KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown field hockey is set to host a youth and middle school camp this summer from June 8th through the 10th at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
The camp is designed for grades K-8th. Each day the session will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The cost to attend is $150 pre-registration, which can be done prior to June 1.
 
Athletes should bring a stick, mouth guard, shin guards, turf shoes or sneakers and a water bottle. Goalies must bring their own equipment.
 
For additional information, contact camp director and KU head coach Marci Scheuing at scheuing@kutztown.edu, or by phone at 610-683-4378.
 
The Youth and Middle School Field Hockey Camp is designed to give athletes an opportunity to train with the National Champion Kutztown coaching staff and KU players. Our camp is open to any and all entrants, and will include learning both technical and tactical skills during multiple stations. We will separate groups by age and level of experience. You will also have the opportunity to compete in a series of games and fun competitions.

Andrea Odom doesn’t hesitate when asked what sparked the idea she now hopes becomes a movement.

The moment arrived just before the 2023 Major League Baseball draft, as agents began recruiting her son, Dylan Campbell of the University of Texas, and it came with a hard lesson her family didn’t expect to learn.

“We had to fire an agent who didn’t deliver on what he promised,” said Odom, a mother of three, who manages public relations for The Odom Consulting Group in Houston. “But the beautiful part is that my son grew on a business level. He learned how to hold people accountable.”

That moment reshaped how Odom viewed the role of parents in sports, particularly Black mothers, who often find themselves navigating high-stakes decisions without access to the same information, networks, or protection afforded to others.

“And that’s what we want for Black Sports Moms,” Odom said. “Empowering ourselves and our children.”

Founded in March 2025, Black Sports Moms was created to equip Black mothers with the knowledge, resources, and confidence to navigate an often opaque and unforgiving sports industry on behalf of their children.

From youth sports to the professional level, the organization addresses issues ranging from Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and contract negotiations to mental health, branding, and long-term financial planning — areas where families are increasingly expected to be savvy but are rarely taught how.

Odom sat with the idea until a phone conversation changed everything.

Unbeknown to her, attorney Lachauna Edwards was doing parallel work in Atlanta, educating “momagers” (mothers who serve as the business managers for their children). Edwards had spent years advising families in NIL, contracts, and athlete branding, and during Black History Month, she launched a Momager Series on Instagram, spotlighting Black mothers managing their children’s athletic careers behind the scenes.

“Andrea’s name was brought up as someone to feature,” said Edwards, 40, also a mother of three. “We talked about her background, and she saw what I was doing. She reached out again about doing an event, and she came up with the name Black Sports Moms.”

What started as a conversation quickly became a partnership. Edwards and Odom formed an LLC in March 2025 and moved fast, organizing their first conference in Houston in July 2025. They expected a local crowd. Instead, the event sold out with 175 attendees, many of whom traveled from across the country.

“In such a short amount of time, we were blown away by the response,” Odom said. “That’s when we realized this was bigger than we thought.”

The momentum continued in November 2025 with another sold-out conference in Atlanta, drawing 170 attendees. Mothers traveled from Florida, Texas, Georgia, and beyond — including a group of University of Florida Gator moms — underscoring a hunger for education and community that Edwards says has long gone unmet.

“Black women birth the greatest athletes in the world,” Edwards said. “For a long time, different entities in sports have been able to profit off our children’s talent while families are left trying to figure out how to support their kids and make informed decisions.”

Edwards, who has a civil rights background, sees Black Sports Moms as both education and protection. In many households, she notes, mothers are already doing the work by researching agents, negotiating schedules, managing finances, and supporting their children emotionally.

“That’s why athletes say, ‘My mom is the real MVP,’ ” Edwards said. “We nurture everything off the field and off the court. It made sense to empower the women who are already doing the work.”

The organization’s flagship offering, The Playbook, is a one-day educational summit designed specifically for mothers managing their child’s athletic journey. The conferences feature expert-led panels and interactive workshops covering NIL, contracts, branding, mental health, and financial literacy. Each attendee leaves with a personalized strategic plan and access to ongoing coaching and consultation.

“We’re intentional about making sure our moms are not only prepared, but confident enough to walk into any room on behalf of their child,” Edwards said.

That confidence will be on display again this month, when Black Sports Moms hosts a smaller, advanced “Mini Camp” in New Orleans. Limited to 50 attendees, the event is designed to go deeper, with mothers encouraged to bring real contracts they are negotiating.

“We’re breaking everything down clause by clause,” Edwards said. “Brand partnerships, tax strategies, investing, forming LLCs and nonprofits — this is advanced, hands-on work.”

The New Orleans gathering marks the next step in a rapidly expanding national footprint. In addition to regional panels tied to major sporting events, including Super Bowl week, the CIAA tournament, and the McDonald’s All-America Games, the organization plans its largest signature conference yet in Houston in July.

Despite its rapid growth, Edwards and Odom say the most powerful outcome hasn’t been business — it’s been community.

“Moms are forming group chats, supporting each other, showing up to games, baby showers,” Edwards said. “One mom helped another mom’s child land a marketing opportunity. That’s real.”

Odom agrees.

“We created this for empowerment and education, but the sisterhood has been the biggest surprise,” she said. “These women are forming lifelong bonds.”

The stakes, they say, are real. Odom points to moments when parents are intentionally sidelined during recruiting and negotiations — and how education changes those dynamics.

“One mom told us her son had 32 football offers,” Odom said. “After attending our conference, an assistant coach tried to separate her from her son and made a disrespectful comment. The family declined the offer and told the head coach exactly why.”

Another mother, whose son is preparing for the 2026 NBA draft, was told by an agency that starting a nonprofit was “too expensive.” At the upcoming conference, Black Sports Moms will walk families through how to set one up themselves — a process that costs less than $150.

“We’re teaching families who need to be in their ecosystem and how to protect their kids,” Odom said.

For Edwards, the urgency is only increasing as athletes are getting paid younger and younger, often before families are prepared for the attention and financial complexity that comes with it.

“If Black mothers don’t step into these roles,” Edwards said, “everybody else is making money off the success of these athletes. Universities, agencies, financial advisors. We want families to have a unified front so they aren’t taken advantage of.”

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White said his mother, Bonita, played a central role in guiding him through the recruiting process before he chose to attend North Carolina. He added that navigating today’s NIL landscape without that same level of parental support, and education, would be almost unthinkable.

“What they’re doing is needed,” White told Andscape about the co-founders of Black Sports Moms. “It can help a lot of families and a lot of mothers guide their kids through this, especially with the amount of money and attention involved now. It sounds like a dope organization.”

Odom said success will be measured not just by conferences, but by long-term impact – from chapters in cities across the country to a voice in conversations around NIL legislation and athlete rights.

“This is called Black Sports Moms,” she said. “But it’s a movement that’s touching families and communities.”

Bettors in North Carolina wagered more than $7 billion through legal online sportsbooks in 2025, the first complete calendar year since sports betting launched in the state.

In December, the state had more than $651 million in paid wagers, the fourth consecutive month that wagering activity in the state exceeded $650 million, according to information released by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission.

The state collected more than $14.6 million in taxes from the licensed operators, who pay an 18% tax on their gross wagering revenue as calculated by the commission. In 2025, North Carolina collected more than $132 million in taxes from the operators.

Some of the tax revenue goes to the state health department for gambling addiction education and treatment programs, two statewide youth sports organizations which distribute grants, a major events funds and the athletics departments at UNC System schools, though not NC State or UNC-Chapel Hill. The rest goes to the state’s general fund.

Paid wagers in December were up more than 6% over December 2024, continuing a trend. The commission doesn’t release more detailed data on betting, such as which sport attracts the most wagers or which operator has the most customers or bets each month.

Lawmakers approved legal sports betting in North Carolina in 2023 and it went live in mid-March 2024. The state now has seven legal operators.

The day’s event is intended for girls and boys pre-K through eighth grade. There is no charge to participate, and everyone (including parents/guardians) who registers in advance will receive a complimentary ticket to the UNC women’s basketball game against Syracuse that day at 2 p.m. at nearby Carmichael Arena.

https://goheels.com/form/90

Building on its commitment to support youth mental health, connectivity and resiliency, Blue Cross NC encourages participation in sports and an active lifestyle that supports physical and mental well-being. By partnering with youth, parents and community leaders like Carolina Athletics, Blue Cross NC believes there is opportunity to help reduce stigmas associated with mental health for young people in sports.

The NGWSD event includes mini-clinics with each sport, giving kids the opportunity to try out a variety of skills in a fun environment that’s appropriate for youths of all ages. The majority of the 15 UNC women’s varsity teams – cross country, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, track & field and volleyball – will be represented at the event.

For more information, you can email uncngwsd@gmail.com or visit www.goheels.com

Information about check-in and parking will be emailed to registrants in advance of the event.