The document provides an overview of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) and discusses current challenges in youth sports. It compares how youth sports have changed over the past 30 years, noting a shift from informal neighborhood play to more structured programs led by adults. The presentation recommends that communities adopt a youth sports philosophy, appoint a professional administrator, and hold programs accountable to standards to ensure youth sports remain safe, positive, and fun for children.

1. What’s Happening on
YOUR Fields?
John Engh
Kate Dilworth

2. Today’s Session
• NAYS – Who we are…
• Evolution of Youth Sports
• Current Challenges
• Self-Assessment Exercise
• Recommendations for
Communities
• Youth Sports Tools
• Wrap-up

3. Nays overview
Over the past 30 years, NAYS has expanded…
Educational Programs:
•Coaches
•Volunteer administrators
•Professional administrators
•Officials
•Parents
Youth Development Programs:
•Start Smart Sports Development Programs
•Hook a Kid on Golf
•Ready, Set, RUN!

4. A Brief History of
Youth Sports in
America…
• Sandlot/Pickup Games
• Professional and college influence
• Local “organizations”
• National Organizations
– Pop Warner – 1929
– Little League – 1939
– AYSO – 1964
• All Stars
• Youth Sports Associations
• Travel Teams
• Where are we headed?

5. Sports Then & Now
WHEN KIDS PLAY
Sports 30 Years Ago: Played every day with the
neighborhood kids for hours on end, whatever sport was in
season.
Now: Kids only play and practice real sports when adults
formally organize them. The rest of the time they are playing
video versions of sport on Wii, Playstation, and X-Box. Rarely
do you see kids organize informal, real games of their own.

6. Sports Then & Now
WHERE KIDS PLAY (Facilities)
30 Years Ago: Kids of all ages went into a backyard or
nearby vacant lot to play.
Now: Kids play on perfectly manicured and lined fields.
TRAINING (Getting Better)
30 Years Ago: Kids played against other neighborhood kids
of all ages and had to get better in order to compete with the
older ones. They often played on their own to get better.
Now: Kids attend dedicated sports facilities where a paid
instructor provides expert tutelage on a regular basis. They
attend multiple summer camps and many play on travel
teams that formally train throughout the year. They also may
receive speed and agility training.

7. Sports Then & Now
EQUIPMENT
30 Years Ago: Kids were lucky to have a glove in the family
and you shared bats with the neighbor kids. The bases were a
cracked Frisbee, a piece of cardboard or a worn out dirt spot.
Now: T-ballers have their own bats, batting helmets, batting
gloves, and bat bags to carry all their gear.
UNIFORMS
30 Years Ago: Uniforms? It was whatever you were wearing
that day. T-shirt, jeans, and an old, worn-out, sweat-stained
baseball cap with the logo from the local team.
Now: Full uniforms with names on the back of each jersey
and customized bat bags.

8. Sports Then & Now
CHOOSING TEAMS
30 Years Ago: Kids picked their own teams by choosing up
sides. The person who got the first pick, usually determined
by who had the last hand on the bat handle, got the first pick
and the other person got the next two picks.
Now: Roster is made up by coach or community league using
complicated drafts and evaluations.
RULES OF THE GAME
30 Years Ago: Kids made up their own rules to fit the
situation. If the ball goes over the house in left field it is an
automatic home run. But if it goes over the fence in right field,
where the vicious dog lives, it's an automatic out.
And YOU have to climb the fence.
Now: All rules are listed in the official Little League Rule Book.

9. Sports Then & Now
MAKING THE CLOSE CALLS
30 Years Ago: Kids got to decide all the close plays.
Sometimes the older, more dominant player said, "I get the
call or I'll beat you up." Other times the kid who brought the
ball got the call, otherwise he was going to take his ball and
go home.
Now: Uniformed paid umpires make all the calls.
DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP
30 Years Ago: You had to develop leadership skills to
influence who was on your team, getting the close calls, and
keeping your friends focused and on track so you could win
the game.
Now: Adults make 90% of the decisions in youth sports:
choosing teams, making out lineups, deciding close plays,
handling disagreements, etc.

