The Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2025 report finds that youth sports participation has recovered from the COVID pandemic, but expensive club programs have hampered recent gains.

The cost of youth sports has increased by 46 percent since 2019, according to Aspen Institute Project Play research. Relatedly, significant access gaps persist among youth from both upper- and lower-income families.

Still, overall participation rates rebounded, with 55.4 percent of youth ages 6 to 17 playing sports as of 2023, with more kids and adolescents engaged in organized play than at any time since 2019, according to the federal government figures. Even more kids played organized sports in 2024, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA).

Aspen Institute notes in its report that there were concerns that a rebound would not happen. During the economic recession of 2009, youth sports participation rates declined and did not recover because municipal budgets were cut, local recreation programs were affected, and private sports providers flourished, favoring families who could afford to pay to play.

“The rebound in participation since the pandemic is a credit to all who have innovated to improve access to quality sports programs,” said Tom Farrey, executive director of the Sports & Society Program, in the report’s introduction. “But we’re going to need leadership to ensure that as more money flows into the space, the needs of children — all children — are prioritized in the development of policies, practices and partnerships shaping what is still a disjointed landscape.”

The participation themes in the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2025 report include progress made on the  U.S. government’s Healthy People 2030 national goal of having 63 percent of kids playing sports by 2030, continued momentum in casual sports participation, an uptick in young Latinos playing sports, robust participation gains in girls flag football and boys volleyball, and ongoing access challenges facing kids from low-income households.

Fourteen States Reached 63 Percent Youth Sports Participation Target
The federal government’s national public health goal to have youth sports participation reach 63 percent by 2030 is being championed by Project Play through 63X30 roundtable organizations. According to a government study, the National Survey of Children’s Health, 55 percent of kids played organized sports, up from 54 percent in 2022.

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia reached the 63 percent mark. They include Vermont (72 percent), South Dakota (69 percent), New Hampshire (68 percent), Massachusetts (65 percent), Iowa (65 percent), Minnesota (65 percent), Washington D.C. (65 percent), Colorado (65 percent), North Dakota (64 percent), Nebraska (64 percent), Rhode Island (63 percent), Wyoming (63 percent), Maine (63 percent), Hawaii (63 percent) and Montana (63 percent). Nevada (43 percent) had the lowest participation rate, followed by Delaware, Florida, West Virginia, and Texas. Each of those states ranked among the lowest for female participation.

Casual Forms of Organized Play Surging
In 2024, there was a six percent increase in the number of kids ages 6 to 17 who played a team sport at least once compared to 2023. No matter the age, participation in casual play among kids increased by 6 to 7 percent in both the 6 to 12 and 13 to 17 age groups. All tolled, 65 percent of kids age 6 to 17 tried a sport at least once in 2024, an increase from 59 percent in 2021 and the highest on record tracked by the SFIA dating to at least 2012.

At the same time, core sports participation (i.e., regularly playing a sport) increased for the third consecutive year among kids ages 6 to 12. And for the second straight year, regular sports participation for kids ages 6 to 12 reached its highest level since 2015. However, teens ages 13 to 17 continued to play sports regularly at lower rates, with participation dropping by 3 percent in 2024.

Participation Among Latinos Grew Faster Than All Demographics
According to data reported by the SFIA, in 2024, 65 percent of kids of Latino descent ages 6 to 17 tried sports at least once over the previous 12 months, a higher rate than Black and White kids in the same age bracket. The SFIA noted that the gains were attributed to greater representation of Latinas in college and pro sports, a trend that followed Latino youth being seen playing sports at lower rates than their peers for many years.

Sports Participation rates among Latina girls rose from 39.5 percent in 2019 to 48.4 percent in 2024, outpacing the growth of non-Latina peers, according to “Unlocking the Growing Power of Latino Fans,” a research report published by McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility. The firm attributed those gains to the work of many organizations, including the Ella Sports Foundation, Girls on the Run, Sports 4 Life, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Still, there remain challenges.

