Grants will support building sustainable and long-term pathways into coaching
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the nation’s leading advocate for parks and recreation, is proud to announce that the organization is partnering with GameChanger to tackle one of the most urgent challenges in youth sports today — the nationwide coaching shortage.
NRPA and GameChanger share the belief that youth sports have the power to change lives both on and off the field. Together, we are creating new coaching pathways that will build the next generation of trained, confident mentors.
Park and recreation agencies play a critical role in providing youth sports and out-of-school time programming nationwide, reaching more than 50 million young people each year. Coaches and caring adult leaders are often the most important factor in ensuring that young people have positive, developmentally supportive experiences in sports. However, research shows that by age 13, 70 percent of kids drop out of organized sports, citing negative experiences as a reason for leaving.
“We know the lasting impact a great coach can have on a child’s life,” said Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO. “Programs led by well-trained staff and volunteers create meaningful experiences that extend far beyond the playing field. Through this partnership, we are proud to create new pathways that invite more coaches into the youth sports system and continue equipping park and recreation leaders with the training and resources they need to make a positive difference in the communities they serve.”
Across the country, park and recreation agencies cite a common challenge in meeting the growing demand for youth sports: recruiting and retaining enough qualified coaches. A persistent shortage of women coaches continues to limit participation opportunities for girls. At the same time, coaches consistently express a desire for more training in youth development, highlighting the need to strengthen, expand and better support the coaching pipeline.
“Coaches are the foundation of a positive youth sports experience,” said Rebecca Wasserman, GameChanger vice president of strategy, operations and impact. “Park and recreation agencies play a vital role in making sports accessible to families in communities across the country. By partnering with NRPA, we’re investing in the next generation of coaches and helping create stronger pathways for mentors who can support young athletes both on and off the field.”
Since 2023 through the Youth Sports in Parks and Recreation initiative, NRPA has provided funding to over 200 communities and is on track to increase access to high-quality, affordable, fun and welcoming multi-sport opportunities for over 480,000 youth and train more than 24,000 coaches nationwide. Through these efforts, NRPA developed a set of promising coach training, recruitment and retention strategies for park and recreation agencies to implement, highlighting a unique opportunity to establish and scale sustainable, impactful and continuous coaching pipelines nationwide.
ABOUT THE GRANT OPPORTUNITY
With GameChanger’s investment, NRPA will fund five park and recreation agencies to develop, implement and evaluate innovative approaches that build long-term pathways into coaching — specifically youth leadership and early employment opportunities, promoting coaching and sports-related roles as viable career paths.
Selected agencies will receive $10,000 to implement new strategies that strengthen coach recruitment, along with access to no-cost, high-quality coach training to build coach and volunteer skills in youth development, social-emotional learning, culturally responsive coaching and iwelcoming practices. The project will evaluate pilot models to identify effective, replicable strategies that other park and recreation agencies can adopt.
To apply for the grant, click here.
For more info on NRPA’s Youth Sports Initiative, click here.
For more info on NRPA, visit nrpa.org
About the National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. With more than 68,000 members, NRPA advances this mission by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals and supporters — the catalysts for positive change in service of parks for all, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being. For more information, visit nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit parksandrecreation.org.
About GameChanger
GameChanger empowers athletes, coaches, and families to stay connected through live streaming, scheduling, statistics, and scorekeeping. Available on iOS, Android, and the web, GameChanger covers over 9M+ games annually and 1M+ teams a year. The live streaming and scheduling technology is available for all youth sports, with deep stats and scorekeeping capability for baseball, softball and basketball. GameChanger is based in New York City and is owned and operated by DICK’S Sporting Goods. For more info on GameChanger, visit gc.com.