At the intersection of funding, capacity building and infrastructure lies equitable access to youth sports. As one of the largest providers of youth sports and youth development services in the nation — reaching more than 40 million youth each year — park and recreation professionals are catalysts for youth sports equity in communities nationwide. Through the Youth Sports Equity Grant Program, NRPA and Musco Lighting are excited to partner with local park and recreation agencies to increase equitable access to youth sports, especially for youth of color, girls, LGBTQ+ youth, youth from low-income homes and youth with disabilities.
Now in its second year, the Youth Sports Equity Grant Program will award five grantee agencies $20,000 in funding to implement strategies that advance equitable access to youth sports. In addition to cash funding, awarded agencies will receive an in-kind donation from Musco Lighting valued between $75,000 and $100,000. Agencies can select between installing Musco Lighting infrastructure to increase the distribution of equitable lighting across the community, installing MuscoVision Technology or installing a mini pitch.
NRPA will also launch a learning community focused on sharing successes, challenges and trends related to youth sports that prioritizes peer learning and networking with opportunities to advance systems-level strategies to increase equitable access to youth sports.
Here’s how the 2024 grantees plan to use their funding and in-kind donations:
City of Tampa, Florida
In partnership with local nonprofit CANDO Sports, Tampa’s project will increase access to swim opportunities for youth in East Tampa. Tampa will use this grant to increase developmental swim opportunities plus launch a competitive swim team at Cyrus Greene Pool, coupling physical activity with workshops focused on nutrition and sportsmanship. Currently, the East Tampa community does not have an aquatics center with sufficient infrastructure to support organized swim activities. Cyrus Greene Pool is a popular community amenity, recording more than 7,000 visits annually.
Through this project, Tampa’s goal is to highlight parks and recreation as the provider of quality sports programs, and the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department looks forward to building on the success of the inaugural program in future years. Tampa’s plan also includes seeking input from youth via end-of-season surveys to assess program success and gather feedback from youth. Tampa looks forward to building a mutually beneficial partnership with CANDO to support the swim team for years to come.
Tampa will receive Musco Lighting to increase swim time at the pool. Upgraded lighting is considered essential for hosting both swim programs.
New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches, Massachusetts
Soccer is a popular sport in New Bedford, and the city has long-established youth soccer organizations providing opportunities to play. However, they have no mini pitches and a deficit of soccer fields in the city to meet the demands of the players and leagues.
Given the shortage of amenities to meet the high demand for soccer, the city will receive a donated mini pitch from Musco Lighting. New Bedford is currently converting two underutilized baseball diamonds into a full-size soccer field at Dias Field, and the additional mini pitch will create a unique soccer destination, making it the only mini pitch in the city.
New Bedford will leverage its grant funds to hire a consultant to conduct an assessment of its sports programs, policies and operations to uncover potential barriers to participation. In particular, New Bedford hopes to take a deeper look at the distribution of sports leagues across the city and lack of participation in high school sports, among other trends. The assessment process will culminate in the development of an action plan so the city can address findings from the analysis. New Bedford will engage the public and other youth sports organizations that use parks and recreation fields, diamonds, and courts for play to support the assessment and action plan.
City of Suisun City, California
Suisun City is excited to leverage funds to increase access to sports for youth with disabilities. In collaboration with the North Bay Regional Center and Special Care Services (SCS), Suisun City will launch its first-ever adaptive sports program. Acknowledging that availability of programming is only one barrier to access, Suisun City will also engage SCS to provide large-scale training for park and recreation staff working with special needs youth. Suisun City recognizes the need to educate itself on working with special needs youth, understanding differing abilities, and utilizing sports for therapeutic recreation. The project supports staff certifications in adaptive recreation and sports programming, along with participation in conferences to enhance knowledge. Beyond creating programming, the project seeks to foster a city-wide culture that respects, acknowledges and adapts to the challenges faced by special needs youth and their families.
A recent master plan in Suisun City uncovered the need for more multi-use sports courts. The Heritage Park basketball court is deteriorating, and the agency is excited to replace it with a donated mini-pitch system. Located next to the department’s headquarters, Suisun City envisions using the mini-pitch as a home base for sports classes for special needs youth.
Aurora Parks, Recreation & Open Space, Colorado
Aurora will use grant funds to address a drop in sports participation following the pandemic. Despite offering some of the lowest registration and entrance fees in the Denver metro area, participation levels have still not fully recovered. The city will hire a consultant to conduct an equity analysis to uncover more information about Aurora’s participation challenge. Aurora’s goal is to determine how to most effectively allocate city resources while keeping costs affordable for all members of the community. Aurora’s preliminary research has identified a need for better outreach to learn what sports community members are interested in, along with increased communication about department offerings.
Aurora will utilize MuscoVision to support its the youth sports equity project. The Aurora Sports Park hosts local, regional and major national baseball/softball tournaments, and with 12 fields total, the community has expressed interest in live streaming and video recording from players, coaches and fans. Aurora views MuscoVision as an opportunity to enable those who cannot attend games in person — including family and friends living outside the area or with other responsibilities — to enjoy the games remotely.
Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, Ohio
Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (CRPD) will expand its boxing program to six new recreation centers through a strategic partnership with the Columbus Divisions of Police and Fire. This collaboration not only strengthens relationships between youth and local law enforcement professionals who can serve as positive role models, but also provides Columbus a recruitment pool for new coaches. Columbus is focused on coach recruitment/marketing and coach training as leverage to center youth sports equity. Columbus will also build a marketing and communications plan to reach underserved youth, with the goal of building a program that is truly accessible for all youth in the community. Boxing was once a highly popular youth sport in Columbus but has declined due to a lack of volunteer coaches to support the program.
Over the past four years, Columbus has been making incremental improvements to Sammons Park, home to both baseball and softball programs. In 1980, CRPD and community leader, Rich Sammons, created the Sills Park League. Over the years, this league has served more than 8,000 boys and girls, ages 4–17. While Mr. Sammons passed away a few years ago, CRPD would like to continue this legacy of greatness in youth sports by continuing to make improvements to the park. This Musco Lighting infrastructure improvement will provide security lighting at the diamonds to stop ongoing vandalism at the park. The lighting will also help with spring late-night games, allowing players to stay later and feel safe leaving the fields.
Wondering what you can do to increase access to sports in your community? Follow along as we update you on how these projects progress and be inspired to take action in your youth sports system to create opportunities that support healthy development!
Teresa Morrissey (she/her) is a senior program manager at NRPA.
Maureen Neumann (she/her) is a senior program manager at NRPA.