According to the SFIA, Latino parents cite scheduling conflicts more often than non-Latino households as a barrier for kids to play organized sports. Also, research by the McKinsey Institute and the U.S. Soccer Federation found that kids of Latino and Black descent are three times more likely than White kids to stop playing soccer because they feel unwelcome on the playing field.

Girls Flag Football and Boys Volleyball Are Exploding
From 2019 to 2024, flag football was the only team sport tracked by the SFIA to experience growth in regular participation among kids ages 6 to 17, increasing by 14 percent over those five years. Tennis and golf increased as individual sports, according to separate data shared with the Aspen Institute. Declines were found in baseball (down 19 percent), tackle football (down 7 percent), soccer (down 3 percent), and basketball (down 2 percent).

In 2017, flag football surpassed tackle football as the most played form of football among kids 6 to 12. The gap continues to widen at that age: 4 percent played flag football in 2024 vs. 2.7 percent who played tackle. Among kids ages 13 to 17, tackle football (6.4 percent) remains more popular than flag football (2.8 percent). Nonetheless, the number of high school kids who played 11-man tackle increased in three of the past four years, a trend not seen since the mid-2000s.

Flag football’s growth is largely attributed to the NFL, which has invested more in the sport, as some parents delayed or walked away from tackle due to the risk of brain injuries and shifting U.S. demographics. Flag football is expected to gain a boost from the sport’s debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Meanwhile, volleyball participation is growing faster than any other high school boys’ sport, with a 13 percent increase in 2024/25, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Boys’ roster numbers increased by 51 percent over a six-year period, reaching 95,972 spots in 4,303 schools during the 2024/25 play season.

Volleyball is nearing the Top 10 most-played high school boys’ sports, trailing No. 10 swimming and diving by 23,000 roster spots. A decade ago, the gap between boys’ volleyball and swimming was 83,000. What has changed is the partnership between the First Point Volleyball Foundation and the American Volleyball Coaches Association to help sanction volleyball in new states. Over the past six years, nine states have added varsity boys’ volleyball to their curricula, including Oregon, Kentucky, Indiana, Utah, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Missouri.

Lack Of Access Among Low-Income Youth Is Limiting Growth
In 2012, 35.5 percent of kids ages 6 to 17 living at home with household incomes under $25,000 regularly played sports, compared to 49.1 percent in homes earning $100,000 or more, a difference of 13.6 percentage points.

By 2024, the gap was 20.2 percentage points, according to SFIA data. Federal data tells a similar story about disparities due to household income. In 2023, kids living in the lowest-income homes played sports at half the rate of those from the highest-income group.

The Aspen Institute’s national survey of youth sports parents found that kids from the wealthiest households play their primary sport more frequently than their peers in community-based settings, schools, travel teams, and independent training. Kids living in homes with earnings of $100,000 or more were twice as likely to play travel sports as those in homes earning under $50,000.

Trends To Watch
The study identified 10 youth sports trends to watch for 2026: 

