The Problem With Youth Sports

May 31

Sitting on the sideline of my sons’ soccer games the last couple of Saturdays got me thinking about a conversation we have frequently at ACES Nation - “what is going on (or should I say ‘wrong’) with youth sports!?” Sure, the kids were (sort of) having fun out there, possibly because there were other kids their age and the sun was out, but what were they going to take away from this introduction to the sport of soccer? Their coach, all of 16 years old, sat on the sidelines picking grass, completely disengaged from the game. My kids stood out on the field watching the other kids kick the ball around, completely unsure of their role, and the other team’s coach yelled at his players (as well as half of ours because we had to borrow a bunch of their players to even participate) as if they were getting recruited to play for Team USA in the next Olympics.

I was excited for them to start learning the sport and hoped they would enjoy this initial experience with the fundamentals of the game at the ripe young ages of 5 and 6. The outcome had been anything but exciting: 3 kids total at practices led by the 6 year olds, a clueless teenage volunteer in charge, and a few straggling frustrated parents. This situation is just the dipping of a toe into the water of youth sports and is a rather innocuous experience compared to what is going on at the high school and club levels.

Everyone has seen the stories plastered all over the internet from the sidelines of youth sports games of parents getting in fights, yelling at coaches and refs, and thinking that they need to focus on getting their child recruited from the 5th grade. These stories seem to have become more prevalent in recent years with the new wave of parenting styles and cultural changes. Although this may be true, the roots of the problem run deeper than culture. As a company that interacts with youth sports coaches and families daily, here are what we feel are the problems in youth sports today and what we can do about them.

Lack of organization and communication from coaches to athletes and parents
Lack of information and guidance on how college recruiting works
Lack of affordable access to trained, certified coaches
Disengaged families and/or coaches
Club sports charging exorbitant fees leading to lack of accessibility for all
Lack of longevity and overall positive experience from participation in school and club sports

This is by no means an exhaustive list of problems; that list could go on for longer than this article can manage. The point of this list is to demonstrate the depth of the issues that exist; ones that certainly can’t be solved by throwing a little money at it.

As the ACES Nation Director of Sales, Brooke Reifinger, speaks to coaches and directors from a variety of backgrounds and coaching situations on a daily basis. Regardless of if a club has 100 teams, or she is presenting the company philosophy and products to a single sport within a high school athletic department, the responses reveal an ugly underbelly that is not obvious to the casual observer. She often mentions how coaches are hesitant to add more responsibility to other staff members in the organizations being that they are generally part-time, volunteer, or parents stepping in to help. Coaches express the additional burden that they feel technology will place on them to learn and implement vs. the benefit the players will receive from the additional resources. Reifinger says of coaches using technology to track athlete metrics and progression: “so it's just easier for them to not know because if there's nothing to measure, then improvement (or lack of improvement) cannot be tracked, therefore no one is held responsible. Most coaches want to coach the teams that are already developed, leaving those underdeveloped teams at a disadvantage. I think this type of coach influence is contributing to the correlation of athletes discontinuing sports at such a young age.” Our team often comes away from these conversations feeling the level of apathy and transfer of responsibility from coaches, which frustrates a company built entirely of former athletes and coaches. At the same time, these conversations force us to explore the reason for this common new attitude among coaches.

The current state of coaches’ approach in youth sports isn’t that surprising when the budgets and lack of support are considered. Most coaches are volunteering their time, working full time jobs and feeling ill-equipped to aid in athletes’ recruiting efforts. In education settings, coaches are dealing with limited budgets, athletes participating in multiple club sports, and managing unrealistic expectations of parents. Traditionally, coaches on the youth level do not have concrete evidence on their players to combat the scrutiny from parents as to why their child isn’t playing more, isn’t being introduced to college coaches, isn’t getting any better, etc. Then there is the issue of financial discrepancies. Those that can afford it often hire outside personal trainers or strength coaches to work with them for a short period of time. These workouts tend to be inconsistent at best and may, or may not, be led by certified and qualified coaches.

Athletes end up being most affected by the current shortcomings in the youth sports landscape. They have their parents’ often unrealistic expectations and the pressure of getting a scholarship looming over them, a disengaged and disorganized coaching staff, and no objective way to measure their individual success. Of course, this can’t be said for all schools and programs, as there are some specialized and high performing programs out there, but unfortunately this is not the standard. Those athletes who do not wish to play in college are not taught the benefits of continuing to participate in the high school/youth level, despite the positive physical, mental, and emotional takeaways sports can provide.

