Why Youth Sports Must Pivot
When all of the events we planned or I was going to speaking at starting late February were canceled one after another after another left me shaking my head in disbelief.
It was when what I am calling Sports Black Friday happened on Friday, March 13th when one sports org after another in Canada announced either they were ending their winter seasons or suspending their spring seasons indefinitely was when my jaw dropped and now just a few weeks later all sports, fields, parks, beaches and other areas where people traditionally were playing or being active are closed.
Since that point, like many other small businesses I have been scrambling to figure out how we can pivot and still continue to provide all key stakeholders the resources we have thru our newsletters as well a digital resources including digital summits, podcasts and so forth thru our digital arm For The Love of The Game.
I have listened in on several podcasts and a few webinars the last couple of weeks to get a sense from health authorities as well as numerous other experts in the sports sector to get a sense (a) when we should see youth sports ramping up again and (b) what it will actually look like.
We all know that 2019-20 winter programs have been ended although the NBA and NHL are still crossing their fingers they will be able to salvage some form of playoffs late Spring/Summer.
The same holds true for the MLB, they are on hold until given the green light.
The big unknown is when will other sports programs ramp up, things like parks and rec summer programs, schools, and traditional winter sports that traditionally start up in September.
The fact is, no one, whether they be government, health authorities, sports executive members at any level truly know the answer.
The one thing that all, including yours truly, can say is ….
Youth sports needs to plan NOW how it will Pivot and improvise, adapt and overcome post COVID-19 vs. pre outbreak timing.
#1 – Although we have been advocating for kids to have more cost-effective programming for years vs. what has evolved to the travel ball, pay to play models that have pushed out more and more kids from participating, it will push even more out due to recessionary impact on our economy when many people have lost their jobs or businesses
#2 – Community Centre, Parks and Rec and school-based programming should see huge opportunities to provide cost-effective programming options in lieu to accommodate the increased demand for kids who are already itching at the bits to get outside and play with their friends but are unable to do so as adhere to physical distancing requirements.
#3 – The sports that were seeing huge growth with academies, private leagues will all need to revisit their prior business models as families show parents lost the jobs, businesses will no longer be able to afford it and may take years to recover.
Many parents will also be conditioned as the weeks, month evolved to have their kids practice physical distancing so map opt to have their kids do individual sports or activities like art, music in lieu short term.
#4 – Youth sports orgs are also going to have to PIVOT quickly to implement digital resources for games, training, meetings, AGM’s that traditionally involved gatherings over 50 people and should not be on hold, should be rolling up their sleeves to plan for their revised fall programs NOW.
#5 – Due to the youth isolation that kids are experiencing not being able to go to school, participate in extracurricular activities, youth, school sports when they are given the green light to do so, the teachers and coaches are going to need to be able to connect with them moreso now then ever to appease their concerns.
#6 – All coaches will need to address how they are providing a safe environment for the kids under their watch starting from the initial parent meetings to ensure kids are SAFE.
Perfect example – I have evaluated many coaches over the years running practices to provide them mentorship and it has amazed me how few ensure that every one of their players has a full water bottle, majority of times only a handful of players and means the kids share. Think if a team had shared a few water bottles with their team mates and with one that was positive for CV19?
#7 – Those that have thought nothing of “mandating” travel tournaments in youth sports programs in past will need to understand that forcing families who were able to squeeze their pennies enough to support their kids to play recreation or competitive youth sports will not be in a position to do so.
#8 – Free Play, the term used for when kids just go to a park, field, court, rink and “Play” for the sake of playing like they all are now, should become more the norm like it was pre internet era, than the exception.
Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA and other community rec centres should see huge growth when we are given the opportunity to return to play as a result.
#9 – Due to significant drop in registrations means lower gaming grants which means many of the sports organizations that have relied on third party providers for skill development will need to revisit what they can do in lieu.
#10 – I have shared in past how Norway is setting the bar with their youth sports model but it actually goes back to the 1980’s when the globe had another recessionary period and they created a Children’s rights to Sports Initiative that was both top down (government initiated) and bottom up (public sector supported)
What this entailed
- All kids (not just those that could afford to pay to play) would have access to quality coaching
- All would have a voice in the experience (asked what they would like to see)
- Needed to be low-cost (funding by gaming sector)
- Promoted Multi-Sport Sampling
- No Travel or competitive teams until 13 years old
The focus – developing the love for the game, friendships, and having fun which lead to over 90% participation rates for ALL kids, not just the select few that could afford the pay to play model.
As more and more days go by and kids are unable to play their organized sports, I suspect if you ask them why they play, having asked 100’s over the years, those will be the answers they share and should have been the focus of youth sports organizations not what it evolved to as a multi-billion industry
- Not Winning at all costs
- Not Travel or Tournaments
- Not sitting on a bench when it is their turn to play
- Not working with a specialty trainer/coach
- Not the trophies or the medals
Hopefully when youth sports return again, we all will look at it with a different lens and it will be just that, kids playing kids for the love of the game.
#WeApplaudit #OnApplaudit
For all the workers in heathcare and other sectors deemed essential services for their selflessly working during this difficult time for all of us.