1. How high can youth sport costs go?: The average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on their child’s primary sport in 2024, a 46 percent increase since 2019, according to the Aspen Institute’s parent survey in partnership with Utah State University and Louisiana Tech University. Driving up the costs are higher spending on team registrations, travel and lodging for non-local play, and individual camps and private instructions to improve athletic skills.
2. Can the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports create shared expectations?: Adoption in 2025 by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities and National Recreation and Park Association lays the groundwork for using the Bill of Rights as a guiding framework to anchor the country’s youth sports ecosystem in the human rights of children. Developed by the Aspen Institute with a working group of human rights and sports policy experts, the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports offers eight principles recognizing that all youth should have the opportunity to develop as people through sports.
3. How will NIL change the incentives? While college athletes earn the most attention for name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, 44 states and Washington D.C. allow NIL agreements for high school students. potentially changing the non-scholastic sports experience for middle school ages and younger. Aspen Institute wrote in the study, “Adding the potential of NIL money in real-time brings new variables to how families view sports.”
4. How will AI reshape youth sports? Using artificial intelligence-powered video analysis, wearable sensors and analytics platforms, sports providers are potentially offering families a more personalized and engaging experience. But AI also carries concerns about costs, data privacy, balancing technology with personal coaching, and time commitment for younger children.
5. How will SCOTUS rule on transgender athletes? With heightened scrutiny around transgender participation in sports, the Supreme Court will be hearing two cases examining if state laws restricting participation in girls and women’s sports to those born female violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment or Title IX.
6. Has pickleball now captured kids? The number of children ages 6-12 who played pickleball at least once in the past year doubled over a two-year period, reaching 2.2 million in 2024. Teenagers 13-17 increased their pickleball participation by 157 percent over two years. Among casual pickleball players (defined as playing one to seven times in a year), children ages 6-17 play at a higher rate than adults ages 45-64. Older adults are still the most popular core participants (playing at least eight times a year).
7. Can all these mega-facilities thrive? Increasingly, commercial real estate and local economic development officials view America’s expensive relationship with youth sports as a revenue generator. In 2025, Ocoee, Florida approved development of a 159-acre youth sports and hotel complex, called The Dynasty, valued at up to $1 billion. Youth Sports Business Report predicts that by 2030 only two distinct tiers of sports offerings will be available for families – premium destination experiences such as The Dynasty and community-based recreational programs.
8. What’s the role of states in regulating youth sports? In August 2025, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law the Illinois Youth Sports Commission, the nation’s first statewide commission focused on quality, access and equity in youth sports. California Gov. Gavin Newsom similarly signed legislation that could lead to the creation of a department to support and regulate youth sports in his state.
9. Can the Presidential Fitness Test be revived? The standardized exercises used to measure students’ physical fitness for more than half a century until 2013 are planned to return thanks to President Donald Trump’s executive order. Administered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., it’s not clear when the test will return or which exercises will be measured.
10. How will gambling impact youth sports? While no major sportsbooks offer odds on the Little League World Series, which features children ages 10-12, the same is not true for unregulated, overseas sportsbooks. Aspen Institute describe gambling and youth sports as not a “new phenomenon, just a growing concern.” In the Aspen Institute’s 2018 State of Play Mobile County (Alabama) report, 26 percent of surveyed youth said they had played in a game where adults bet money on who won or the final score.

Image courtesy Under Armour

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Federal Republican lawmakers on Tuesday suggested that increasing students’ access and participation in sports could help stem school and gun violence, as Democrats pushed back on whether that’s a viable solution. The disagreement came on the heels of a fatal mass shooting at Brown University that occurred on the eve of Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre’s 13th anniversary. 

“This is a hearing on school safety,” said House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg, R-Mich. Walberg spoke during a hearing titled “Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future,” held by the subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. Walberg chairs the full committee. 

“If we did this right again, we would have less violence in schools,” Walberg said. “These are the types of things that will change [the] perspective of kids and what they do in life itself. So this is a hearing on gun violence.” 

While Democrats and witnesses agreed that access and affordability are barriers to youth sports participation,they disagreed with Republicans over its potential to address school shootings. Studies have shown that youth sports participation is linked to better attendance, graduation rates, and academic performance.

“As important as sports participation is for kids, there is a much more pressing crisis at hand that the majority needs to recognize,” said subcommittee ranking member Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore. “We know what happened over the weekend.” 

Saturday’s shooting at Brown University killed two students and injured nine others. In K-12, there have been 230 school shootings in 2025 as of Dec 16, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which tracks anytime a weapon is brandished with intent to harm on school grounds. 

That number puts this year on track to fall well below last year’s 330 school shootings. Last year became the first year since 2020 that school shootings hadn’t broken a record high. Still, however, the 330 school shootings recorded in 2024 marked the second-highest number since 1966 and fell only 19 below the all-time high of 349 recorded in 2023.

