Slides from a 20-minute webinar about the recently updated Recommendations for Communities resource. This presentation will answer: What is the Recommendations for Communities? Who is it for? Why is it important to me? Recreation professionals from across the country collaborated to create guidelines that any community could implement to establish a strong and positive youth sports culture. Learn how you can help create change in your community.

1. All About the
Recommendations
For Communities
Kate Dilworth

2.  History
 Today
 Audience
 Recommendations Parts I, II, and III
 Supporting Content
 Website Resources
 NAYS Update
All About the Recommendations For
Communities

3. History
In July 2000 at a
suburban Boston
ice rink, a man
beat another
father to death
during their sons'
youth hockey
practice arguing
over rough play

4. History
National Summit on Raising Community
Standards in Children’s Sports (2001)
 Recreation professionals from 34 states
across the country gathered in Chicago,
Illinois to examine the widespread problems
affecting organized sports and to devise
usable guidelines that can be implemented
in any community.

5. History
As a consensus of the
contributions from the
National Summit on Raising
Community Standards in
Children’s Sports, NAYS
released the original
Recommendations for
Communities document in
2002.

6. Today…

7. Today
 Increase of YSOs, inconsistency in
management techniques of volunteer
organizations, as well as a perceived lack
of control over public facilities from the
recreation standpoint

8. Today
 Prevalence of YSOs
88% of public entities have volunteer youth sports
organizations (YSOs) utilizing public facilities.
 Inconsistency
“Some park districts and leagues have instituted
mandatory pre-season education sessions to lay out
guidelines for appropriate conduct.”
 Lack of control (or perhaps lack of intestinal fortitude):
“We don’t have any say so over the youth sports, a
private group is responsible.”
“Oh we just give them the facility permit and they do
whatever they want.”
Give me a break!
Updated Recommendations for Communities
resource deemed necessary

9. 70% of recreation professionals agree public
entities are responsible for the actions of
YSOs using their facilities.
Don’t ever forget who youth
sports programs are for…

10. Your Responsibility

11. Audience
 Community officials and recreation
leaders.
Those who have the ability to impact public
regulations regarding youth sports program and
facilities
 Any concerned citizen
"A small spark can start a great fire."
~Emmet Fox

12. Recommendations
 Part 1 – Adopt a community
philosophy that makes youth
sports safe and positive for
children.
 Part 2 – Appoint a professional
youth sports administrator to
ensure adherence to the
philosophy.
 Part 3 – Hold everyone
associated with community
youth sports accountable for
their behavior.
Remember these are a
compilation of input from
youth sports and
recreation professionals
throughout the country.

13.  An overview of children’s
sports in this country and
the purpose of youth
sports
 A look at how
community youth sports
is commonly structured
Supporting Content

14. Supporting Content
 The valuable role sports
play in a child’s physical
and psychological
development
 Specific problems and
issues affecting youth
sports and the primary
factors behind these
problems
 Steps that can be taken to
change the culture of
children’s sports.

15. Website
www.nays.org/recommendations-for-
communities
 Download (Full Document or Executive
Summary)
 Share
 Supplemental Materials
 Add your signature of support

16. NAYS
 National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) is a non-
profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1981 as
National Youth Sports Coaches Association
(NYSCA), a training and membership program for
the dads and moms coaching their kid's sports
teams.
 NAYS offers programs and services for everyone
involved in youth sports, including professional
administrators, volunteer administrators, coaches,
officials, parents, and young athletes. NAYS strives
to make playing sports fun, safe, and positive for
all kids.

17. NAYS Update
 Sports Parent Pledge
 Bullying Prevention Training for Coaches
and Parents
 Concussion Training for Coaches and
Parents
 New National Youth Sports Officials
Association Training Video

18. www.nays.org
kdilworth@nays.org
1-800-688-5437
Go to
www.nays.org/recommendations-for-communities
& add your signature
of support!
Thank you for all you do for the children
in your community!