The following article comes from the Aspen Institute’s State of Play Kansas City report. The report assesses the opportunities and barriers for more children to access sports and physical activity in the Kansas City region.

Youth sports in America are largely delivered by community-based organizations that train and compete mostly at publicly owned recreational spaces.

States and the federal government set broad agendas through governance and other policies, but city and county governments can shape access to programs in communities and the quality of a child’s experience.

Across the country, some cities and counties have begun to pay closer attention to how sports in their area are organized and made available to youth. Some local governments are working to coordinate and rationalize the way sports are offered to children. Some provide funds to neighborhood youth sports groups.

Governance styles vary. Some governments have formal meetings to discuss and take action on items related to youth sports, and some offer more informal settings. For instance, Baltimore’s mayor recently announced he is creating the Charm City Sports Cabinet to bring partners and the city government together to collectively promote play. Young people will be included on the cabinet, so their voices are central to the effort.

Key mechanisms that athletic councils can employ include:

Collaboration with schools and sports providers: These efforts can involve sharing resources, coordinating schedules and promoting collaboration among stakeholders.
Permitting and regulation: Local governments can include requirements for safety measures, insurance coverage and adherence to zoning ordinances when establishing permitting processes and regulations for sports events on public property.
Funding and grants: Government funding can be used for equipment purchases, facility rentals, coach training and program development. Governments can also offer discounts to programs that serve vulnerable populations.
Facilities management: Local governments often own and operate parks, community centers and athletic fields. They can allocate resources to maintain and improve these facilities, making them accessible for youth sports programs and activities.
Community outreach and engagement: Governments can engage with residents through community events, workshops and outreach efforts to promote the benefits of sports participation. They can also work to address barriers to participation, such as transportation issues or lack of awareness about programs.

In Virginia, the Fairfax County Athletic Council serves in an advisory capacity to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the school district board and county agencies on matters relating to sports in the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington, D.C., area.

The council, comprised of 23 voting members, meets monthly, advises on policy and establishes priorities for making sports programs accessible. Representatives come from the following:

9 from each of the county’s magisterial districts (civil divisions)
3 from towns not included in the magisterial districts
8 from sport-specific councils (baseball, soccer, basketball, slow-pitch softball, fastpitch softball, football, volleyball, lacrosse), who are selected by their own sport council
3 at-large representatives, to speak up for women, diversity concerns and general issues
3 members from county government: directors of Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services and the parks authority, and a Fairfax County School Board member (all non-voting)

The strength of Fairfax’s council is that it forces all members to see beyond the narrow interest of the group that it represents. The council’s historical knowledge of the county’s residents, programs, facilities and systems provides legitimacy. Its manageable size provides flexibility to act. The appointed representatives are respected among their constituents. And the council connects representatives who are close to the ground with those who are from essential governing bodies (park authority, school district, county government).

Cities and counties in the Kansas City area could establish local councils that make sense for their specific community to grow sports access for more children, especially underserved populations. There’s not one correct way to operate a local sports council. Just connecting like-minded organizations together will create opportunities for government to assist.

Jon Solomon is Community Impact Director of the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative. Jon can be reached at jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org.