“This subcommittee has held several hearings this year, but we have not had a single hearing related to gun violence,” nor has the committee marked up a bill this year on school gun violence, said Bonamici. “We can talk about the other issues as much as we want — reading, math, CTE, screentime, student privacy, sports. None of that matters if children are shot and killed.” 

Witnesses at the hearing, however, stressed that better access to school sports could help improve student mental health, academics and outcomes. They reported anecdotes of students being less likely to engage in violence or commit crimes when after-school time is filled with sports activities. 

“If you can calm yourself down when you’re in an anxious state, you’re a better athlete. If you can calm your anger down when you’re hypercompetitive, you’re a better athlete,” said Steve Boyle, co-founder and executive director of 2-4-1 Care, Inc., a nonprofit organization that partners with school districts to provide sports opportunities. 

John O’Sullivan, another witness and founder and CEO of the Changing the Game Project, said, “We have to keep as many kids as possible, as long as possible, in the best environment possible. ” His organization advocates for parents and coaches to become better participants in kids’ sports. 

Democrats remained doubtful and pushed for a hearing specifically on gun violence. 

“While sports are important for school safety, we have to have a hearing on this committee to address school shootings and the safety of our children in American schools,” said Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn. “I know that my constituents expect something more than to just normalize school shootings and teach our children how to shelter in place.” 

Hayes and other lawmakers on Sept. 12 sent a letter to Walberg and full committee ranking member Bobby Scott, D-Va., seeking a hearing before the end of the year on school shootings, and she said she received a response saying her concerns were “noted.” The letter was sent in wake of shootings at a Catholic school in Minnesota and a Colorado high school.

Russia may return to international football after a four-year absence from FIFA-sanctioned competitions after world soccer’s governing body announced a new under-15 competition which will be “open to all member associations”.

Russia’s national teams and domestic clubs have been suspended from participating in FIFA and UEFA (the governing body of European football) competitions since the nation’s illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Russian Football Union (RFU) appealed against the bans, but the Court of Arbitration of Sport upheld the decisions.

The RFU, however, is not suspended — they are still a member nation of both UEFA and FIFA. It is the country’s football teams, rather than its governing body, that have been suspended.

On Wednesday, FIFA’s Council announced the creation of an “under-15 festival-style tournament…that will be open to all 211 FIFA member associations”.

The first boys’ tournament will be held in 2026, with an edition for girls to be staged in 2027.

The governing body said each member association, which includes Russia, would be invited to participate in the tournaments.

Any readmittance of Russia, however, is likely to be dependent on the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In April, FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino spoke of his hope that Russia could be reintroduced to the football fold “soon” – adding that any return would signify that “everything was solved” in relation to events in Ukraine.

Last week, Infantino said in an Instagram post that he “supported” participation of athletes, and “especially young athletes”, in events regardless of the political situation of their country”.

He added: “Sport provides an access to hope, and a way to show that all athletes can respect the same rules and one another.”

Since February 2022, Russia have been excluded from the qualification process for the men’s World Cup in 2022, and the nation did not take part in the qualifiers for either the European Championship in 2024, governed by UEFA, or the 2026 World Cup.

The nation’s club sides have not participated in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League — all overseen by UEFA.

When approached by The Athletic, a UEFA spokesperson said the organisation’s stance on Russia would not change until the conflict in Ukraine had ended.

UEFA’s Executive Committee (EXCO), its decision-making body — responsible for making decisions and overseeing competitions — will next meet in February 2026.

In 2023, UEFA reversed plans to reinstate Russia’s under-17 side in the relevant youth European Championship in 2024 following significant pushback from member associations, including England’s Football Association.

UEFA had initially said in their reasoning for reinstating under-17 teams that “children should not be punished” for the conflict and that football “should never give up sending messages of peace and hope”. Under UEFA’s initial plan, proposed matches would have been conducted without the Russian flag, anthem, or kit, and would not take place on Russian territory.

Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to compete under their national flags and emblems at youth level.

