“The PLAY Sports Coalition was formed to unify a community of more than 3,500 local and national youth sports leaders in support of young athletes, working families, coaches and volunteers across the country, especially those in underserved areas, as they deal with the COVID-19 forced pause’s widespread impact on our industry. As a Coalition, we are grateful to Senators Bennet and Young for introducing the RESTART Act. It was their goal to ensure the hardest hit small and mid-sized businesses survive the financial devastation brought by the pandemic. The youth and local sports organizations may be the smallest among them, yet they also stand as the tallest pillars of civic pride for their local communities. Our organizations are largely volunteer led, many with no paid staff at all. The RESTART Act represents a critical step for delivering a recovery loan framework that would bring relief to the unique financial structure of the local sports community. The Coalition also finds it incredibly helpful to extend the covered period from 8 weeks to 16 weeks, as our industry—in particular—is built through long-term planning for programs and events that encompass the lengthy seasonality of sports. We feel confident this type of investment in the youth sports infrastructure will allow our coalition members to focus on returning safe and healthy organized sports to the communities and working families they serve.”
