery officer Kyle Lubrano recently talked with Tom Farrey about what the Minnesota-based firm brings to that table as it develops opportunities to get and keep more children playing sports.

Pilot a regional adventure club to grow social interactions among children

The Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys are filled with wonderful opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Yet these opportunities often exist in silos based on geography, socioeconomics and culture. Community leaders could pilot a summer adventure club that samples various outdoor activities from all corners of the region.

July 2024 newsletter

Featured highlights:

  • Watch philanthropist and new Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein interview our Tom Farrey on how the country can lift youth sport participation rates to 63% by the end of the decade

  • Read about the NCAA league that could save the Olympic sport pipeline

  • Dive into insights about how school coaches prepare for and experience their roles, from our recently published National Coaching Survey

  • and more…

Provide coaching education for positive youth development

At all age and competitive levels throughout both valleys, we heard a strong desire from coaches and administrators for more education and professional development. Alternatively, there are children who feel unwelcome in sports, so they turn to other physical activities such as theater and dance. Some sports coaches need a better understanding of skill development related to their sport or activity. An even greater need: Coaches must understand how to make youth sports and recreation safe places physically and emotionally for children while using these activities as tools for developing children’s social, emotional and cognitive skills. In schools, fewer teachers serve as coaches given the pressures and expectations on their classrooms, meaning schools now rely more on community members to coach.

Create a scholarship portal for underserved children to access sports and recreational opportunities more affordably

The wealth gap is massive in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys. Opportunities for children to play sports or engage in outdoor recreation often come down to costs. Many sports and recreational organizations generously provide scholarships for children to play. However, many sports and rec providers and some parents — especially those who are Latino/a — described trying to navigate a confusing flood of scholarship applications.

Improve transportation to and from sports and rec programming

Transportation is one of the most significant barriers preventing more children in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys from accessing sports and other forms of physical activity. RFTA recently began offering a $1 fare for youth 18 and under on all regional routes. As of March 2022, children under age 16 comprised less than 2% of all RFTA bus ridership, and youth ages 16-18 made up 5%. In our survey, 11% of youth from Roaring Fork School District and 9% from Aspen School District said they usually travel to their sports or organized athletic activities via RFTA — far higher than youth ridership from Garfield School District Re-2 (4%) and Garfield School District 16 (1%).

June 2024 newsletter

Featured highlights:

  • Read the 63x30 press release and learn about our national roundtable’s plan to raise youth sport participation to 63% by 2030

  • Watch the 63x30 Project Play Summit session where our panel explored the value of organizations mobilizing at all three levels — national, state and local

  • Embrace the Ripken Way as Cal Jr. and son Ryan offer guidance on how to be a sports parent

  • and more…

Use the power of soccer to grow educational opportunities for Latino/a youth

The Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys provide many opportunities for children to recreate. Yet only 15% of surveyed Latino/a youth in the region get 60 minutes of physical activity daily, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s nearly half the percentage of White children (27%) who meet the recommendation.