LeagueApps

Christopher Garvey is our April Volunteer Champion because he makes championing impact and social change look easy. Chris is constantly going above and beyond to support the youth who participate in FundPlay partner programming, whether through tech knowledge, mentorship or even fundraising for our FundPlay Foundation Accelerator Program during FundPlay Drive. The Career Day we hosted in January with youth from Ice Hockey In Harlem and Kings County Tennis League, along with the Mentor Day we hosted in April with the interns of City Parks Foundation, would not have been possible without his technical expertise, enabling the day to be maximally impactful for youth. In his first-ever FundPlay Drive, Chris raised an extremely impressive $2,500! The cherry on top is how Chris a part of the newest class of leaders on our FundPlay Foundation Advisory Board. Chris, thank you for your dedication initiative. You make your communities better!

As usual, there’s so much going on in the youth sports world — but we’re staying on top of it. So much so that our pres Jeremy Goldberg (heard of him?) just took a trip to visit a bunch of our partners on the West Coast to see what they’re up to and what it means for the youth sports industry going forward. Things like tournament entries, recreational models, hospitality, and facilities were all top of mind during this trip. Here's everything he learned and everything else that happened over the last week:

Today is National Tell a Story Day—and telling authentic stories is so important. So we’re inviting youth athletes to tell their story with the world. Your youth sports why is very important—it drives you to show up to practice everyday and it teaches you endless lessons that you will carry with you throughout the rest of your life. The SPORTSDOG Storytellers Contest invites athletes grades 10 through 12 to submit their youth sports story via whatever medium they like to create with—be it an essay, a speech, or a video. Tell us your youth sports story—why you play, an exciting game-winning moment, how sports has impacted your life, etc. Learn more about the contest and when it launches here: https://lnkd.in/eF8dW--x

The industry we work in is unlike any other—it’s impossible to fully grasp what’s changing each day by simply sitting at a desk all day reading articles and messages from our partners. That’s why we get out in the field. Each month, members of our team attend between two and four youth sports related events—like tournaments, conventions, and other gatherings of youth sports minds—to gain insights. This collaborative mindset is one of the reasons you may be familiar with the President of LeagueApps, Jeremy Goldberg.   Jeremy feels strongly about getting out there and connecting with the youth sports community—so over Spring Break he took the opportunity to meet with some of the leading youth sports organizations on the West Coast. Here’s what he took away from the trip.

Could your behavior (or that of one of your customers) be the one thing standing between a player and their collegiate dreams? The head coach of the UConn men's basketball team even weighed in—saying he considers the behavior of parents before recruiting a player to be on his team. Somehow the sports world, both youth and professional, has evolved into a world where fans, parents, and even coachesfeel entitled to certain outcomes and as a result act in unacceptable ways from the sidelines. This kind of behavior has its consequences. For example, earlier this week, Aaron Boone was ejected from the Yankees vs. Athletics game when the umpire mistakenly thought a fan's heckling was coming from Boone. Read more in this week's Youth Sports Highlight Reel:

🗣 SAVE THE DATE! NextUp: the Youth Sports Management Conference—the only conference of its kind—is coming back to NYC this October! MARK YOUR CALENDARS for October 16-17 and click here for more info: https://lnkd.in/dyRVJEWx

This week, we were particularly interested in this study about Tommy John surgery and what it says about youth baseball culture. Also, it was pretty cool to see Sydney Schmidt, a former soccer player at Jacksonville Armada FC, selected to join the US U16 Women's National Team for the upcoming UEFA Tournament in Turkey! All of that and more in this week's Youth Sports Highlight Reel:

This weekend was a whirlwind for sports lovers everywhere. The men's and women's NCAA final four games aired—and one particular call during the UConn v Iowa game got people talking. (IYKYK) Nevertheless, South Carolina went on to defeat Iowa in the Women's NCAA National Championship on Sunday—garnering an average of 18.7 million viewers... which is more than any basketball game (NBA or college) since 2019. The broadcast showcased so much more than great basketball—we also saw a selfless moment of sportsmanship and gratitude when South Carolina's head coach Dawn Staley took a moment to thank Caitlin Clark for all she's done for women's basketball. It's true—Caitlin is changing the game and we're already seeing her efforts spill into the youth sports world. Read this week's Youth Sports Highlight Reel for some of these stories and more.

The latest guest on SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show is someone we all know and love 👀 And while he may not actually be headed to the Major Leagues (anyone fall for that April Fools joke?), he knows a thing or two about empowering communities to create exceptional sports experiences for all. Have you guessed who it is yet? Yep, it's LeagueApps CEO and co-founder Brian Litvack. On this episode, Brian and Wayne Kimmel talk about: 🐶 How LeagueApps' values drive everything our team does 📱 How and why we're solving problems for youth sports organizers 🤝 Where youth sports and society converge 🏀 The Caitlin Clark effect ... and more! Tune in below (or wherever you get your podcasts—Spotify, Apple Podcasts) for this invigorating convo between two leaders who just get youth sports leadership: https://lnkd.in/e2zMX6TD

Caitlin Clark is helping to evolve women's sports, youth sports, and basketball. She's just so damn fun to watch play. 😄💪🏀🔥🐐👑 Tonight, fans will be introduced to another incredible woman and player, with a courageous journey, Paige Bueckers - the star player on UCONN. While Caitlin Clark is attracting focus on women's basketball, everyone will soon find how many incredible storylines there are in women's sports. 👀 We know that at LeagueApps. Across our millions of registrations each year, 42% of players are female - and we can't wait till that gets to 50%. Girls today aught to have every opportunity to have sports as a platform to play, develop, enjoy, and experience. 🏃♀️ And I'm proud that today also happens to be a day LeagueApps team members are attending the Women's Sports Summit at Columbia Business School as well as we're hosting a panel for our team that features inspiring female leaders in youth sports led by Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, OLY and some of our top youth sports partners. We're getting there. Caitlin and Page will make it happen faster. 💨 Finally, My prediction: More fans tune into the women's final four this weekend than the Men's tournament Holidays 📺