Key Takeaways
- MADE Hoops and WhatsApp are rolling out dedicated channels at 10 events this season, starting with the Girls New England Preview on October 24.
- The partnership formalizes a tool MADE already used to reach attendees across its 150+ annual events, per the release.
- Both companies said the program may grow into year-round team, program, and community channels across the MADE platform.
MADE Hoops announced a partnership with WhatsApp on October 22, 2026, launching dedicated channels that deliver real-time updates to parents, coaches, and program directors across its grassroots basketball ecosystem. The channels have already begun rolling out and will appear at 10 MADE Hoops events this season, per the release, beginning with the Girls New England Preview on October 24 and 25 in Walpole, Massachusetts.
Inside the MADE Hoops WhatsApp Partnership
The dedicated channels push real-time information directly to coaches, parents, and program directors, the groups managing travel, schedules, and logistics around every event weekend. Two events are confirmed on the initial calendar, per the release:
- Girls New England Preview, October 24 to 25, 2026, in Walpole, Massachusetts
- East Winter Circuit Session 1, December 5 to 6, 2026, in Williamsburg, Virginia
MADE said the initiative may extend to additional events and could eventually support year-round team, program, and community channels across its platform. That is the detail for operators to track: event-weekend channels solve a scheduling and logistics problem, while year-round channels would extend the same communication layer well beyond competition dates.
Why Is MADE Hoops Formalizing Its WhatsApp Use?
This is an upgrade rather than a cold start. MADE was already using WhatsApp to communicate with its basketball community, and the release describes the app as an increasingly effective way to reach attendees quickly. The partnership converts that informal usage into a structured, co-branded program.
“Providing a world-class experience begins well before an athlete ever sets foot on one of our courts,” said Chad Babel, founder and CEO of MADE Hoops. He said the goal is for players, coaches, and parents to spend less time on logistics and more time on training, game play, and player development.
Jennie Morel, Head of Brand Marketing at WhatsApp, said the channels can serve everything from a single team chat to a channel reaching thousands of families nationwide, calling great communication the foundation of great communities.
The Platform Behind the Deal
MADE Hoops runs more than 150 events across the United States each year, drawing thousands of elite youth players from 35 states along with international participants, according to the company. Founded in 2014 by Babel, the platform is backed by investors including LRMR Ventures, Boardroom, and SC Holdings.
The fit works in both directions. For WhatsApp, the deal puts the app in front of a high-frequency messaging audience: youth sports families coordinating travel, game times, and venue changes across a national calendar. For MADE, it standardizes communication across an operation large enough that fragmented group texts and email chains carry real operational drag.
Walpole First, Then the Year-Round Question
The confirmed scope is 10 events this season out of the more than 150 MADE stages annually, a pilot-scale rollout with stated room to grow. Year-round team and community channels are described in the release as a possibility, not a commitment. The first live test arrives fast: the Girls New England Preview tips off October 24 in Walpole, two days after the announcement.
Source: MADE Hoops, October 22, 2026
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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.
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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.