All in all, it becomes pretty obvious why kids aren’t having as much fun playing sports these days and why they are quitting . early; specifically, 70% of kids quit playing sports by the age of 13. For those of us who have played through college and even gone on to coach in our sports, the consequences of such a percentage should not be overlooked. The lessons gained through youth sports that carry on into our adult lives, relationships, and careers are likely the top ones that contribute to our success.

Despite all of the negatives discussed above, the trend does not need to continue. Although a complex and multifaceted issue, there are adjustments that can be made to impact the culture shifts around youth sports. As a company, the solutions for these problems are in constant discussion. While understanding that we do not have all of the answers, we believe that as a group of former athletes and coaches who have experienced both sides of the coin, we can share our findings to help athletes stay in sports longer.

What can be done?

Get athletes, coaches, and parents to make deeper connections and have clearer communication
Give coaches a way to track compliance with a program
Provide the ability to monitor athlete progression and growth
Give older athletes access to their own metrics and tools that allow them to maximize their playing experience
Provide affordable access to certified professionals
Give athletes access to education on nutrition, sleep, mental toughness, recovery, etc.

It would seem counterintuitive that giving parents and athletes objective data would help combat player to player comparisons and give them confidence in their own abilities, but taking the mystery out of these comparisons can be hugely helpful. Watching improvement trends can help a young athlete to see that the work they put in for training will pay off in improved performance. The direct insight for parents of seeing how their child stacks up against a team average can also be helpful in setting realistic expectations of their children, coaches, and ability to play in college. Metrics can guide training and practice plans for coaches to support athletes in their recovery. Tracking metrics lends itself to discussions around goal setting, another impactful life skill. By using concrete, measurable goals, these athletes can see that consistent adherence to a plan gets results. As a parent, I’d put that lesson in the top 5 for a successful future.

As a company, ACES Nation has been on a mission to improve the lives of those in our communities through the power of sports. The only way to have an impact on a massive scale is to incorporate technology into the process. Meeting with a coach a couple of times a week to train is great, but does it get results long-term? Do coaches have direct insight and feedback into that training? Are athletes of all backgrounds and resource levels able to participate? Oftentimes the answer is no. For these reasons we recognized the need to integrate technology and have built our products to touch the lives of as many young athletes as possible, hoping to improve their youth sports experience and extend their participation.

Usually the youth sports conversation cannot be had without the mention of college recruiting. Parents and athletes as young as middle school are often presented with philosophies or fallacies around getting recruited to play their sport in college. Parents often believe that they need to get their kid every opportunity to play in tournaments, on expensive travel teams, camps at college campuses, etc. in order to have a chance at their child playing DI sports. Cue the hiring of outside trainers for massive amounts of money, “recruiters” to help shop them around to potential schools, and the politics and games of getting the best scholarship offer. Clearly, those with less access to resources, or those coming from disadvantaged communities, start to feel the pressure of this divide more and more the closer they get to the second half of high school.

Here’s where team-wide access to resources can level the playing field. Sure there are companies out there that will still take advantage of parents by offering high paying services promising to do things that they can’t technically do, or dishonest people who have built a career around “placing athletes in college.” But the reality is there are rules and regulations put in place by the NCAA that prevent misconduct, as well the fact that if you can’t get admitted academically to a college, there is not much that can be done to work around that. Even those that manage to pay their way into a school by donation dollars must remain academically eligible to see any playing time.

But what if everyone could have access to a system that allowed them to match with a school based on their academic standing, explore the athletic programs at these schools, communicate with colleges, share their personal profiles, and be marketed as part of their team or organization to coaches, as a whole, by their own coaches? No longer is it necessary to be the one that can afford to attend the camp on a college campus, or a specific tournament to get noticed. Now athletes using a college recruiting platform can see that they may be better matched athletically with a DII school where the campus and academics align with their needs.

Coaches, parents, and athletes coming together on the same page is an important part of the software approach. In the past, student-athletes had to rely on established connections their coach may have with a handful of college coaches. With software that builds in the contact information and ability to connect directly with college programs, the need for personal coach connections is lessened and parents, high school/club coaches, and athletes alike have the opportunity to take control of their recruiting journey.

Although I am still not sure how youth sports has gotten to the highly competitive, money grabbing business it is today, I do see the advantages to the progress that has occurred along the way. With a shift in focus back to fun and long-term health and fitness for young athletes, the opportunities for all can improve by increased longevity in sport. In fact, the piqued interest in a holistic approach to performance is refreshing. Understanding the multi-faceted needs of student-athletes and improving opportunities for all can’t possibly be a bad thing. Driving our efforts back to the well-being of youth athletes and leveling the playing field promises a bright future for the landscape of competitive youth sports.

-Tiana Wood

ACES Nation