Key Takeaways
- Masters Academy International broke ground on a $25 million, 38,000-square-foot sports pavilion in Stow, Massachusetts, scheduled to open in fall 2027
- A planned second phase would add roughly 16,000 square feet and two more courts, bringing the facility to approximately 54,000 square feet
- The pavilion will house MAI’s boys and girls basketball programs, including the only boys team in New England competing in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League
- The groundbreaking comes about one month after the boarding and day school welcomed its inaugural class in September 2026
Masters Academy International announced on October 10 that it has broken ground on a new sports pavilion at its campus in Stow, Massachusetts. The Masters Academy International sports pavilion carries a $25 million price tag, spans 38,000 square feet in its first phase, and is scheduled to open for the fall 2027 semester, according to the school. The facility is designed to serve as a training, competition and recovery hub for MAI student-athletes while expanding the school’s capacity to host games, tournaments and other athletic events.
What the First Phase of the Sports Pavilion Includes
Phase one centers on two regulation high school basketball courts that can be reconfigured into a single championship collegiate-size court, per the announcement. Around the courts, the building will include dedicated locker rooms for MAI’s basketball, baseball, soccer and lacrosse programs, plus visiting team locker rooms, an athletic training room, coaching offices, a video and film room, and concessions.
The school said the design anticipates future growth. A planned second phase would add approximately 16,000 square feet and two additional courts, bringing the completed facility to roughly 54,000 square feet and four courts. No timeline or budget for phase two was disclosed.
“This pavilion represents another major investment in our commitment to providing student-athletes with the resources, facilities and support they need to pursue excellence at the highest level,” said Peter Masters, co-founder of Masters Academy International, in the announcement.
A Dedicated Home for a Nationally Scheduled Basketball Program
The pavilion will serve as the home court for MAI’s boys and girls basketball programs. The boys team is the only program in New England competing nationally in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League, according to the school, a circuit that puts MAI on the floor against some of the top scholastic programs and players in the country.
“For our boys program, competing in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League means going up against some of the best programs and players in the country, and this facility will give our student-athletes an environment that matches the level of competition we expect them to face,” said John Carroll, director of basketball at Masters Academy International.
For operators watching the prep and academy segment, the hosting capacity is worth noting. A facility built to tournament spec with visiting locker rooms positions MAI to bring outside events to Stow, not just home games.
One Month After Opening Day, the Stow Campus Is Expanding
MAI opened its doors to its first students in September 2026, which means the school committed $25 million to new athletic infrastructure roughly one month into its operating history. The school describes its model as combining rigorous academics with elite-level athletic training so students are not forced to compromise one for the other, and the pavilion is the most visible capital expression of that pitch to date.
Construction is expected to continue throughout the 2026-27 academic year, per the school. The next confirmed milestone is fall 2027, when the pavilion is scheduled to welcome student-athletes, with a possible four-court, 54,000-square-foot buildout still on the drawing board behind it.
Source: Masters Academy International, October 10, 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 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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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.
