The Need for Our Work

Children in underserved communities face significant barriers to reaching their full potential. Missing out on the multitude of benefits that come from playing sports is one of the many barriers they face.

Children don’t get enough physical activity

• Only 1 in 4 children ages 6 to 17 gets the recommended amount of physical activity daily
• 33% of children aren’t at a healthy weight

Children lack safe places to play

• Children who live in underserved areas are more than 4x as likely to lack recreational facilities
• 100 million people in the U.S. don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk from home

Children need mentors and many don’t have access

• 1 in 3 children lacks a mentor in their life—the supportive relationship they need to grow and thrive
• Less than 30% of youth coaches are trained in youth development best practices

Children of color and girls often face even greater barriers

• More than 70% of Black and Hispanic communities lack recreational facilities and only one-third of Black and Hispanic youth play sports on a regular basis
• By age 14, girls are dropping out of sports at 2x the rate of boys, and the dropout rate for girls of color in urban and rural areas is 2x that of white girls in suburban areas