Dear Andy,

“PLAY” STUDIES RELEASED BY NFHS, SFIA

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) each recently released their annual studies on participation.

Led by Coalition Board Member Dr. Karissa Niehoff, the NFHS issued its first high school sports participation report in three years due to the pandemic.

Read More: NFHS

The SFIA survey showed basketball remained in the top spot as the country’s most popular major participatory sport.

Read More: SFIA

NRPA INTRODUCES ONLINE RESOURCES

The National Recreation & Parks Association (NRPA) recently unveiled online resources to “support agencies in increasing engagement with youth sports offerings.”

The NRPA’s resources include:

1. An interactive website that demonstrates the benefits of park and recreation youth sports;
2. A downloadable conversation guide for families to connect with their child about which sports they might like to play; and
3. Sample messaging so park and recreation professionals like many PLAY Sports Coalition members can easily share the new content with parents and caregivers in their communities.

READ MORE

SUPPORT NEEDED: PLAYS for Youth Sports Act

The PLAYS for Youth Sports Act, introduced by Congressman Colin Allred (TX), needs legislative cosponsors from your local areas. Please refer to this toolkit for sample letters and social posts you can use to help spread the word about this critical legislation.

PLAYS for Youth Sports Act Toolkit

One of the best ways for Coalition members to support the PLAYS Act is to contact local legislators and tell them why it’s so important for them to co-sponsor the bill.

Urge your Representatives to support youth sports

If you have any questions or legislator relationships that might help garner support for the bill, please pass them along to us at advocacy@playsportscoalition.org.

!WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS!

✋ We’re constantly seeing new members #Unite2PLAY by becoming part of the Coalition and our movement for youth sports. Please join us in welcoming some of our most recent  new members of the PLAY Sports Coalition:

IN THE NEWS

💡Coalition member LeagueSide announced a partnership with DirectTV to encourage and promote youth sports, including a new spot with Olympic Gold Medalist and professional soccer star Sydney Leroux.

Read more from Adweek

📣 The Coalition’s interim head of advocacy Jared Cooper recently participated in a panel to discuss our mission for youth sports during the Jr. NBA Impact Summit in Brooklyn.