Key Takeaways
🤝 Strategic partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and community organizations maximize reach and program sustainability
♿ Accessibility-first design removes financial, physical, and logistical barriers while expanding adaptive programming opportunities
🎯 Youth-centered programming amplifies young voices through leadership roles and decision-making opportunities
👨🏫 Coach and parent education creates multiplier effects that extend impact far beyond direct participants
🏘️ Community-specific solutions address unique local needs rather than one-size-fits-all approaches
🔄 Built-in sustainability focuses on knowledge transfer and internal capacity building for long-term success
The 2025 Project Play Champions program has recognized outstanding organizations that are reimagining youth sports through innovative approaches, increased accessibility, and youth-centered programming. Now partnering with Nickelodeon Our World, the program has expanded to include schools and community organizations, each receiving $1,000 awards to support their groundbreaking initiatives.
Building Youth Agency Through Sports
At the heart of the Champions program is the concept of youth agency—empowering young people to make decisions and drive change in their lives and communities. This means giving kids the power to choose what they want to play individually, while also providing opportunities for collective action like starting new clubs or developing their own programming.
2025 Champions: Leading Innovation Across Multiple Sectors
Adaptive and Inclusive Sports
Adaptive Sports Northwest is breaking barriers by introducing frame running and frame soccer to youth with physical disabilities in Oregon and Southwest Washington. These lightweight running frames provide balance and support, enabling children who typically use walkers or crutches to compete on tracks and fields.
Bethany Children’s Health Center addresses Oklahoma’s gap in adaptive sports by launching ParaSports Oklahoma in September 2025. Their comprehensive approach includes bi-monthly clinics featuring esports, wheelchair basketball, adaptive track and field, pickleball, and swimming.
City Schools Sports Association has pioneered inclusive athletics by integrating certified ASL interpreters into all aspects of athletic participation at the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York City, offering three seasons of sports programming.
Community-Centered Programming
Arlington Soccer’s Community Kickers program demonstrates effective partnership models, collaborating with housing nonprofits to provide free soccer programming to over 3,000 families in affordable housing units throughout Arlington.
Chicago Run has innovated with their Junior Coach Program, creating paid leadership opportunities for high school alumni to mentor younger participants while gaining professional development experience.
Baseball Beyond Borders is establishing in-town leagues in King and Pierce County, Washington, eliminating travel barriers and building stronger local connections for underserved youth of color.
Creative Facility Solutions
Boston Scores realized a decade-long vision by opening a multi-field soccer complex and Coach Mentor Training Institute in East Boston, creating a comprehensive hub for youth development that emphasizes trauma-informed care and social-emotional learning.
Girl Scouts Troop #3402 partnered with Irving Elementary School in Illinois to build an ADA-compliant Gaga Ball pit, bringing this popular camp activity to a community where none previously existed.
Sport Sampling and Discovery
Great Lakes Regional Field Hockey launched “Gym Class Takeovers,” providing 50-minute sessions that emphasize exploratory play and skill discovery while training PE teachers to incorporate field hockey into long-term curriculum.
p1440 Foundation expanded their Gives Back program, combining beach volleyball instruction with social-emotional learning to help students connect with their inner voice and develop self-advocacy skills.
Santa Barbara Youth Ultimate created specialized clinics for girls ages 10-12, focusing on the sport’s unique “Spirit of the Game” philosophy in pressure-free environments.
Rural and Underserved Communities
Nooksack Valley School District transformed recess at Everson Elementary by implementing a running club on a previously closed gravel track, using QR codes to help students track their progress and set personal goals.
Chandler Park Conservancy launched Detroit’s first comprehensive skateboarding program for underrepresented youth, providing equipment, safety workshops, and structured mentorship over a six-month period.
Parent and Family Engagement
Family Leadership Experience at Middletown YMCA created “Let’s Talk Sports,” a four-session program that uses game-based dynamics to facilitate meaningful conversations between parents and children about sports preferences and interests.
Sporting Brookside established the Soccer Parenting Resource Center and Sideline Project, providing parents with expert guidance while creating codes of conduct that support referees and coaches.
Collaborative Models
St. William Athletics Association pioneered a multi-school partnership model, combining four Catholic schools in Cincinnati to create Westside Catholic Baseball, ensuring sufficient players and resources while keeping fees at $50 maximum per season.
Flag Star Football Foundation developed a “coach the coaches” model with DC Prep, starting practices a month early to transfer knowledge and create sustainable programming within the school system.
Research and Development
Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation is developing a comprehensive handbook for coaches focused on fostering mental resilience in young athletes, combining educational content with practical scenarios for real-world application.
Casper Ice Arena launched an All Summer Hockey Program that goes beyond skill development, incorporating educational workshops, art creation, and alternative physical activities to build well-rounded confidence in participants.
The Project Play Champions network, now exceeding 160 organizations, demonstrates that innovation in youth sports comes from understanding local community needs and developing creative solutions that put young people at the center of the experience.
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