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Aspen Institute Report Identifies Fun as Top Sports Priority for Kids in Portland, Oregon, but Income Dictates Access

“State of Play Portland” highlights household income as the largest predictor of sports participation and shares ways to help more children play locally.

Portland, Ore., October 7, 2026 — Portland children play sports to have fun and build friendships, yet the region’s fragmented youth sports system is largely structured by adults around competition and leaves many youth behind, especially those from lower-income homes.

According to the “State of Play Portland” report released today by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative, playing with friends (51%) and having fun (49%) are the top reasons local youth participate in sports, far outranking winning games (23%) or chasing college scholarships (8%). However, access to sports programs varies across the city, with family income standing as the single largest predictor of participation. Children from lower-income homes face the highest barriers to sports — such as costs, transportation and family responsibilities — yet are twice as likely to rely on play as an escape from daily stress, according to Aspen’s youth survey.

Read the “State of Play Portland” report.

“State of Play Portland” finds that play is ingrained in the local culture. A vast network of community programs, schools and youth sports providers serves the region’s children with sports and recreational activities that also leverage play to feed, educate, mentor and protect underserved youth. By integrating these services, Portland utilizes sports as a holistic tool for child well-being, creating a powerful mechanism to inspire and support the next generation. However, access to quality sports and play can be skewed by household income, gender and race/ethnicity.

To understand Portland children’s experiences with play, the Aspen Institute surveyed more than 1,600 youth; analyzed sports participation “deserts” in the city through predictive analysis; held focus group discussions with youth, parents and coaches; interviewed key stakeholders and community members; and analyzed existing research.

Key Findings
Other major takeaways from the research include:

  • Sports participation varies by community. Portland children play sports at the lowest rates in District 1 in the eastern part of the city, home to Portland’s highest percentage of youth and lowest household incomes, according to predictive analysis by the Aspen Institute’s partner Kinetica.
  • Soccer is the most popular sport. Soccer is played the most by surveyed boys (47%) and girls (45%). However, youth express strong interest in a variety of activities. Boys most want to try soccer, basketball, tackle football, baseball and boxing, while girls’ top desired activities are volleyball, soccer, cheer/stomp and shake, dance and ice skating.
  • Portland girls outpace national average in sports participation, but room for growth remains. According to an Aspen Institute review of data from high school athletic associations and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, girls in Portland participate in organized sports at higher rates than the national average. Still, boys’ participation rates generally remain higher than girls’ rates, especially girls of color. Results from Aspen’s Portland youth survey, which skewed toward higher-income households, show that girls of color participate in organized sports 13 percentage points less than white girls.
  • Structural challenges shape the participation rates for many Black and Latino/a youth. Costs, safety and culturally affirming programming shape the organized sports participation and outdoor recreational rates in the communities where many Black and Latino/a children live. The disparity is often not a matter of interest by children, but of access to nearby facilities and programs that meet the needs of these youth and the budgets of families.
  • Park maintenance, field space and permitting access are challenges for sports programming. High-revenue sports organizations navigate this system more effectively, demonstrated by field usage at Delta Park, the city’s most in-demand outdoor venue. Three of the top four soccer clubs that used Delta Park the most in 2024 reported annual revenues exceeding $2.6 million. Smaller clubs using other city fields reported revenues between $303,000 and $736,000.
  • Lack of coordination within the youth sports ecosystem impacts access for children. Portland possesses no shortage of capable actors through many well-intentioned sports organizations, coaches, educational institutions, municipal governments, companies and corporate foundations. However, many sports providers and relevant sectors work in silos within the Portland community, which has limited resources devoted to youth sports.

Recommendations

Building on the work many community organizations are already leading across the city, “State of Play Portland” provides actionable next steps to further strengthen youth sport. “State of Play Portland” identifies the need for a more unified approach by local leaders to address systemic barriers while recognizing there is no one-size-fits-all way to collaborate and expand sports and physical activity access for children. Collaboration requires flexibility, finding common goals and language, listening to the community, and starting small and celebrating successes as they come.

Local leaders could explore the creation of a youth sports coalition and shared criteria for grantmaking. A coalition could connect municipal, school and philanthropic funders, and align resources directly behind youth programs.

The report’s recommendations also call on the Portland community to:

  • Reform field permitting to prioritize under-resourced youth
  • Protect school-day physical activity
  • Invest in continuous coach training
  • Expand non-traditional sports options that directly align with youth interests

Turning Data into Action
The report was funded by Nike, which has a more than three-decade legacy of youth sport advocacy, and directly supports many local community organizations and parks departments to increase sports participation and train coaches. The Nike Community Impact Fund offers additional funding through open applications, managed by the Oregon Community Foundation, awarding $550,000 annually to local nonprofits and schools in the region to support positive experiences in sport and physical activity for youth in their communities.

Nike has also co-created expert-backed inclusive resources to empower coaches. Learn more at Nike.com/coaching.

Findings and recommendations expressed in “State of Play Portland” are strictly those of the Aspen Institute. Guidance during the research process was provided from these organizations represented on the project’s advisory group: Active Children Portland, Adaptive Sports Northwest, Multnomah Athletic Foundation, Nike, Inc., Oregon Community Foundation, Portland Parks & Recreation, Portland Public Schools, Portland Tennis & Education, Portland Thorns, Portland Trail Blazers, Rose City Futsal, Self Enhancement, Inc., Sport Oregon, and The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health.

“State of Play Portland” is the 18th community report produced by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative. Previous reports helped mobilize leaders across sectors to set shared agendas, shape government policies, develop innovative partnerships and unlock tens of millions of dollars in grantmaking. Future Project Play community reports will analyze youth sports access in Omaha, Nebraska; Atlanta, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; and Akron, Ohio.

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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program’s main initiative is Project Play, which develops insights, ideas and opportunities to help stakeholders build healthy communities through sports. For more information, visit ProjectPlay.org.

Nike is creating the future of youth sport — by inviting all kids in and making play more accessible, fun and inclusive. The company is teaming up with community organizations, athletes, experts and employees around the world to engage more kids in sport. And because seeing is believing, Nike is increasing opportunities and representation for girls, in particular, so they can fully see themselves in sport. Nike does this by making it easier for kids to participate, shifting perceptions about what sport looks like (so more youth are invited in and off the sidelines), and increasing the number of trained coaches who represent the communities they serve — all with the goal to change the game for kids today and for future generations of youth, visit about.nike.com/en/mission/focus-areas/future-of-youth-sport.