Key Takeaways
- U.S. Bank will now support all San Francisco 49ers girls flag football programming under a multiyear extension of a partnership that began in 2014.
- The bank sponsors the 2026 49ers FLAG High School Girls Showcase in September, bringing together top girls’ flag football programs in California.
- U.S. Bank continues as presenting sponsor of 49ers PREP, the 49ers Foundation’s youth health and football program, and of 49ers Cal-Hi Sports.
The San Francisco 49ers and U.S. Bank announced a multiyear extension on August 12 that keeps U.S. Bank as the team’s Official Bank Partner and expands the bank’s position across the club’s youth and high school programming. The largest addition on the youth side: U.S. Bank will now support all 49ers girls flag football programming. Deal terms were not disclosed.
Girls Flag Football Becomes the Growth Line in the Renewal
The girls flag football commitment is the newest element of the youth package rather than a renewal of an existing one. According to the 49ers, the bank’s support covers the team’s full slate of girls flag programming, and in September U.S. Bank will help sponsor the 2026 49ers FLAG High School Girls Showcase, an event the team describes as assembling some of the top girls’ flag football programs in California.
That places U.S. Bank inside the fastest-moving segment of high school football participation in the country, and inside a category where NFL clubs have been building direct relationships with high school athletic programs rather than routing spend through national league platforms.
PREP and Cal-Hi Sports Anchor the Existing Youth Footprint
Two youth-facing assets carry over from the prior agreement. U.S. Bank remains presenting sponsor of 49ers PREP, which the 49ers Foundation runs as a direct service program aimed at getting young people into healthy lifestyles through football. The bank also continues its backing of 49ers Cal-Hi Sports, the Emmy award-winning Bay Area high school sports show.
The combination gives U.S. Bank a participation program, an events property, and a high school media property inside a single team partnership, with the girls flag football layer now sitting on top of all three.
“This extension builds on a strong foundation and opens the door for even more impact from expanding opportunities in girls’ flag football to connecting with fans in new ways at Levi’s Stadium,” said Brian Formisano, California regional executive, branch and small business banking for U.S. Bank.
Youth Assets Inside a Deal Built on Stadium and Media Inventory
The rest of the extension runs through traditional professional sports inventory. U.S. Bank adds a practice jersey patch, takes presenting sponsorship of the rebranded east field club at Levi’s Stadium, gets a redesigned 49ers debit card, and holds an entitlement game on October 19, 2026, against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. Running back Christian McCaffrey appears in a new brand campaign and tight end George Kittle is working with the bank on U.S. Bank Financial Edge, its financial guidance program for players.
The extension follows U.S. Bank’s recent deal as an Official Bank and Wealth Management Sponsor of the NFL, and the bank says it works with more than 35 professional team, stadium, and league-level clients. Within that portfolio, the 49ers agreement is where the youth programming lives, which is what makes the girls flag addition worth tracking: it is a bank expanding its youth sports exposure through a team deal rather than a league one, at the level where the high school programs actually are.
Source: San Francisco 49ers, August 12, 2026
Image: 49ers
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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.
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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.