10. Sports Then & Now
REWARDS FOR PLAYING
30 Years Ago: Kids enjoyed the intrinsic rewards of
competing and playing with friends. You had bragging rights
over your friends or the next neighborhood.
Now: Every kid now is given a shiny, new trophy in t-ball just
for showing up. They seek and have come to expect the
extrinsic rewards more so than the intrinsic.
REFRESHMENTS
30 Years Ago: Drinking out of a garden hose with hot,
rubber-tasting water when the game was done.
Now: Moms and dads are assigned "Snack" where they bring
Gatorade bottles and chips or Oreos for each player. Many
times the highlight of the game in the kids' minds is the snack
they receive, not any good plays that might have been made.

11. The Changing
Culture of Youth
Sports
Age of Participants
Specialization
Travel/Select/Elite
For the Parents
or the Children?

12. What positive aspects would you
want children to gain from youth
sports participation?

13. What positive aspects would you
want children to gain from youth
sports participation?
• FUN!!! • follow through
• self-confidence • responsibility
• self-esteem • play by the rules
• skill building • communication
• social skills • teamwork
• sportsmanship • winning/losing
• fitness • motivation
• respect • commitment
• discipline • leadership
• role model • positive outlook

14. The Sport Parent Paradox
• Parents enroll their children in sport because
they believe that sport participation has
tangible benefits – and they are right!
• It IS a fun, safe and healthy activity
• Shift Happens - Parents voluntarily sign their
children up for a fun activity and then do all
they can to eliminate the fun their children
are having
• #1 Issue - Identification

15. Identification in Today’s Youth
Sport Culture is the #1 Issue
• Identification - living through your child’s experience
but applying your own set of values
• Identification is based on outcomes
– winning
– all-star teams
– playing time
– fitting into society
Adults are Product Oriented
Who won?
Did my child play?
How many hits/tackles/points did they get?
Children are Process Oriented
Was it fun?

17. We must be
Proactive
NOT
Reactive
“He who has the gold
makes the rules!”

18. Recommendations
for Communities
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
 Holding programs accountable

19. Self
Assessment
Exercise

20. Part 1:
Adopt a Community Youth
Sports Philosophy
• What’s a community philosophy
– Should complement your existing
departmental mission statement and
general philosophies
– Hold EVERY program accountable to the
those standards
• How?
– Hold a working meeting with local leaders
to develop the philosophy
– Have leaders sign acknowledgement

21. SAMPLE:
{Community} Youth Sports Philosophy
We are committed to providing and supporting recreational
youth sports opportunities with emphasis on sportsmanship,
learning skills, positive attitude, confidence, high moral standards
and a love of the game.
We believe in the benefits and attraction of youth sports as
a means to teach the children of this community values and skills
that benefit them throughout life -physically, socially and
emotionally.
In order to realize the true value of youth sports
participation and to provide a safe, positive and fun environment
for children and their families, we must hold high standards among
our programs as well as all users of our community’s youth sports
facilities.
All participants, parents, coaches, and youth sports
administrators are expected to support this philosophy.

22. • First introduced
in 1987, revised
in 2008
• Nine standards
provide national
policy guidance
• Offers specific
policies and
procedures
• Assists decision
making process

23. Part 2:
Professional Youth Sports
Administrator
Qualifications: college degree, specific training in youth sports
administration, commitment to positive and safe sports for children,
leadership skills, excellent communication skills, highly organized
Oversees the entire youth sports operation:
– Acts as a liaison between the recreation department and community
leaders and elected officials
– Responsible for working with outside sports programs
– Ensures youth sports philosophy, policies and procedures are clearly
understood and followed by all sports program partners
– Responsible for providing or overseeing requirements for all volunteers,
including volunteer administrators and coaches
– Respond accordingly to all complaints and conflicts
– Commitment to quality – set example for community with own programs
– Stay up to date on national youth sports topics, news and trends

