Key Takeaways
- 74% of youth sports parents say the industry is headed in the right direction, per FGS Global’s August 2026 survey of 2,030 U.S. sports fans
- Five separate parent concerns each polled at 85% or higher, led by injury risk from early intensive training at 87%
- Only 34% of parents are very concerned about a lack of national oversight, leaving accountability with private operators rather than Washington
- Affordability ranked as the top long-term threat to American sports overall, cited by 30% of fans
FULL REPORT HERE
Parents See Problems and Keep Paying Anyway
FGS Global, the strategic advisory firm, released its first FGS Scouting Report on August 4, 2026, a national youth sports survey and broader fan study conducted by research firm RepData among 2,030 U.S. sports fans from April 29 to May 8, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2%.
The youth sports findings land on a tension operators will recognize. Concern levels are the highest of any sector in the report, yet 74% of parents of youth athletes say youth sports are still heading in the right direction, and 50% of non-parents agree. As the report puts it, participation remains an unquestionably good thing in parents’ eyes, “and they’re willing to pay for it.”
The concerns themselves are broad and nearly uniform. Per the survey, 87% of parents are concerned about injuries and long-term physical health risks from early intensive training, 86% about pressure on young athletes to perform for money or scholarships, 85% about coaches or adults abusing positions of authority, 85% about mental health pressures including anxiety and burnout, and 85% about the rising cost of participation. Non-parents track within a few points on every item.
No One Is Asking Washington to Fix It
The report frames youth sports as an industry that has moved from a public good delivered cheaply by local parks departments to a marketplace where operators compete for parents’ resources and kids compete for travel team spots.
That shift has not produced demand for federal involvement. Only 34% of parents of youth athletes are very concerned about a lack of national oversight, according to the survey. FGS Global’s read is that private operators, regardless of size, are the ones expected to keep kids safe and provide positive environments, because fans are not looking to Washington to do it.
The same ambivalence shows up across the full study. Fans expressed no consensus on what Congress should prioritize in sports regulation, with top options clustering at 19% to 20%. College sports was the lone area where respondents showed real openness to congressional intervention.
Culture, Not Just Cost, Is the Reputational Opening
Affordability is the headline threat across the industry. Rising ticket prices and the cost of attending games ranked as the top long-term threat to American sports at 30%, per the report, and the rising cost of youth sports participation drew 85% parent concern.
But FGS Global’s guidance to youth sports organizations goes past pricing. The firm advises that operators can make meaningful reputational gains by demonstrating how they are making the culture of youth sports less cutthroat and more positive for kids at all skill levels, citing mental health support, fun practices, and guaranteed days off as examples. The recommended messaging center, per the report: the child’s experience, with emphasis on safety, fun, access, and inclusion.
“As the sports industry continues to experience significant transformation, fans want its leaders to protect the integrity of the game above all else,” said Drew Brown, a Partner in FGS Global’s New York office, in the announcement.
An 87% Concern Rate That Still Converts to Registrations
The report’s youth sports math is unusual: concern levels that would read as a crisis in most industries, paired with three in four parents affirming the direction of travel. FGS Global’s conclusion is that trust now belongs to whoever operates closest to the field, since fans across the study gave leagues, teams, and universities far more confidence than Congress at 30% or private equity at 35%. The full FGS Scouting Report is available at FGSGlobal.com/scoutingreport, and the open question it leaves for operators is which of them will treat an 87% injury-concern rate as a positioning opportunity before a competitor does.
Source: FGS Global, August 4, 2026, https://www.fgsglobal.com/scoutingreport
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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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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.
