Project Play 2024 is a cross-sector roundtable of leading organizations committed to taking mutually reinforcing actions aligned with the Project Play framework for getting and keeping children active through sports. Guided by the Aspen Institute and the principles of Collective Impact, the group meets, shares knowledge, and works together to grow the quality and quantity of sport activities available to youth, with special focus on the underserved and children ages 12 and under.
The group was created in 2017 and given the name Project Play 2020, reflecting the three-year commitment that the initial cohort made to the work. A theory of change for the group was developed, and at the outset members chose to drive progress in two of the eight strategies in the Project Play framework, Train All Coaches and Encourage Sport Sampling. Educating parents also was identified as a shared opportunity. Tools were created and actions were taken by members, including the development of an award-winning media campaign that drew attention high attrition rates in youth sports.
Aspen serves as the backbone organization, with staff dedicated to coordinating activities and helping members identify their mutually reinforcing actions. Aspen facilitates continuous communication among members, hosts biannual in-person meetings, captures data, supports the development of tools and resources, elevates successes at the Project Play Summit, and recruits and vets members and affiliates. Member organizations support that work through annual contributions.
Recognizing the value of connecting silos across a disjointed sports landscape, members in 2020 renewed their commitment to work together, this time for four years. The group was renamed Project Play 2024, adding several new members.
Member Organizations
Project Play 2024 members include: American College of Sports Medicine, Augusta Sportswear Brands, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, ESPN, Hospital for Special Surgery, LeagueApps, Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association Youth Development Foundation, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, National Lacrosse League, Nike, PGA of America, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, The Sports Facilities Companies, Sports & Fitness Industry Association, TeamSnap, Under Armour, U.S. Soccer Federation, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and U.S. Tennis Association. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and PHICOR at the City University of New York serve as Technical Advisors..
Learn how members are using Project Play 2024 to identify and address challenges in the youth sports ecosystem:
Activations
The focus in the first phase of the roundtable was building trust across representatives from disparate organizations and sectors, refining the initiative’s theory of change, and identifying initial priorities. The most prominent activation was the media campaign Don’t Retire Kid, which launched on ESPN and won the 37 of the highest awards in marketing, advertising and social good, including five Cannes Lions, five Clios, and a Halo Award.
Each member has taken actions aligned with shared goals of the group, from grantmaking to new partnerships, the commissioning of research to the development of tools, advocacy to the rallying organizations within their sport or sector. In addition, members have collaborated to create or distribute various resources, among them:
This is the nation’s first website that aggregates best-in-class coaching resources by sport, topic and audience. Developed by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and Nike in partnership with Project Play, the site also includes a free, 30-minute course on the basics of coaching kids, as well as modules on Coaching Girls and coaching kids of different ages (age 7 and under, age 8-11, and age 12+).
Perhaps you have seen the PSAs in which 9-year-old athletes announce they are “retiring from sports” because of the undue pressure applied by parents. Launched on ESPN, with the support of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and US Tennis Association, the PSAs have played more than 1,000 times on the television, cable and internet platforms of Project Play 2020 members. The campaign generated 4.8 billion organic media impressions, $142 million in earned media and 220,000 social media mentions after its launch in August 2019, with the help of sports stars including Kobe Bryant, Billie Jean King, and Cody Bellinger. Other PSAs in the series highlighted the cost barriers to playing youth sports today and low participation rates of low-income youth.
With the support of Target, three sets of checklists were created for parents of three types of kids — those between the ages of 0-5, those playing sports between the ages of 6-12, and those not playing sports between ages 6-12. Each includes 10 questions that parents can ask themselves, their child and sport providers that can help get and keep kids active through sports.
In support of the Encourage Sport Sampling priority of Project Play 2020 members, Aspen worked with the Association of Chief Executives for Sport to encourage national sport organizations to review their policies and practices with the aid of a nine-question checklist. Thirty organizations participated in the initiative. The goal: Reduce the pressure on children to specialize early in one sport.
When COVID-19 shut down sports, resources provided by Project Play 2024 funded the commissioning of national surveys that captured the impact on youth, and the development of return-to-play resources that were widely consulted by public health officials and youth sports organizations. In 2021, members successfully advocated for a carve-out of proceeds from legalized sports betting in New York and Ohio. They also built momentum for the adoption of the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports, a statement of minimum under which children should be engaged through sport that has been endorsed by more than 100 leading organizations.
In sum, members of Project Play 2020 and 2024 have laid the groundwork to improve the youth sports ecosystem.
“Collective impact works. Organizations from across sectors came together through Project Play 2020 and, guided by a theory of change, attacked a complex challenge from a variety of angles, delivering real results. Now, as we take next steps with Project Play 2024, with members who can turn today's crisis into tomorrow's opportunity and help build a new state of play for youth in the U.S.”
Tom Farrey, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program