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Nov 07, 2025
🤳 Ai.io’s Talent Discovery App Reaches 45,000 Youth Athletes
🏒 Chicago Youth Hockey in Good Hands as Nicholas Family of Companies Opens $34.5M Rosemont Ice Arena
🏀 Tyran Stokes, No. 1 basketball player in America, withdraws from California school
⚽ LA World Cup 2026 Host Committee Partners with Pro Clubs to Launch Youth Soccer Development Series
💰 Events DC Distributes $750,000 to 66 Youth-Focused Non-Profits in Washington, DC
Housekeeping:
- Make sure to get your nominations in for the Inaugural Youth Sports Awards
📱 Ai.io’s Talent Discovery App Reaches 45,000 Youth Athletes Through MLS Partnership
ai.io’s AI Scout app now serves 45,000 athletes in MLS’s MLSNext program with three annual assessments tracking performance over time. The smartphone-based platform uses computer vision to analyze 22 body segments from video, creating standardized athletic profiles accessible anywhere.
Platform capabilities:
- Standardized drills: 10-meter sprints, counter-movement jumps, cone dribbling, passing, shooting
- Metrics tracked: Speed, jump height, symmetry, coordination, turning mechanics
- Real-time access: Coaches and scouts view performance data through dashboard
- Reverse matching: Can identify athletes suited for specific sports based on physical strengths
Sports scientist Richard Felton-Thomas developed AI Scout to address a core problem: traditional scouting relies on limited human capacity and geographic proximity. Each Premier League scout can evaluate approximately 2,000 players annually, despite millions playing the game.
Premier League partnerships with Chelsea FC and Burnley FC shaped the app’s football-specific metrics and benchmarking algorithms. Scouts reviewed thousands of video pairs to create age and gender-specific benchmarks, ensuring fair comparisons among peers.
Global reach examples:
- Reliance Foundation (India): Screens tens of thousands of youth annually for scholarship programs, with one athlete earning a five-year scholarship from a shared community phone
- IOC/Intel (Senegal): Deployed ahead of Youth Olympics, with 40 athletes selected for training based on performance data
- MLS (USA): 45,000 athletes with longitudinal tracking across pre-season, mid-season, post-season
The platform is expanding its movement libraries to include American football, basketball, baseball, and cricket. Core movement patterns including cuts, deceleration, jumps, throws, and strikes translate across multiple sports, with multi-language support and country-specific customization capabilities.
🏒 Chicago Youth Hockey in Good Hands as Nicholas Family of Companies Opens $34.5M Rosemont Ice Arena
Nicholas Family of Companies opened the 103,000-square-foot Rosemont Ice Arena on November 5, marking the first of three Chicago-area ice facilities the organization has announced in the past year. The $34.5 million twin-sheet facility adds to the company’s existing 17-acre Nicholas Sportsplex, giving the family-owned operator control of five ice sheets in northwest Chicagoland.
Nicholas portfolio expansion:
- Rosemont Ice Arena: $34.5M, 103,000 sq ft, twin-sheet facility (opened Nov 5)
- Elk Grove Ice Arena: 86,261 sq ft under development
- Glacier Ice Arena: 63,000 sq ft in Vernon Hills (recently acquired)
- Nicholas Sportsplex: Three existing ice sheets in Mount Prospect
- Total control: Five ice sheets across northwest Chicagoland
The Rosemont facility serves multiple user groups including the Chicago Wolves professional team for daytime practices, youth organizations (Chicago Mission girls’ hockey club, Chicago Edge Skating Academy, Northwest Chargers, York High School), adult leagues, and public skating sessions.
Facility amenities:
- Sauna, steam room, cold plunge for Chicago Wolves
- Film room and team lounge
- Hatty’s Club (elevated sports bar with floor-to-ceiling rink views)
- Market by Hatty’s (grab-and-go food area)
- Physical therapy clinic
The expansion comes during sustained growth in youth hockey participation. USA Hockey reported 396,525 registered members for the 2024-25 season, a 12% increase from 2022-23 and the third consecutive year of growth. Over 90,000 girls under age 18 were registered to play hockey during the 2023-24 season, nearly matching Canada’s participation numbers.
“Expanding opportunities for youth hockey programs to play on high-quality ice while creating a positive impact for families, players and surrounding businesses was always our goal,” said Nick Papanicholas Jr., CEO and Managing Director of Nicholas Family of Companies.
The facility operates under a public-private partnership between the Village of Rosemont and Nicholas Family of Companies, with Spectate Group managing year-round operations.
🏀 Tyran Stokes, No. 1 basketball player in America, withdraws from California school
“Notre Dame High School acknowledges Tyran Stokes’ decision to withdraw and explore new opportunities. We appreciate the contributions he made to our basketball program and community during his time here. We wish Tyran all the best as he pursues his future goals, and we are confident he will find success,” Alec Moss athletic director
⚽ LA World Cup 2026 Host Committee Partners with Pro Clubs to Launch Youth Soccer Development Series
The LA World Cup 2026 Host Committee will launch free soccer clinics starting December 6, 2025, bringing together LA Galaxy, LAFC, and Angel City FC to train coaches, referees, and youth players. The Grow the Game of Soccer Clinic Series positions the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a catalyst for youth soccer development across Greater Los Angeles.
First clinic (December 6, 2025):
- Location: Los Angeles City College Soccer Field
- Focus: Healing-centered coaching techniques designed to support youth who have experienced trauma or injustice
- Playbook: Developed by Play Equity Fund, Center for Healing and Justice, and Cal South
- Training led by: Center For Healing and Justice Through Sport and Cal South
Over 640,000 youth in LA County played soccer in 2024, with participation increasing annually according to the Play Equity Fund’s 2024 report. The clinic series will expand beyond the December coaching clinic to include youth player clinics, referee training, and engaging experiences with giveaways and player appearances.
“The Grow the Game of Soccer Clinic series is about more than just soccer, it’s about creating opportunity, building community, and leaving a lasting legacy for Los Angeles,” said Kathryn Schloessman, President and CEO of LASEC and CEO of the LA World Cup 2026 Host Committee.
Renata Simril, President of the Play Equity Fund and President and CEO of the LA84 Foundation, stated: “Our research shows how important soccer is to our kids and communities in LA. These clinics will shine a light on coaches and kids who are writing new chapters on the pitch and in life.”
💰 Events DC Distributes $750,000 to 66 Youth-Focused Non-Profits in Washington, DC
Events DC awarded $750,000 in community grants to 66 local non-profit organizations supporting youth sports, cultural arts, and performing arts programs in Washington, DC, announced November 3. The program distributes grants across two annual cycles, with $750,000 allocated per fiscal year to District-based organizations.
Program structure:
- Two cycles annually: $750,000 total per fiscal year
- FY 2026 first cycle: 153 applications received, including 30 first-time applicants
- Funding timeline: Selected applicants receive funding by Thanksgiving 2025
- Second cycle: Opens December 2025, application deadline February 2, 2026
“With the Community Grants, the awardees will be able to do even more to accomplish our shared goal of ensuring Washington, DC continues to be a city where everyone can thrive,” said Angie M. Gates, Events DC President and CEO.
The fiscal year 2025 grantees were recognized at a November 3 dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The program targets three primary categories: youth sports, performing arts, and cultural arts.
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