Key Takeaways
- The 2026 Convention, Sports & Entertainment Facilities Conference runs September 8 to 10 at the Kansas City Convention Center, drawing more than 400 public officials and industry leaders.
- In an interview with YSBR, CSEF Brand Director Sarah Zinn said the hardest job is keeping taxpayer-funded venues useful long after opening weekend.
- CSEF reports that 67% of attendees come specifically to network, linking the officials who approve projects with the firms that design and build them.
- Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, one of the nation’s largest youth and amateur sports campuses, appears on the 2026 lineup through Mayor Scott Willis.
FIND MORE INFO ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HERE
Youth sports facility development moves into a national spotlight in September, when the 2026 Convention, Sports & Entertainment Facilities Conference (CSEF) convenes September 8 to 10 at the Kansas City Convention Center. Produced by P3C, a division of Access Intelligence, the event expects more than 400 public-sector officials and private-industry leaders working on stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and youth and amateur sports complexes.
As an official media partner of CSEF 2026, Youth Sports Business Report sat down with Sarah Zinn, Brand Director at P3C Media, to talk through what is driving venue development in Kansas City this September.
Where Youth Sports Facility Development Fits at CSEF 2026
The conference groups youth sports complexes with professional and World Cup venues as the same public-investment challenge. “Whether it’s a World Cup venue or a new youth sports complex, officials are committing serious taxpayer money to a single moment of excitement,” Zinn told YSBR. The harder task, she said, is making sure that investment still serves the community years after opening weekend.
CSEF cites Grand Park District in Westfield, Indiana, and Salt Lake City’s downtown sports district among the projects that grew from connections made at the event. According to CSEF, 67% of attendees come specifically to network, and the resulting deals tend to run multi-year and multi-partner.
What Makes a Youth Sports Destination Last
Zinn outlined a shared pattern among facilities built to endure: public and private partners engaged early, a funding model built for decades rather than a single grand opening, and “a design built to serve the community on the days there’s no tournament at all.” The strongest projects, she said, treat the facility as an anchor for the surrounding community rather than a standalone venue.
What CSEF 2026 Offers Youth Sports Builders
The 2026 program features FIFA World Cup 2026 host committee leaders, University of Kansas athletics director Travis Goff, and Dallas Sports Commission executive director Monica Paul. With the advanced-rate window now closed, last-chance registration runs through September 10 at $2,095 for general admission and $595 for government and public agencies, available at csefconference.com. For operators, Zinn framed the real draw plainly: a room of peers who have already built and run these facilities, sharing the wins, setbacks, and lessons that come only from doing the work firsthand.
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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.
Youth Sports Business Report resources
- Newsletter: Subscribe to Youth Sports HQ, the most-read newsletter on the business of youth sports, delivering curated youth sports industry news and analysis to thousands of industry leaders every week.
- Research: Read the Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, an exclusive YSBR and Kinetica Group analysis of market size, parent spending, and marketplace opportunities.
- Jobs: Browse the YSBR Youth Sports Job Board, the most comprehensive destination for careers in youth sports, with hundreds of active listings across facility management, league operations, coaching, sports technology, and marketing.
- Services: Find vetted partners and solutions for your organization in the YSBR Services Hub, connecting youth sports operators, brands, and investors with verified providers across the industry.
- About: Learn more about Youth Sports Business Report and our editorial standards.
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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.
