State OF PLAY OMAHA

Project Play’s 19th community State of Play report will explore the state of youth sports in Omaha, Nebraska. With support from the Sherwood Foundation, State of Play Omaha investigates the experiences with sports by Omaha Public Schools students to identify opportunities to make quality sports activities welcoming and accessible to all. The report will be released later in 2026.

Aspen Institute survey results of Omaha Public Schools students found that physical activity and sports participation occur most frequently where children are already located, showing the value of schools. Students are most engaged in physical activity during gym or recess. Other key initial findings from the survey:

  • 64% of surveyed students played on an organized sports team in the past year, surpassing the federal government goal of 63%. But some gaps exist. Boys play organized sports 6 percentage points higher than girls. Black (72%) and White (71%) students play on organized teams at far higher rates than students who are Latino/Latina (56%) and Asian (53%).

  • In grades 5-12, more students are physically active on a school team (42%) than at a community-based sports program (28%) or travel/club sports team (22%). Black and Latino/Latina students are far more likely to play at school than on community or travel teams.

  • Youth view sports as a social activity for belonging and self-improvement. The knowledge gap of how to begin playing sports is a key reason some students aren’t participating. The No. 1 reason physically active boys and girls say they don’t play on an organized sports team: they don’t know how to get started.

  • 50% of surveyed girls in grades 5-12 play on an organized volleyball team, while 33% of girls and 9% of boys want to try volleyball. In a state where volleyball is wildly popular, this suggestion the supply of volleyball opportunities is not meeting the demand.

During the development of State of Play Omaha, Project Play will bring together local leaders to unpack survey results from youth about their sports experiences and qualitative findings to craft solutions leveraging best practices from other Project Play communities. The final report will both landscape the current state of sport across the district and unlock community-sourced recommendations on how to grow sports access.

For more information about this project, please contact Jon Solomon (jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org).


Aspen Institute State of Play Omaha Summit

Fair Game Project founder Josh Jones (left) shares his vision at the State of Play Omaha Summit.

Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Ray

In partnership with The Sherwood Foundation, the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative hosted the State of Play Omaha Summit on March 11, 2026. Attendees received an exclusive look at initial findings from the Aspen Institute’s survey of Omaha Public School students about their sports and physical activity experiences, heard success stories from other communities across the country, and joined the discussion on how to increase sports and play access for more children locally.

Speakers at the State of Play Omaha Summit included: 

  • Tom Warren, Chief of Staff, City of Omaha Mayor’s Office

  • Matthew Ray, Superintendent, Omaha Public Schools

  • Josh Jones, Founding Executive Director, Fair Game Project

  • Chen Kong-Wick, YES! Sports Initiative Lead, Oakland Unified School District

  • Tyrik Wilson, Youth Sports Initiative Manager, City of Boston Mayor’s Office 

Tom Warren, chief of staff at City of Omaha Mayor’s Office

The Summit included the launch of Fair Game Project, the official athletic association of Omaha Public Schools. Fair Game Project is building a unified sports association across schools and the broader community for all sports and skill levels — from recreation to elite athletes, for boys and girls, from elementary through high school to learn, compete and grow within a connected system.

“When systems are built with intention and people are invested in, young people are capable of more than anyone expects.”


Media coverage

More than 75 local leaders packed the room at Joslyn Art Museum for the State of Play Omaha Summit.

 

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