After doubling participation two consecutive years, SPIRE taps former US Sports Camps executive Jason West to lead expansion from its 800-acre Ohio campus
Youth Sports Business Report | Exclusive Q&A
Key Takeaways
- SPIRE Academy has doubled camp participation two consecutive years and launches its expanded 2026 multi-sport camps platform across six sports.
- Former US Sports Camps Chief Strategy Officer Jason West, with nearly 30 years of national camp-building experience, has been appointed to lead SPIRE’s camp expansion.
- Camps are structured as entry points into SPIRE’s broader ecosystem, feeding a pipeline that includes a full-time academy, performance research institute, leagues, and national events.
- The 2026 coaching roster features Kevin Boyle (basketball), Paul Smalley (soccer, FIFA/UEFA background), Olympic gold medalist Tim Mack, and three-time Olympic medalist Kerron Stewart (track and field).
- SPIRE’s 800-acre campus includes 850,000+ sq. ft. of indoor training space, hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, and draws participants from over 35 countries.
A Permanent Campus Model in a Fragmented Camp Market
SPIRE Academy, located in Geneva and Harpersfield Township, Ohio, has launched its 2026 SPIRE Camps platform with expanded multi-sport programming and dedicated national leadership. The move comes after the academy doubled camp participation in back-to-back years, a trajectory driven by what the organization describes as a combination of organic demand and deliberate programming expansion.
The camps span basketball, soccer, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, and track and field, with both day and overnight options hosted entirely on SPIRE’s 800-acre campus. The facility footprint includes more than 850,000 square feet of indoor training space: a 300-meter indoor track, a 400-meter outdoor stadium, a 50-meter Olympic-size pool, multiple hardwood basketball courts, indoor and outdoor turf fields, and a 25,000-square-foot Performance Training Center. Overnight campers reside in on-campus housing and access SPIRE’s dining and recovery infrastructure.
“In youth sports, environment is everything,” said Steve Sanders, CEO of SPIRE Academy. “Our camps are not stand-alone events. They are entry points into a fully integrated performance ecosystem that includes elite coaching, performance science, structured academics, and world-class facilities.”
Unlike traditional camp networks that partner with third-party venues across multiple locations, SPIRE runs everything inside one controlled environment. That operational distinction is central to how leadership frames the growth story and the path forward.
New Leadership With a National Playbook
Jason West, who spent more than 28 years at US Sports Camps, most recently as Chief Strategy Officer, has been appointed to lead SPIRE’s national camp strategy. At US Sports Camps, West helped build and scale multi-sport camp networks across the country. His hire signals SPIRE’s intent to move beyond regional camp operations and position itself as a recognized national platform.
In an exclusive conversation with YSBR, West described what drew him to the role: “What stood out to me was the long-term development framework. SPIRE is not just hosting camps. It has built a progression model focused on the whole athlete, supported by performance science, elite coaching, and one of the most comprehensive facilities in the country.”
West pointed to a core operational difference between running camps inside a permanent campus and relying on external venues. In a traditional network model, third-party operators and facilities introduce variability. At SPIRE, coaching, performance staff, facilities, and leadership all operate within one ecosystem.
“That control and flexibility allow us to produce repeatable outcomes and elevate the overall standard,” West told YSBR. “For many families, camps will be their first exposure to what truly drives high performance, both on and off the field.”
What’s Driving the Growth: Organic Pull Meets Structured Expansion
The consecutive years of doubled participation are not accidental. According to SPIRE, the growth reflects both market-level demand and intentional design decisions.
On the organic side, SPIRE benefits from scale and credibility. The campus welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors annually through its academy, events, and competitions, creating a natural halo effect. Word-of-mouth referrals and repeat families have contributed to accelerated demand without heavy marketing spend.
On the deliberate side, programming has expanded with clearer age segmentation, from foundational development to advanced training, alongside broader sport offerings and the addition of overnight options. Camps are not treated as isolated events. They are built inside a broader ecosystem that includes full-time academy programs, elite coaching, performance science, and professional-grade facilities.
Sanders framed the strategy around discipline. “Jason’s experience scaling national camp platforms positions us to accelerate that growth in a disciplined way,” he said.
