As one of the largest providers of youth sports in the United States – reaching more than 40 million youth each year – park and recreation professionals are catalysts for youth sports equity in communities nationwide. They offer affordable, fun and inclusive sports options that prioritize positive youth development. Parks and recreation’s leadership in communities positions the industry to meaningfully engage with youth, parents and caregivers, and community partners to create conditions that welcome all youth into sports.
Over the past year, NRPA has worked closely with local agencies to harness parks and recreation’s potential to drive youth sports equity. NRPA is excited to share impacts from the inaugural Youth Sports Equity Grant Program, part of a multi-year partnership with Musco Lighting designed to advance equitable access to youth sports in parks and recreation.
During 2023, NRPA and Musco Lighting supported five park and recreation agencies to increase access to sports and play in local communities, particularly for youth of color, girls, LGBTQ+ youth, youth living in low-income households and youth with disabilities. Agencies participating in the grant program received $20,000 in grant funding plus an in-kind donation of Musco Lighting, a mini-pitch system™ or MuscoVision®. NRPA is thrilled to report that more than 700,000 community members (and 200,000 youth!) will have increased access to sports facilities when infrastructure projects are complete.
Here are how the grantees are expanding equitable access to sports and play through this grant:
Grantee: Town of Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department
Location: Garner, North Carolina
Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department leveraged grant funding to expand the services it provides to better support youth of all cognitive abilities and mobilities. The department is excited about the community’s renewed movement toward more inclusive play thanks to support from Musco Lighting and NRPA. Garner used grant funds to host a DEI training for staff in May 2023 and looks forward to offering follow-up training in 2024, which will be supported by their new Inclusion Specialist hired in September 2023 (thanks to momentum from the grant).
Garner hosted its A.R.I.S.E (Adaptive Recreation and Inclusion Services for Everyone) kickoff event in October 2023. This event was an open house for adaptive programs, another event the department plans to replicate in the future. In addition to attracting new program participants through a network of community champions, department staff have noticed an increase in youth returning to sports programs – a major win in the eyes of the department. Garner’s success to date has attracted attention from nearby communities, and the department is currently supporting a nearby city to develop similar adaptive programs!
Garner also is receiving donated Musco Lighting to support extending play times at Yeargan Park, which the department will charge a fee for – ultimately using the revenue to offset the cost for park and recreation-sponsored sports. Garner also looks forward to these amenities attracting non-Garner residents and supporting the local economy.
Pictured: Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department's A.R.I.S.E Day Open House.
Grantee: Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission
Location: Flint, Michigan
Thanks to a recreation scan conducted by the C. S. Mott Foundation, Genesee County identified a lack of youth voice reflected in city sports programs. For their grant project, the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission decided to leverage funding to gather input from youth to inform the use of $5 million in ARPA funding recently awarded to the community. During the grant period, Genesee County provided $500 - $1,000 regrants to community sports providers, who in turn were required to collect end-of-season surveys from youth participating in programs, ultimately driving the use of ARPA dollars.
Genesee County saw tremendous success with the mini-grant program and reported that support from Musco Lighting and NRPA truly helped revitalize public parks in Flint. Genesee County gave out 20+ mini-grants, offered a variety of sports programming (football, basketball, pickleball, track, hockey, pickleball, soccer, tennis, track and volleyball), and saw roughly 350 participants between ages 6-19. Genesee County plans to use the program survey data to increase park usage by offering equity-based youth sports programs in its local parks.
“When we can get the money into the hands of people who actually can pull off programming, that does increase access. There's no doubt about that,” said Nancy Edwards, Recreation Programs and Grants Director of Keep Genesee County Beautiful.
Genesee County also is receiving a donated mini pitch from Musco Lighting, which will encourage reactivation in a neighborhood park that has experienced historic disinvestment since the Flint Water Crisis. Genesee County plans for the donation to become a neighborhood-centered structure for programs by providing youth with convenient access to a place for sports. Genesee County plans to resurface the mini pitch installation space in Spring/Summer 2024, dependent on winter weather.
Pictured: Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission's Futsal Mini-Grant Program.
Grantee: City of Imperial Beach Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department
Location: Imperial Beach, California
Founded in 2021, Imperial Beach Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department is a new department that believes it’s important to hear from community members (including youth!) when building recreation and sports programs. Imperial Beach used funds to build a youth advisory committee, including youth in the decisions for sports offerings and empowering those youth with personal development and leadership training. This committee will also play an important role in creating convenient and free/low-cost recreation opportunities citywide.
