Key Takeaways
- GameChanger reaches nearly 10 million youth games and over 1 million teams each year, per the company’s announcement.
- OnePay becomes the platform’s Official Banking and Fintech Partner starting in 2027, unveiled on stage at Advertising Week New York.
- OnePay offers banking, high-yield savings, credit cards, lending, investing, and crypto, with banking services provided by Coastal Community Bank or Lead Bank.
A Fintech Brand Enters the GameChanger Community
GameChanger, the youth sports streaming and team management app owned by DICK’S Sporting Goods, has named OnePay its Official Banking and Fintech Partner for 2027. The GameChanger OnePay partnership was announced on stage at Advertising Week New York, according to a release from GameChanger.
The deal pairs one of the largest digital platforms in youth sports with a consumer fintech company built around family finances. GameChanger covers nearly 10 million games annually across more than 1 million teams, per the company, with live streaming, scorekeeping, statistics, and scheduling tools available on iOS, Android, and the web.
“Youth sports are an important part of life for millions of families, and we’re thoughtful about the brands we bring into the GameChanger community,” said Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner, Chief Commercial Officer at GameChanger, in the announcement.
What OnePay Brings to Youth Sports Families
OnePay is an all-in-one financial services platform offering banking, high-yield savings, credit cards, point-of-sale lending, investment, and crypto products, according to the company. OnePay is a financial technology company, not a bank; its banking services are provided by Coastal Community Bank or Lead Bank, Members FDIC.
In its own announcement, OnePay framed the deal as a match between two companies serving the same households: GameChanger connects families to their athlete’s season, while OnePay manages the financial side of family life. The company said it is developing plans for what the partnership will offer families in the upcoming spring season.
A 2027 Start With the Playbook Still Open
The partnership officially begins in 2027, and both companies said additional details will be announced later. For now, the headline asset is clear: OnePay gains category exclusivity as the banking and fintech partner inside an app that touches nearly 10 million youth games a year. What the activation actually looks like for the families watching those games is the next announcement to wait for.
Source: GameChanger, https://gc.com/partner-news/gamechanger-names-onepay-its-official-banking-and-fintech-partner-for-2027
Source: OnePay, Jess Williams, https://www.onepay.com/newsroom/onepay-gamechangers
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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.
Youth Sports Business Report resources
- Newsletter: Subscribe to Youth Sports HQ, the most-read newsletter on the business of youth sports, delivering curated youth sports industry news and analysis to thousands of industry leaders every week.
- Research: Read the Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, an exclusive YSBR and Kinetica Group analysis of market size, parent spending, and marketplace opportunities.
- Jobs: Browse the YSBR Youth Sports Job Board, the most comprehensive destination for careers in youth sports, with hundreds of active listings across facility management, league operations, coaching, sports technology, and marketing.
- Services: Find vetted partners and solutions for your organization in the YSBR Services Hub, connecting youth sports operators, brands, and investors with verified providers across the industry.
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Check out Jr. Sports Marketing on YouTube or Spotify
Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
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.