Camps as a Pipeline Into the SPIRE Ecosystem
SPIRE positions its camp platform not as a standalone revenue line but as the top of a structured funnel. The camp-to-academy pipeline is organized around three phases: exposure, education, and progression.
At the front end, campers experience professional-grade facilities, integrated daily sessions combining sport-specific training with performance development, and exposure to mindset coaching and data-driven testing. Overnight campers receive objective performance assessments from SPIRE’s Performance Training staff, introducing families to measurable development benchmarks for the first time.
From there, families gain visibility into the full-time academy model, which integrates athletics, flexible academics, performance research, and residential life for high school and postgraduate student-athletes. For athletes seeking a higher level of commitment, the academy represents the next step in that progression.
While immediate enrollment is not the sole measure of success, the pipeline is intentional. Camps expand the top of the funnel, deepen brand engagement, and build long-term family relationships that may lead to full-time enrollment, extended training, or participation in SPIRE’s leagues and national events.
Shifting Family Expectations and the 2026 Coaching Roster
West told YSBR that family expectations have shifted in recent years. Parents and young athletes are looking beyond a week of competition. They want measurable development, exposure to professional training environments, and tools that extend beyond the camp itself.
“It is positive that families have options. More access means more kids participating in sport,” West said. “But what we are seeing is a shift in expectations. They want mindset coaching, performance metrics, nutrition education, leadership skills, and a better understanding of long-term athletic pathways.”
He added: “Athletes leave with a toolkit they can apply at home, not just memories from a tournament.”
The 2026 coaching roster reinforces that development-first approach. Basketball programming is anchored by legendary coach Kevin Boyle. Soccer is led by Paul Smalley, whose international experience spans England, New Zealand, and global governing bodies including FIFA and UEFA. Track and field camps feature Olympic gold medalist Tim Mack and three-time Olympic medalist Kerron Stewart. All programming is supported by SPIRE’s full-time performance staff and research-driven training model.
Defining Year-One Success Beyond Volume
When asked what success looks like in year one under his leadership, West framed it around brand alignment rather than raw numbers.
“Metrics matter, and we intend to scale responsibly. But success in year one is primarily about alignment. The camps must reflect SPIRE’s identity as a world-class sports academy. They should feel like an authentic extension of the campus experience. When families leave feeling they experienced a professional standard of training and development, that is success.”
He was direct about the sequencing: volume and geographic reach will follow if the product consistently delivers on that promise.
Long term, SPIRE Camps is positioned as a meaningful revenue vertical within a diversified model that includes the academy, events, leagues, hospitality, and the SPIRE Performance Research Institute. As the platform scales, it is designed to expand national reach, strengthen family relationships, and feed the pipeline into other parts of the SPIRE ecosystem.
Competing on Integration, Not Just Square Footage
SPIRE is not unaware of the competitive landscape. Large-scale youth sports complexes across the country are chasing the camp and tournament market, and facility investment continues to accelerate.
The campus speaks for itself on scale: 800+ acres, 850,000+ square feet of indoor space, an Olympic-size pool, a Performance Training Center, residential housing, dining, and on-site sports medicine. Additional development across hospitality, housing, and training infrastructure is underway as part of a long-term master plan.
But SPIRE’s leadership is careful to frame differentiation beyond facilities. What the organization calls “The SPIRE Way” centers on alignment and integration. Coaching, performance science, research, academics, residential life, dining, sports medicine, and events all operate inside one coordinated system. The SPIRE Performance Research Institute adds a data and research layer that most complexes do not offer.
In addition to camps, SPIRE operates a full-time academy for high school and postgraduate student-athletes, national competitions, leagues, and the research institute. The campus draws participants from over 35 countries each year.
From Regional Campus to National Camp Platform
SPIRE’s thesis is clear: own the environment, control the experience, and let the product build the brand nationally. In a youth sports landscape where families have more camp options than ever, the combination of a permanent campus, an integrated development ecosystem, a structured pipeline, and now dedicated national leadership is the formula SPIRE is banking on.
Whether that formula translates beyond Northeast Ohio in a meaningful way will depend on how effectively West applies nearly 30 years of national camp-building experience to a single-campus model. But with consecutive years of doubled participation, strong early interest for 2026, and a coaching roster that spans Olympic medalists and internationally credentialed leaders, the foundation is in place.
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