Russian and Belarusian competitors have been banned from competing under their countries’ flags at Olympic and Paralympic events since 2022.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the IOC permitted some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under the “Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)” team, which had no symbolism of national anthems, badges or flags.

The IOC also said that Belarus, which has diplomatically supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, should no longer be restricted from hosting international events, although Russia should remain barred from doing so.

Belarus most recently competed in European qualifiers for the 2026 men’s World Cup, finishing bottom of Group C behind Scotland, Denmark and Greece, but the nation is not allowed to host UEFA or FIFA matches.

The L.D. Washington and Nathaniel Cannon Wall of Honor celebrates the legacy of youth sports and the leaders who built and sustained the East Austin Youth Foundation and the Greater East Austin Youth Association – organizations that have created vital opportunities for Black youth during and after segregation.

The wall is housed in the Britton, Durst, Howard and Spence Building at 1183 Chestnut Ave. in Rosewood Neighborhood Park, a historic center for Black youth sports. The building was renamed in 2011 to honor four community leaders, including Lawrence M. Britton, Sr. and James Howard, who helped found the East Austin Youth Foundation. Their work provided a safe and empowering space for young athletes at a time when Black children were excluded from white leagues.

James Howard later partnered with Nathaniel Cannon to co-found the Greater East Austin Youth Association, continuing the mission of community uplift. Cannon has served as the association’s treasurer since its founding in 1975 and has been a key organizer of the group’s annual Juneteenth celebration for over 25 years.

L.D. Washington, a beloved coach and mentor, also played a pivotal role in the East Austin Youth Foundation. His influence extended beyond sports, and he was honored with the Al Edwards Juneteenth Un-Sung Hero Award in 2001 and inducted into the Prairie View Interscholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

The idea for the Wall of Honor came from Kenneth D. Thompson, Sr., a former player and parent in the East Austin Youth Foundation. He partnered with Lee Dawson, Jr., president of the Greater East Austin Youth Association and a former player himself, to bring the vision to life. The project was made possible through funding from the Austin Parks Foundation’s Austin City Limits Music Festival Grants Program.

Watch and share the unveiling video on:

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Before she was a WNBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and head coach of the Duke University women’s basketball team, Kara Lawson was a star in NoVA. Lawson, now 44, led the West Springfield High School Spartans to state championships in 1997 and 1999. She was recently tapped to coach the USA Basketball Women’s National Team at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and we asked her how her NoVA roots have helped shape her impressive career.

What do you like to do when you visit NoVA?

I’m from Alexandria. And my mom still lives in Alexandria. I come home a lot … more during the off-season. Mostly, I like to just spend time with my family and my friends.

What do you love about the area? 

Northern Virginia is great because you have everything. You have sports, you have theater, you have culture, you have sightseeing, you have outdoors. You basically have everything that you need.
The NoVA youth sports culture can be hyper-competitive. What’s your advice for young athletes with dreams of going pro?

Going to school in the area really prepares you for success, because you play a lot of good competition. You have a lot of good coaching in the area, a lot of good players. While college was certainly a step up, I felt very prepared when I got there. So, in our area, if you can rise to be one of the best, then that usually means you’re pretty good. It’s a good barometer for the rest of the country.

What did you learn from your coaches at West Springfield? 

I learned about teamwork. I knew about teamwork from when I was young, but we had very good team chemistry at West Springfield, and everyone had a great understanding of their roles and what they needed to do for the team to be successful. We only lost two games in three years, and we have a close group — six of my high school teammates came to the press conference [announcing my Olympic coaching appointment]. I’m still good friends with a lot of my teammates from high school.

Was coaching something you’ve always wanted to do?

Yeah, I have wanted to be a coach since I was 7 years old. 

What did being selected as the Olympic team’s head coach mean to you?

It represents the journey that it takes to do that. It makes me smile, because I think it symbolizes that I dedicated myself from when I was young to a goal. And I stayed with it over 10 years, 20 years, and was able to reach it. So it was very fulfilling. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Feature image of Kara Lawson courtesy USA Basketball

This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.