Like many of you, I have been a proud member of this Coalition since April 2020 when it was founded under the most dire circumstances our youth sports industry had ever faced.
Today, I am writing to you as the Coalition’s interim executive director, a role I have been serving these past few months as we embark on the next phase of our united front to ensure youth sports survives and thrives for the generations of young people coming after us.
As you may know, I also am an Olympic Gold Medalist - winning the 100m hurdles in 1984 - and currently serve as the Vice President of Community & Impact and President of FundPlay for LeagueApps.
For more than a century, the official motto of the International Olympic Committee had been “Citius, Altius, Foritus” or translated to “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” Those three words, in some way, also symbolized how our industry had dramatically changed over the past decade. We were an industry that was building and scaling quickly - from a $6.6 billion market globally to a projected $31 billion market by the end of 2021, according to WinterGreen Research - through an overemphasis on elite performance and the influence of money.
The IOC took a bold step ahead of the Olympic Games last summer in adding the word “Together” to its official motto, evoking the important message that we’re always better together.
Our Coalition’s mission also embodies that same message of bold action and change through solidarity. Thanks to the efforts of this Coalition over the past 20-plus months, we remain united for, and by, you to drive a dynamic systemic shift to put the joy and social development back into sports for youth.
It’s demonstrative of how our industry pursues collaboration over competition in the interest of service to young people and bridging divides to help them reach their own potential, on or off any playing field.
In that same spirit, our Coalition has established a remarkable Board of Directors to guide it forward into 2022 and beyond. I’m excited and honored to officially introduce you to them today.
Please meet, and connect with, my fellow Coalition Board members:
