Youth Sports

We can give young athletes a chance to work on more than just their skills on the court.

Project Play’s Playbook to Develop Every Student Through Sports is a framework to help engage the 6 in 10 students who do not play high school sports, while improving the outcomes for those who do. The playbook is the final report in our Reimagining School Sports series. It collects the best ideas to emerge from two years of research and a national search for innovators.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

In urban settings, many students arrive in high school behind the curve in knowledge and skills of the sport they play, due in part to a lack of access at younger ages. The funding debate over athletics vs. academics can be intense in cities, and both sides have valid arguments. Ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model for urban schools.

With creativity and commitment, large suburban schools have an opportunity to send healthy messages about sports to younger children. Then they can provide many pathways to physical activity, such as intramurals and sport-related clubs, offering as many teams in each interscholastic sport as there is demand for them, and innovative approaches to physical education. Some ideas in this report can help refresh the high school sports model.