Imperial Beach recently hosted its first Youth Advisory Committee meeting. At the meeting, the committee brainstormed future projects – like a sports survey to gauge which sports kids are interested in playing.
“We have some students that are involved in sports at their school and in leadership and decathlon groups, which is really cool. They're excited about getting input from other students,” said Shannon Bullock, Parks and Recreation Director at The City of Imperial Beach.
The committee is made up of 14 high schoolers, all involved in sports, outdoors or after-school clubs. Increased marketing around Imperial Beach’s sports programs also caught the eye of a local principal, who was excited to get involved with Imperial Beach’s project. The principal helped recruit Youth Advisory Committee members and is now interested in a shared-use facility agreement with Imperial Beach Parks and Recreation – an unintended positive outcome of the grant!
Imperial Beach is also receiving donated lighting from Musco Lighting, which will expand play times for kids at a multipurpose field at Veteran’s Park, especially in the winter months. Imperial Beach recently broke ground and looks forward to a May 2024 completion date for the field and lighting. This summer, Imperial Beach hosted pop-up park events to showcase the city’s sports programs. Through these events, in combination with community feedback, the department learned that a multisport field approach best meets the needs of community members.
Pictured: City of Imperial Beach Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department's First Youth Advisory Committee Meeting.
Grantee: City of Pasco Recreation Services
Location: Pasco, Washington
Through its grant, City of Pasco Recreation Services took a deeper look at how their sports and recreational programs were affecting the youth they serve by hiring a DEI consultant who conducted a youth sports equity assessment for the agency. The assessment helped the department determine changes that will more effectively push them toward the goal of improved youth sports equity and participation.
Pasco’s equity assessment illuminated several changes that the recreation department can implement to increase engagement in city programming. The city's aquatics and sports program participation rates increased from the previous year, due to increased focus and thoughtfulness toward breaking down barriers that prevent community members from participating fully in offerings – and, a major component of the equity assessment was community engagement to uncover and identify actions to address these challenges. For example, one of the most notable hurdles Pasco discovered was around the language used in program marketing.
Similarly, Pasco uncovered a need to translate program marketing and registration materials to support families who speak Spanish. In addition to supporting the park and recreation department, the DEI consultant is working with Pasco’s youth sports affiliate organizations to ensure common messaging and delivery of youth sports programs.
Pasco also is receiving donated lighting from Musco to expand play times for local youth and will begin the infrastructure installation in Spring 2024.
Pictured: City of Pasco Recreation Services' equity assessment findings.
Grantee: City of Pico Rivera
Location: Pico Rivera, California
To increase youth sports participation, the City of Pico Rivera created the PlayPass Sports Equity Grant Program, which promotes parks and recreation as the provider of high-quality, equitable sports opportunities for youth. The program ensured low-income youth had access to fun, safe and inclusive sports opportunities, providing participating youth with $150 annually to participate in a city-run sport of their choice.
Pico Rivera’s PlayPass was a massive hit and exceeded the city’s initial goal of 100 recipients, reaching 119! The program was described as one of “the best decisions ever made by the community” and has been requested by the community to continue as a long-term program. Pico Rivera is hopeful that due to the popularity of PlayPass, the city will allocate funds to sustain the project in future years.
PlayPass helped Pico Rivera tap into a new market of youth sports participants – younger siblings of youth enrolled in Pico Rivera sports programs – which contributed to the expanded reach of the program.
“It's made more equity for the other members of the family to join, so the siblings are very happy,” said Pamela Yugar, Parks and Recreation Director at the City of Pico Rivera.
The city government also provided matching funds to support additional youth to participate. PlayPass has become a source of pride for Pico Rivera and has led to improved connectivity between the department and local families.
Pico Rivera also is receiving a donated mini pitch, which will be installed at Rio Hondo Park, increasing access to soccer programs and pickup play. The project is on pace for a 2024 installation date.
Pictured: City of Pico Rivera PlayPass infographic.
NRPA applauds the efforts of the first cohort of grantees! Each project showcases a commitment to making lasting change in communities’ youth sports systems and prioritizes equity and access for all. NRPA acknowledges that these long-term approaches take time to create community impact, and NRPA looks forward to following the grantees’ progress into 2024.
In partnership with Musco Lighting, NRPA will continue to test youth sports equity activities, like those piloted in the first grantee communities, to develop a roadmap for park and recreation agencies committed to closing the play equity gap. NRPA looks forward to releasing this resource in 2025 to guide local park and recreation agencies on how to advance impactful, sustainable solutions that increase participation in youth sports.
Nelson Musselman (he/him) is an NRPA program specialist.