Key Takeaways
- US Sports Camps launches the Nike Softball Camp with UCLA Bruins in Fullerton, California, open to athletes ages 7 to 16.
- The camp is directed by UCLA assistant coach Will Oldham, who also serves on staff with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
- USSC now partners with more than 25 collegiate softball programs across D1, D2, D3, and NJCAA levels.
- Girls’ participation in U.S. high school sports reached an all-time record 3.5 million in the 2024-25 school year.
- Fast-pitch softball ranks in the top five girls’ high school sports nationally, with nearly 346,000 athletes across more than 15,600 teams.
UCLA Partnership Anchors USSC’s Premier Softball Camp Lineup
US Sports Camps (USSC), a division of Youth Enrichment Brands, has launched the Nike Softball Camp with UCLA Bruins, adding one of the most decorated programs in collegiate softball to its camp network. The camp runs in Fullerton, California, and is staffed by UCLA assistant coaches alongside current and former Bruins players.
The program is led by Will Oldham, a UCLA assistant coach who also serves on staff with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. Athletes ages 7 to 16 receive small-group instruction across a range of skill levels, from beginners working on fundamentals to advanced players preparing for higher levels of competition.
USSC builds its camps in direct partnership with each program’s coaching staff, training philosophies, and competitive standards. The model is structured to give campers exposure to the actual coaching culture of the college program rather than a branded or licensed version of it.
Multi-Season Format Points to Year-Round Collegiate Programming
The UCLA partnership extends beyond summer, with plans to add winter and spring camps and clinics. The multi-season structure reflects a broader pattern in the youth sports camp category, where operators are working to convert one-week summer touchpoints into year-round programming relationships.
“UCLA sets the standard for excellence in collegiate softball. Giving young athletes access to that level of training, the coaching, the culture, the competitive expectations, at the age when habits and love for the game are first formed, is exactly the kind of partnership US Sports Camps has been building for fifty years. There is no better program to anchor our growing network of college partners than UCLA,” said Jacob Kingdon, Director of Growth & Partnerships at US Sports Camps.
D1 Network Expansion Across Women’s College Softball
The UCLA addition is part of a wider D1 expansion this summer. USSC now partners with more than 25 collegiate softball programs across D1, D2, D3, and NJCAA levels, with each camp staffed by active college coaches and built around the host program’s training standards.
The collegiate partnership strategy combines recruiting visibility for college programs with credentialed instruction for families. Camps run on host program facilities and operate under the supervision of staff who recruit and develop the college roster, creating a direct line between youth participants and the programs they may eventually target.
Girls’ Sports Participation Hits Record Highs
The expansion arrives amid sustained growth in girls’ sports. Girls’ participation in U.S. high school sports reached an all-time record during the 2024-25 school year, with more than 3.5 million participants.
Fast-pitch softball remains a top-five girls’ high school sport nationally, with nearly 346,000 student-athletes competing each year across more than 15,600 teams. The participation base supports continued demand for collegiate-aligned camp programming across age groups and skill levels.
Camp Network Strategy Reflects Broader Youth Sports Programming Shift
Founded in 1975, US Sports Camps operates one of the largest youth sports camp networks in the country, with programming across dozens of sports through partnerships with collegiate programs, professional coaches, and Nike Sports Camps. The UCLA addition extends a strategy centered on premium collegiate affiliations as a differentiator in a category where parents are increasingly seeking verified credentials and direct access to top-tier coaching.
With multi-season programming, an expanding D1 roster, and a growing girls’ softball participation base, USSC’s collegiate camp model is positioned to capture continued demand across age groups, skill levels, and seasons.
Source: US Sports Camps, November 5, 2026, https://ussportscamps.proof-pr.com/us-sports-camps-partners-with-ucla-to-bring-elite-division-i-softball-to-youth-athletes
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