Through the Healthy People 2030 program, the federal government has set for the first time a national target for youth sports participation: 63% by the year 2030.
To help reach the target, Project Play convenes leading organizations that have made multi-year commitments to measurably grow sport participation rates among youth: 63X30.
Organizations participating in the 63X30 Roundtable include: DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, ESPN, Gatorade, Hospital for Special Surgery, LeagueApps, Little League Baseball and Softball, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association, National Recreation and Parks Association, Nike, PGA of America, Players Health, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Stack Sports, TeamSnap, Under Armour, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and U.S. Tennis Association.
How will we get there?
The vision: Most families have the resources (knowledge, programs, equipment) to help children explore a range of sport activities, and providers are encouraged to promote multi-sport play.
The vision: Community stakeholders and leaders have access to tools, resources and partnerships to make affordable, quality sport programs available to all youth in their communities.
The vision: A national culture in which most youth coaches develop key competencies, with appropriate support structures, tools and resources.
Scale What Works
We will advance innovative programs that have grown participation/registration dramatically. Then, encourage stakeholders to mobilize around these models via philanthropic and private investment, advocacy campaigns, governing body incentives, and other actions.
Focus on Equity
Data from the National Survey of Children’s Health will be consulted to focus efforts on populations underrepresented in organized sports, and thus representing the greatest potential to make gains toward 63%. The annual survey of 50,000 parents offers robust insights on subgroups based on gender, age, household income, parent’s country of origin, family structure, adverse childhood experiences, special needs status, and health insurance status, among other filters.
State-by-state and urbanicity insights are also offered, creating opportunities to activate and invest in specific regions.
Improve Systems
Closing a gap with a specific population here and there isn’t enough. As leading organizations, we need to advocate for systems that don’t create access and quality gaps in the first place. We need sustainability.
Leverage Mega-Events
The next four years are unlike any in the history of sports in the U.S., with the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and 2028 Olympics & Paralympics layered atop other major domestic sporting events that Americans love. We will identify storytelling opportunities tied to these events that can draw public attention to the goals of 63X30 and the activities of our network.
History of the Roundtable
Since 2017, Project Play has engaged a cross-sector roundtable of leading organizations committed to taking mutually reinforcing actions aligned with Project Play’s youth sports 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.
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 to high attrition rates in youth sports.
Recognizing the value of connecting silos across a disjointed sports landscape, most members in 2020 agreed to renew their collaboration for an additional four years and added several new member organizations. Now renamed Project Play 2024, with several new members, the group continued to develop individual, mutually reinforcing, and shared actions to Train All Coaches, Encourage Sport Sampling, and to Revitalize In-Town Leagues, a new priority identified by members in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Institute’s Sports & Society Program provides backbone support, with staff dedicated to coordinating activities and helping members identify their mutually reinforcing actions. The program facilitates continuous communication among members, hosts virtual and in-person meetings and learning opportunities, 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 and commitments to take actions in support of the group’s priorities and goals.
Learn how the members of the roundtable identify and address challenges in the youth sports ecosystem:
The focus in the first phase of the roundtable was building trust across representatives from disparate organizations and sectors, developing and 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 jointly funded infrastructure projects, the commissioning of research to the development of tools, educating policymakers 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+).
Members created a public service campaign that highlighted the problem of children “retiring from sports” due to parental pressure and high barriers to access. Launched on ESPN, supported by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and US Tennis Association and featuring sports stars like Kobe Bryant, Billie Jean King, and Cody Bellinger, the campaign generated 4.8 billion organic media impressions, 220,000 social media mentions, and 37 industry awards.
Three sets of checklists were created for parents of three groups of kids — those between the ages of 0-5 who are getting introduced to sports, those between the ages of 6-12 who are playing sports, and those between ages 6-12 who are not playing sports. Each includes 10 questions that parents can ask themselves, their child and sport providers that can help get and keep their kids active through sports.
Project Play 2024 members provided the initial momentum for the development and endorsement of a statement of principles outlining the minimum conditions under which children should be engaged through sport. More than 500 leading organizations, athletes and government entities have endorsed the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports.
“Kids need sports more than ever given the challenges facing them and our society. Members of the Project Play network recognize as much, so we’re building the dream team to take the big swing.”
Tom Farrey, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program
“Project Play can play a central role in driving the progress. There's already the credibility of its research, and it's been applied practically. Now what Project Play can do is bring the sport community together to start having these really open and honest discussions about what we all need to do to improve youth sport in America.”
Rocky Harris, Chief of Sport and Athlete Services, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee
“Our role at this table is to make sure that people are on the same narrative, that they’re talking the same statistics, that they have the same KPIs so we can find where the intersectionality works for whatever brand or program we’re working on, whether it’s mental health or coaching or multi-sport. The fact is that if we can work together, we can help tell that story.”
Kevin Martinez, Vice President, ESPN Corporate Citizenship
