Key Takeaways
- MLS NEXT drill videos and practice plans are now live only on TeamSnap platforms, covering players from U13 through U19.
- The curriculum was filmed at San Diego Soccer Academy, home of San Diego FC, the league’s newest club.
- TeamSnap reports more than 19,000 organizations and over 30 million parents, players and coaches across its platforms.
- TeamSnap first partnered with Major League Soccer in 2023, after acquiring MOJO Sports, whose app now carries the new curriculum.
What Youth Soccer Coaches Get in the New MLS NEXT Curriculum
TeamSnap and Major League Soccer announced on August 6, 2026 an exclusive training curriculum built from MLS NEXT material and delivered inside the TeamSnap app. The companies said the package includes custom soccer drill videos and in-depth practice plans drawn from the age-appropriate tactical coaching philosophy MLS NEXT applies to players U13 through U19.
Coaches of teams U13 and older can access the material now, according to the announcement. It sits on three TeamSnap properties: the flagship TeamSnap app, MOJO, and TeamSnap ONE, which the company calls its most cutting-edge product. One of the new sessions, an MLS NEXT drill labeled Attack the Box 4.2, is already live.
This is not the first content release of the year. TeamSnap said the launch builds on individual training videos from MLS GO, the league’s recreational program for ages 4 to 14, and on more advanced at-home MLS NEXT training that went out earlier this spring. Neither company disclosed financial terms.
Why the Curriculum Was Filmed at San Diego FC’s Academy
The new sessions were produced at the San Diego Soccer Academy, home of San Diego FC, the newest franchise in Major League Soccer, per the announcement. The videos feature competitive players from across Southern California and coaches affiliated with MLS.
Ali Curtis, EVP of Sporting Development at MLS and President of MLS NEXT Pro, framed the release as an access play. “Major League Soccer’s partnership with TeamSnap represents another important step in our commitment to growing the game by making high-quality coaching resources more accessible to families, players, and coaches across the country,” Curtis said in the announcement.
MLS NEXT launched in 2020 and operates as the league’s elite youth development platform in North America.
How TeamSnap’s Scale Shapes the Distribution Math
TeamSnap says it has operated in youth sports technology for more than 15 years, covering over 100 sports and activities, with 19,000-plus organizations and more than 30 million parents, players and coaches on its platforms. The company also reports that brands have committed over $20 million in youth sports sponsorships through TeamSnap.
Soccer is one lane in a wider content library. TeamSnap partners with Major League Baseball, Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA, NFL FLAG and the Premier Lacrosse League, plus Positive Coaching Alliance and Nike, and its training video library now spans soccer, baseball, softball, flag football, basketball, lacrosse, ice hockey and volleyball.
Peter Frintzilas, CEO of TeamSnap, said the two organizations are putting tools and insights from top North American coaches and teams directly into users’ hands.
One App Now Runs From Age 4 Rec Drills to U19 Tactics
With MLS GO videos for 4 to 14 year olds and MLS NEXT sessions for U13 through U19 living in the same product, TeamSnap has assembled a soccer content ladder that follows a player from a first rec season to a pre-professional academy environment, all under exclusive terms. For MLS, it puts league-branded methodology in front of volunteer coaches who will never touch an academy sideline.
The open question is adoption. Neither company released usage figures for the MLS GO or spring MLS NEXT releases, so the clearest measure of whether pro curriculum travels to rec fields is still unpublished.
Source: PR Newswire, August 6, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teamsnap-and-major-league-soccer-deepen-partnership-with-exclusive-training-content-for-mls-next-and-mls-go-coaches-and-players-302844199.html
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About Youth Sports Business Report
Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
