Op-ed from Renata Simril – President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation, and Founder & President of the Play Equity Fund
“The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever. Commercial returns become a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors.” Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) statement
When news broke of FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors after the most profitable tournament in the sport’s history, the backlash was swift and severe. Confederations, federations, players and fans called it an existential threat to football. There were resignations and calls for boycotts. The plan was scrapped. Now we wait to see whether Infantino survives the challenges to his leadership.
The objection wasn’t really about money. Football has never been shy about money. It was about ownership of something people believe belongs to them, and the fear that once a tournament becomes an asset on someone’s balance sheet, the decisions that shape it stop being made to preserve the legacy of the beautiful game.
My work with the LA84 Foundation and Play Equity Fund keeps me inside the American youth sports ecosystem, where private equity has been buying leagues, tournament operators, facilities and technology platforms for years, at scale, with almost none of the noise. I have been struck by the irony.
If outside ownership is too destructive for a tournament played by professional adults, how is it acceptable for the Saturday morning game for eight-year-olds? Youth sports are a public good, where kids develop physically, emotionally, socially and academically, and first learn fairness and belonging.
The difference isn’t the money. It’s who has the standing to say no. Football had a way to refuse: UEFA, other international federations, players, supporters, with a press corps to carry it. American youth sports have no equivalent. Ours is a fragmented system of thousands of independent clubs, leagues, tournament operators and facility owners, accountable to no governing body, yet whose charter includes the health and development of young people. Families feel the price increases one registration at a time, and there is no room where they can vote no.
That’s beginning to change. The Congressional hearings in Washington, D.C. addressing the “Let Kids Play Act” now in a House education subcommittee put private equity’s role on the record. Democratic and Republican leaders alike warned that privatizing youth sports for profit will keep straining household budgets and pushing access out of reach for more families.
We should be honest about how the opening was made. Building access and opportunity in youth sports hasn’t been a government funding priority, and it is evident. Even the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee must rely on private fundraising and sponsorships, though the growth of amateur sports is part of its charter. Public purpose, private money.
So, the question isn’t whether private capital belongs in youth sports. It’s already here, and it isn’t leaving. All private investment isn’t bad. Private-public partnerships can be a game changer for infrastructure. And technology deserves more credit than it gets. The platforms that absorb registration, scheduling and payments lower the cost of running a league, which lowers the cost of playing in one for families.
Yet the striking visual of the rejection of world soccer at every level remains, with FIFA reversing its course, while across the United States youth sports feel the squeeze of private equity’s pursuit of profit.
I’ve said for years that the only PE that belongs in youth sports is play equity. The two make opposite promises about the same child: private equity can treat her participation as a revenue line, play equity as something her community is responsible for protecting.
Football found its voice because someone had the standing to speak for the game. American youth sports don’t have a UEFA and probably shouldn’t want one, but they can have a coalition that behaves like one: local and state government, school districts, grassroots organizations, philanthropic funders, and private investors willing to build with guardrails. The Youth Sports for All Act in California is our opportunity to prove it can be done.
This systemic crisis is no longer hiding in plain sight. The choice was never between private money and no money. It is between capital that expands the field and capital that extracts from it; and whether government accepts its responsibility to protect play as a public good.
Football’s guardians looked at the World Cup and decided some things are not for sale. Every eight-year-old in this country deserves that same conviction, and we are the ones who have to supply it.
California can lead, as an example. Let’s build the field together.
Renata Simril is President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation, and Founder & President of the
Play Equity Fund. She is a national leader in sport for social impact.
Photo: AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File
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.
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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.
