Free-to-Play Youth Sports Model 🤷♂️ Curry Goes Global, College Athletes Building the Next Generation, and BASE Sports Group 25 Million Consumers
🏀🌍⚡ Youth Sports Biz & Parent Tips
🚨🚨🚨Coming next week: “C‑Suite Corner” your insider’s look at what today’s top youth sports executives are thinking and prioritizing. We’ll share bite‑sized insights from leaders across the industry’s most influential organizations. Stay tuned to see where they’re investing, what’s keeping them up at night, and which trends they’re watching.
📋 Today's Lineup
🌏 Curry's Global Takeover: Under Armour, Stephen Curry and De'Aaron Fox to set out for summer tour, taking on two continents with the mission of changing the game for good
💰 The Free-to-Play Youth Sports Model: Why 93% participation rates in Norway prove removing cost barriers builds stronger communities and could unlock $80B in healthcare savings in the US powered by corporate America
🎓 College Athletes as Coaches: How Top Tier Lessons creates win-win mentorship while addressing the coaching quality crisis
📊 Data-Driven Facilities: BASE Sports Group's 25M consumer network shows the blueprint for sustainable youth sports enterprises
👶 Dave & Buster's and Backyard Sports partner to celebrate the relaunch of the iconic Backyard Baseball 2001
🌍 Global Expansion
Curry Camp Goes International: Under Armour's Global Youth Basketball Expansion (Read more here)
The numbers tell the story: Curry Brand’s international expansion reaches five Asian cities simultaneously. This marks the first time the original Curry Camp concept ventures overseas in its nine-year history.
Kicking off in August, Curry will begin the U.S. leg of the tour in San Francisco while Fox leads comprehensive Asian expansion across four cities over five days, followed by combined programming in Chongqing. Under Armour VP Simon Pestridge's key statement: "We're not just visiting, we're investing in the next decade of talent".
The strategic insight: Curry and De'Aaron Fox operating on two continents simultaneously proves elite mentorship scales globally. The inaugural Curry Con convention in Chongqing represents a new format combining athlete development with cultural engagement.
💰 Business Innovation
The Free-to-Play: How Lowering Youth Sports Costs Builds Stronger Communities (Read full deep dive here) shoutout to Federico Mari’s - Chief Strategy Officer at FC32 for the idea
The "Sports for All" Theoretical Experiment
⚡ Current reality: 63% of parents pay $1,200-$6,000/year for sports
🇳🇴 Norway's model: 93% participation with low-cost barriers
📊 US potential: From 50.7% to 63.3% participation (Healthy People 2030 goal)
💰 Backed by research showing $80B in national healthcare savings potential
The Math Behind "Free Access"
Traditional model:
💸 Family fees: $30-40 billion/year nationally (Aspen Institute)
📈 Participation rate: 43% (high-income families) vs 18-28% (low-income)
🤝 Community engagement: Transactional
Community / Corporate funded model:
🏢 Business sponsorships + municipal investment replacing fees
📊 Participation rate: 95%+ (barrier-free, as proven in Norway)
🏘️ Community engagement: True ownership
The multiplier effect:
✅ Healthcare savings: $3.61B in depression/anxiety cost reduction alone (Michigan State University study)
✅ Economic impact: $91.8B generated from youth sports tourism (Sports Events and Tourism Association, 2021)
✅ Long-term behavior: Kids who play sports 8x more likely to be active at 24
Why Businesses Should Pay for Your Child's Season
🏟️ Full fields = Premium community environment
👥 500 engaged families > 180 paying customers for community impact
🤝 Community goodwill transfers to sponsor brands
👶 Future customer acquisition (today's 8-year-old = tomorrow's loyal customer)
Aha moment: Traditional programs sell participation. Community-funded programs sell belonging. When businesses sponsor full seasons instead of individual families paying, you get 500 engaged families instead of 180 paying customers.
🚀 Talent Development
College Athletes as Coaches: Could This Model Help Solve Youth Sports' Quality Crisis? (Read more here)
Chicago-area Top Tier Lessons operates on a simple yet powerful premise: every child deserves more than just a coach, they deserve a mentor and role model. The platform serves four major universities (Illinois, DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern) creating flexible earning opportunities that work around academic schedules.
Why this matters: quality coaching beyond skill development. These aren't just instructors; they're current athletes who understand modern youth sports pressures and can provide mentorship that extends far beyond basics.
The business model innovation includes:
🎯 Personalized sports lessons with college student athletes
🏟️ Complete venue management and coordination
📅 Streamlined scheduling and payment processing
🛡️ Safety protocols for each lesson
🤝 Local sports clinics that bring communities together
Strategic advantage: Local clinics build community connections while individual lessons provide personalized development. Result? Holistic athlete development in an industry often focused only on competition and technical skills.
📊 Infrastructure & Partnerships
25 Million Consumers: How BASE Sports and AIM Create Sustainable Youth Sports Enterprises (Read more here)
BASE Sports Group's partnership with AIM Sports Group demonstrates a sound business model: combine facility ownership, technology platforms, and professional sponsorship management.
AIM Sports Group owns and operates a 130,000-square-foot sports complex in Orange County, California. It also operates a Southern California boys volleyball league supporting more than 5,000 players. In addition, AIM owns and operates three annual national events under the SoCal Cup banner, drawing more than 220,000 spectators annually. Each of the three-day tournaments hosts more than 600 boys club volleyball teams from all over the U.S.
AIM's fall launch of AIM+ tech platform provides professional-level stats, highlights, and rankings for youth athletes. This isn't just tournament management; it's comprehensive youth sports infrastructure.
BASE's network spans 20+ sports across 40+ states, connecting youth sports communities with national sponsors. BASE brand integration partnerships include:
⚡ Papa John's national restaurant chain
🥤 PRIME Hydration sports drink brand
🎖️ US Army recruitment and community programs
🧴 DUDE Wipes consumer products
🎓 College Ave Student Loans financial services
The strategic path: Facility ownership + technology platforms + professional sponsorship management equals sustainable revenue streams that fund program expansion and facility improvements.
👶 A Nostalgic Moment
Dave & Buster's and Backyard Sports partner to celebrate the relaunch of the iconic Backyard Baseball 2001!
If you are in the Marietta, Georgia area make sure to check it out…
🎯 More on Youth Sports Business Report
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🏆 The Bottom Line
Curry's global expansion, Norway's 93% participation model, college athlete mentorship platforms, and data-driven facility partnerships prove the same point: youth sports success comes from removing barriers, creating genuine value, and building sustainable business models. The organizations investing in access, technology, and community partnerships are building the future of youth athletics.