PROJECT PLAY INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
Project Play México, a partnership between Aspen Institute México, the Mexican Olympic Committee, the Mexican Soccer Federation, the Mexican Baseball League, the Sports Commission of the Mexican House of Representatives and others was launched in 2017 to convene stakeholders in a series of events and roundtables, with the goal of promoting physical activity and sports as a social movement in school-aged children and adolescents. A permanent advisory council of athletes, NGOs, government leaders and Project Play México partners meets biannually to develop activations.
The initial two-year process, in partnership with Universidad Anáhuac México and Universidad del Valle de México, consulted over 60 experts and culminated in a capstone report, Play Book México, which was released in November 2019.
In 2020 Project Play México partnered with AS México, one of the largest sports media outlets in the country, as the program’s official media partner. The collaboration launched with a series of short videos on the importance of promoting physical activity in early 2021.
The group held 9 webinars in 2021 on barriers to accessing physical activity, sports and active play in Mexico, reaching more than 25,000 viewers.
April 2022 was declared the Month of Physical Activity and Sports in Mexico, featuring a communications campaign and an international forum for leaders and researchers. Additional activities included a Physical Activity and Sports Fair, giving children the opportunity to sample multiple sports supported by the country’s sports federations, organizations, clubs and leagues, a physical literacy campaign to for education and health leaders on the impact and importance of physical activity, and an international forum on children’s rights in sports.
In June 2023, more than 2,000 children participated in a Feria del Deporte (Sports Fair), in partnership with the Mexican Olympic Committee and in celebration of Olympic Day.
Building a Youth-Centered Sport System: Mexico
On February 3, Aspen Institute México and the Sports & Society Program hosted an invitation-only roundtable in Mexico City. This summit convened executives and officials from 25 leading organizations—including the Mexican soccer federation, the NFL, Nike, federal agencies, and prominent universities—to reimagine the nation’s systems of youth sport program delivery.
The gathering considered the prospect of systems change through three core pillars:
Original System Research: We presented a diagnostic of the Mexican Sport Ecosystem, comparing its governance model and participation rates to that of 12 leading countries. This "apples-to-apples" analysis provided stakeholders with the clarity necessary to identify structural gaps in access, safety and quality.
The Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports: We explored the promise of this UN-aligned framework as a tool for stakeholders to advance national objectives, including public health, societal trust, and education.
Technical Deep Dives: The session concluded with an expert-led discussion on injury prevention by the Hospital for Special Surgery, sharing critical resources to protect the health of young athletes.