Key Takeaways
- 84% of youth sports parents hold positive sentiment toward brand sponsorship, with only 3% expressing negative views
- Parents are 1.5x more likely to pay attention to a brand sponsoring their child’s program than one sponsoring a pro team they care about
- 68% of parents say they’re more likely to purchase from a youth sports sponsor than a pro sports sponsor
- Youth sports sponsorship delivers 2.5x the attention of influencer marketing and 1.6x the attention of TV commercials
- 80% of parents will choose a sponsor’s brand over a competitor when cost and quality are equal
- The study was commissioned by Priority Partnerships, a sports sponsorship agency based in Portland, Oregon, and conducted by YouGov Sport, a global leader in sports and consumer research.
The full study is available for download
Study Establishes Youth Sports as a Top-Performing Marketing Channel
A new national study from YouGov and Priority Partnerships positions youth sports sponsorship as one of the most effective channels for brands seeking to reach parents, bringing quantitative rigor to a category that has historically operated without comprehensive performance data.
“The ROI of Sponsorship in Youth Sports,” commissioned by Priority Partnerships and conducted by YouGov Sport, surveyed 1,345 U.S. adults, including 922 youth sports parents, between November 14 and December 8, 2025. The research examined how parents perceive and respond to brand sponsorship across multiple marketing channels.
The findings show youth sports sponsorship outperforming professional sports, television, digital media, and influencer marketing across key metrics including attention, trust, consideration, and purchase intent.
“The size of the gap was the real takeaway,” said Dan Scheinman, President of Priority Partnerships. “When parents compared channels, youth sports stood in a class of its own.”
How Youth Sports Compares to Other Marketing Channels
The study asked parents to rate their likelihood of paying attention to various advertising and sponsorship formats. Sponsoring a child’s youth sports program ranked first at 81%, followed by sponsoring a local or national youth sports program at 61%.
By comparison, sponsoring a professional sports team the parent cares about captured 54% net likelihood, while sponsoring a festival or event reached 56%. Social and digital media came in at 52%, TV commercials at 51%, and influencer marketing at 32%.
The data reveals a 1.5x attention advantage for youth sports over pro sports and a 2.5x advantage over influencer marketing among youth sports parents.
Within sports sponsorship specifically, youth sports also led when compared against individual professional leagues. NFL team sponsorship captured 52% attention likelihood, NBA at 45%, MLB at 44%, and MLS at 36%. College sports reached 53%.
Personal Connection Drives the Youth Sports Advantage
The study found that personal relevance significantly amplifies sponsorship effectiveness. When a brand sponsors a parent’s child’s specific program, attention likelihood reaches 81%. When the sponsorship involves a youth sports program with no direct connection to the family, that figure drops to 61%, a 20-percentage-point gap.
This pattern held across other metrics. Parents reported being nearly 2.5x more likely to select “very likely” for attention when asked about their child’s program compared to a pro sports team they care about.
The research suggests that proximity and emotional connection to the sponsored property, not just the category itself, drive much of the performance difference.
Full-Funnel Impact: From Attention to Purchase
Beyond awareness, the study measured youth sports sponsorship performance across the full marketing funnel.
When asked about their response to learning about a brand through a youth sports sponsorship in their community, 71% of parents said they were likely to pay attention, 73% were likely to consider the brand, and 60% said they were likely to purchase. Loyalty metrics were lower but still substantial, with 46% indicating likelihood of ongoing brand loyalty.
When asked to compare youth sports and pro sports sponsorship directly, 68% of parents said they were more likely to purchase from a brand sponsoring their child’s program than one sponsoring their favorite professional team. Trust showed a 59% preference for youth sports, and engagement reached 74%.
Perhaps most striking: 80% of parents said that when comparing two products of similar cost and quality, they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program.
Parent Sentiment: A Brand-Safe Environment
One of the study’s most definitive findings concerns parent attitudes toward sponsorship in youth sports.
84% of youth sports parents expressed positive sentiment toward the idea of brands sponsoring youth sports teams and programs. Just 3% held negative views, with the remaining 13% neutral.
Among the general population, sentiment remained favorable at 57% net positive, with only 7% expressing negative attitudes.
The study frames this as a rare alignment between consumer approval and brand participation, noting that negative sentiment is low enough to ensure a brand-safe environment for advertisers.
A $30 Billion Industry With Fragmentation Challenges
The study arrives as youth sports continues to grow as an economic force. The industry is estimated at more than $30 billion annually in the United States and touches tens of millions of families each year.
Yet despite its scale, youth sports remains highly fragmented. Scheinman noted that while the opportunity is significant, meaningful barriers exist. Relatively few youth sports properties have the infrastructure, professionalism, and scale to support the multi-market sponsorship programs that national brands typically require.
The release of this study also comes amid ongoing concern about access and affordability in youth sports. According to the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2025 report, children from higher-income households participate in organized sports at dramatically higher rates than those from lower-income families, a gap driven largely by cost.
Brand sponsorship investment could help address that gap. The study notes that youth sports sponsorship represents a rare alignment between business performance and positive community impact, with brand investment helping fuel programs that make sports more accessible and affordable for children and families.
What This Means for Brands Targeting Parents
The data positions youth sports not as a niche sponsorship category but as a mainstream marketing channel for reaching parents.
The study’s conclusion is direct: youth sports offers one of the most efficient and effective advertising channels to reach and influence parents. Across attention, trust, consideration, and purchase, the channel consistently outperformed traditional and digital alternatives.
“This research begs a simple question for brands,” Scheinman said. “If your goal is to reach parents, why wouldn’t you be in youth sports?”
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Are you a brand looking to tap into the world’s most passionate fanbase… youth sports?
Introducing Play Up Partners, a leading youth sports marketing agency connecting brands with the power of youth sports. We specialize in youth sports sponsorships, partnerships, and activations that drive measurable results.
About Play Up Partners
Play Up Partners is a leading youth sports marketing agency connecting brands with the power of youth sports. We specialize in youth sports sponsorships, partnerships, and activations that drive measurable results.
Why Sponsor Youth Sports?
Youth sports represents one of the most engaged and passionate audiences in sports marketing. With over 70 million young athletes and their families participating annually, the youth sports industry offers brands unparalleled access to motivated communities with strong purchasing power and loyalty.
What Does Play Up Partners Do?
We’ve done the heavy lifting to untangle the complex youth sports landscape so our brand partners can engage with clarity, confidence, and impact. Our vetted network of accredited youth sports organizations (from local leagues to national tournaments and operators) allows us to create flexible, scalable programs that evolve with the market.
Our Approach
Every partnership we build is rooted in authenticity and value creation. We don’t just broker deals. We craft youth sports marketing strategies that:
- Deliver measurable ROI for brand partners
- Create meaningful experiences for athletes and families
- Elevate the youth sports ecosystem
Our Vision
We’re positioning youth sports as the most desirable and effective platform in sports marketing. Our mission is simple: MAKE YOUTH SPORTS BETTER for athletes, families, organizations, and brand partners.
Common Questions About Youth Sports Marketing
Where can I sponsor youth sports? How do I activate in youth sports? What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? How much does youth sports sponsorship cost?
We have answers. Reach out to info@playuppartners.com to learn how Play Up Partners can help your brand navigate the youth sports landscape.
Youth sports organizations: Interested in partnership opportunities? Reach out to learn about our accreditation process.