24. Part 2:
Professional Youth Sports
Administrator

25. Part 3:
Hold Programs Accountable
- Requirements
• Establishing Requirements
– Insurance
– Residency
– Purpose Statement
– Established Non-Profit
– Volunteer Training (Administrators, Coaches,
Officials)
– Volunteer Screening
– Defined Parent Orientation
– Signed Acknowledgement of policies & philosophies

26. Part 3:
Hold Programs Accountable
- Oversight
Sanctioning/Eligibility Process
• Qualifying for field use
Prioritizing/Approval of Field Use
• Prioritizing Use
• Oversight of the process
• Permitting procedures
Annual Sports Partners Meeting
• Scheduled Annual (minimal) Meeting
• Attendance Requirements
• Review Procedures/Philosophy
• Updating Documents
• Verification of Requirements
Site Visits – Spot Checks
• Philosophy being upheld????

27. Tools to Utilize
• Recommendations for Communities
• National Standards For Youth Sports
• Professional Development for Youth
Sports Administrators
• Training for Volunteer League Leaders
• Training for Volunteer Coaches
• Orientation for Parents
• Effective Screening Program
• Evaluation Systems (Coach & League)

28. NYSAA Overview
• Volunteer Coach Management
• Participants/Kids
• Officials
• Dealing with Parents
• Volunteer Boards
• Protecting Yourself from Embezzlement
• Youth Sports & the Law
• Other Topics:
– Insurance
– Child Abuse Prevention
– Fundraising
– Marketing/Social Networking

29. Every NYSAA member gets a personalized
website with tons of tools and resources…

30. It’s not just about
coach training…
Four components of providing quality youth
sports programs:
1. Screening – Guidelines & Management
2. Training – Live and Online Clinics – continuing
education – membership benefits - value
3. Evaluation – Coach Rating System
4. Accountability – Code of Conduct/
Reporting & Revocation Procedures

31. Now at NAYS.org, every NYSCA member
gets a personalized website with
tons of tools and resources…

32. Member area
highlights…
Coach Ratings:
Provides feedback from parent
evaluations all season long
SportingKid Magazine:
Youth sport magazine packed
with news, tips & expert info
Skills & Drills:
Video and printable exercises
for practice preparation
Coaching Forum:
Ask questions & share
knowledge with over 150,000
NYSCA members
Educational Resources:
Additional content relevant to
coaching youth sports

34. Chapter Management
Establishing a chapter gives you access to a
number of tools to ensures your youth sports
volunteer workforce is made up of
quality, reliable individuals. In addition to the
NYSCA coach training program you have
access to:
• Background Screening & Management
• Online Evaluation Tool
• Accountability Policies and Procedures
Plus many other youth sports resources

35. Manage your Coaches
View members :
All relevant
information is
available in one
database

36. Manage your Coaches
Select a member
for more detailed
information:
Edit
information, check
background
information or
initiate an online
evaluation for a
coach.

37. Background Screening
Use NAYS
program:
If you register for
the NAYS system
you can view
results in the
Chapter
Management
system*
*stored securely by
screening company
Using your own
screening
system:
Chapters can enter
their own screening
results so that they
can be viewed in
the system as well

38. “Rate Your Coach” Evaluations
View All Results:
Historical results
can be exported to
a spreadsheet for
management.
View Individual
Results:
Results can be used
to follow-up with
coach complaints
or to reward
coaches for great
service.
View Categories:
You and coaches
will be able to see
the areas where
they need to
improve their
coaching.

42. Our Vision for Every
Community
Certified Youth Sports Administrator
Trained League Administrators
and/or Professional Staff
Screened, Trained, Evaluated Coaches/Volunteers held
Accountable for their actions
Knowledgeable Parents
Working Together for the KIDS

43. www.nays.org
John Engh Kate Dilworth
jengh@nays.org kdilworth@nays.org