Key Takeaways
- Carvana will remain the front-of-kit sponsor on all Rush Soccer game jerseys under a multi-year extension of the deal that began in 2025.
- The partners are adding a $200,000 youth soccer scholarship fund, with applications opening January 1, 2027 through local Rush clubs.
- Rush Soccer’s domestic network includes more than 60,000 players, with 125 clubs and 50 countries in its global footprint, per the organization.
- New custom-designed Carvana-branded jerseys will debut across the Rush network in January 2027.
Carvana (NYSE: CVNA) and Rush Soccer announced a multi-year extension of their partnership on October 13, 2026, and attached a new $200,000 youth soccer scholarship fund to the renewal. The e-commerce auto retailer keeps its position as front-of-kit sponsor on all Rush Soccer game jerseys, a placement that reaches more than 60,000 players across Rush’s domestic network, according to the announcement.
The original agreement began in 2025. The extension continues Carvana activations at select Rush events and content collaborations across Rush Nation, the organization’s club community.
A Kit Sponsorship Covering 60,000 Players
Rush Soccer describes itself as the largest youth soccer organization in the world, with 125 clubs and more than 60,000 players in 50 countries. In the United States, that scale gives Carvana a single sponsorship asset with national jersey visibility across every Rush game, a structure far more common in professional soccer than at the youth club level.
New custom-designed team jerseys featuring Carvana’s branding will be unveiled in January 2027, per the announcement. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the extension.
How Will the $200,000 Scholarship Fund Work?
The scholarship fund is the new element in the renewal. Carvana and Rush Soccer said the $200,000 fund is designed to reduce financial barriers for players across the Rush network. Applications open January 1, 2027, and families will apply through their local Rush Soccer club. Local clubs will then work directly with Rush Soccer to identify and award recipients each season.
That structure routes the money through the club layer rather than a central application pool, keeping award decisions close to the families and coaches who know where cost is actually blocking participation.
“The scholarship fund helps ensure cost isn’t what keeps a kid from playing,” said Justin Miller, CEO of Rush Soccer. “Together, Carvana and Rush are setting the standard for what a partnership in youth sports should look like.”
Carvana’s Case for Staying on the Jersey
For Carvana, the renewal extends a consumer brand play into its second multi-year cycle with the same youth sports property. Since launching in 2013, more than 4 million customers have used Carvana’s platform to shop, sell, finance, and trade in vehicles online, the company said.
“We’ve seen how much being part of a team can mean to young athletes, and we’re excited to add the scholarship fund as part of our sponsorship to help more kids get on the field and experience that for themselves,” said Ryan Keeton, Carvana Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer.
The pairing of a visibility asset with an access program is the detail worth watching for other national brands evaluating youth sports. The jersey delivers reach; the scholarship fund gives the sponsorship a participation story that renews every season, with measurable recipients at the local level.
New Kits and First Scholarships Arrive the Same Month
January 2027 now carries both milestones: the unveiling of the redesigned Carvana-branded jerseys and the opening of scholarship applications on January 1. The companies have not announced how many scholarships the $200,000 fund will support per season or whether the fund will be replenished annually. How far that money stretches across a 60,000-player network will be the first real measure of what this renewal delivers.
Source: Business Wire, October 13, 2026, https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261013228729/en/Carvana-and-Rush-Soccer-Extend-Multi-Year-Partnership-Launch-Youth-Soccer-Scholarship-Fund
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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.
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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.
