Key Takeaways
- Venture Performance Sunscreen reached market on September 1, 2026, after eighteen months of research and development, the company said.
- The mineral formula carries eighty minutes of water resistance and skips chemical filters entirely, per the launch announcement.
- Retail presence at launch spans Amazon, the brand’s own site, and one hardware store in Umatilla, Florida.
Venture Performance Sunscreen, a mineral-based youth sports sunscreen created by Umatilla, Florida father Bobby Stoneking, launched on September 1, 2026 following an eighteen-month research and development process, according to the company’s announcement. The product provides broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection with eighty minutes of water resistance and is manufactured in the United States without chemical filters.
From Track Meet Sidelines to an Eighteen-Month Formulation Process
The product started as a parent problem. Stoneking noticed his children resisting conventional sunscreens at youth track meets and soccer games because the formulas felt slimy and stung their eyes once the kids started sweating, per the release. Skipping application was not an option in his household: his own father had received a serious melanoma diagnosis, which framed consistent UV protection as a requirement rather than a preference.
Early attempts were informal kitchen mixing, the company said. That work turned into an eighteen-month development effort once Stoneking concluded that a commercial product needed professional oversight. He partnered with an established manufacturer to meet Food and Drug Administration guidelines, and the finished formula is produced entirely in the United States, according to the announcement.
The timeline is worth noting for anyone tracking parent-founded entrants in youth sports commerce. Eighteen months and a contract manufacturing relationship is a meaningful barrier compared with white-label apparel or accessory brands that can reach market in a season.
What Separates a Youth Sports Sunscreen From a Beach Formula?
Venture positions the product as equipment rather than toiletry. The company describes the formula as unscented, coral-safe, and dermatologist-tested, absorbing without the white residue common to mineral sunscreens. It relies on mineral filters instead of chemical ones and holds eighty minutes of water resistance, per the release.
The differentiation argument is texture. Standard recreational sunscreens are marketed to casual beachgoers, the company said, while Venture targets athletes and outdoor workers who need protection that does not interfere with performance.
“I couldn’t really find anything that was for athletes and health-conscious or environmentally conscious, and that had a dry texture/feel to it that wasn’t distracting whenever you were trying to perform,” said Bobby Stoneking, Founder of Venture. “I wanted it to be more of a critical gear for your outdoor adventures and not seen as a hindrance.”
That framing matters for distribution. Gear sells through team stores, tournament vendors, and club partnerships. Toiletries sell through drugstores.
A Retail Footprint That Starts With Amazon and One Hardware Store
At launch, Venture Performance Sunscreen is available through Amazon, the company’s direct site, and Carter’s Ace Hardware locally, according to the release. There is no announced team, club, or tournament distribution channel yet, and the company did not disclose pricing, funding, staffing, or sales targets.
For operators evaluating sideline product categories, the omissions are as informative as the disclosures. Sun care is one of the few consumable categories with repeat purchase behavior across every outdoor sport and every age group, but the release contains no unit economics, no retail expansion timeline, and no named distribution partners beyond a single hardware store.
Eighty Minutes of Water Resistance Against an All-Day Tournament Schedule
The specification that will decide whether this works as athletic gear is the one the company leads with. Eighty minutes is the maximum water resistance the FDA permits a sunscreen to claim, and it is also roughly the length of a single soccer match. A weekend tournament runs eight hours or more, which puts reapplication logistics, not formulation, at the center of the parent and coach experience.
Venture has answered the texture complaint that keeps kids from putting sunscreen on in the first place. The release lists neither an SPF value nor a price, the two numbers a club administrator would need before ordering a case.
Source: PR Newswire, September 1, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/local-father-launches-high-performance-mineral-sunscreen-to-solve-youth-sports-frustrations-302866387.html
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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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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.
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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.
