PCA Updates
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, November 2021 – Positive Coaching Alliance (“PCA”) has partnered with the national nonprofit, Every Kid Sports, to ensure kids everywhere have access to sports and the well-trained coaches they deserve to lead their teams. “We are thrilled to now officially be partnering together to reach more coaches, organizations, and most importantly youth - and to be able to provide them the best possible experience through sports,'' said Jason Sacks, Chief Development Officer at PCA.
The Every Kid Sports mission is to help kids from income-restricted families participate in youth sports so that they can experience the positive benefits of playing. Every Kid Sports was established when its founders learned that 68% of kids ages 9-13 were not playing sports and the number one reason was that they could not afford it.
As part of this partnership, the two organizations will become trusted resources for one another, sharing the magnitude of their reach to get more youth involved in sports and train more coaches who are impacting those young athletes. Every Kid Sports will help spread the word about PCA’s Million Coaches Challenge. PCA is a founding partner of the Susan Crown Exchange's Million Coaches Challenge which is offering funding for non-profit organizations to train coaches in Positive Youth Development, with a special emphasis on coaches in underserved communities.
“We think it is amazing that PCA will help us get the word out about our program and we are excited to let the leagues and teams our Pass recipients are registering with know about the Million Coaches Challenge and the free coaches training available to them. We believe that working together we can ensure kids not only get access to sports but also have an amazing experience playing,” stated Every Kid Sports Executive Director, Natalie Hummel.
Through their signature program, the Every Kid Sports Pass, Every Kid Sports covers recreational youth sports registration fees up to $150, four times a year, per child aged 4-18, and is available to families who qualify for SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid. Every Kid Sports encourages sport sampling, as research shows that playing a variety of sports allows for greater physical literacy, better socialization, and greater enjoyment in being physically and emotionally active. It prepares kids for a lifetime of activity, connection, and positive experiences.
Together, PCA and Every Kid Sports will provide resources and opportunities for kids to have increased equity and access to a positive youth sports experience.
About Every Kid Sports:
Every Kid Sports is a national 501(c)(3), a 2021 GuideStar Platinum Transparency awarded nonprofit organization that has worked since 2009 to level the “paying field” of playing youth sports by removing the financial barriers that typically prevent kids from being active through sports. Every Kid Sports has helped over 50,000 kids play sports across the country. Every Kid Sports been recognized by The Aspen Institute as a 2019 Project Play Champion, as well as a recipient of the 2019 Beyond Sports Collective Impact Award for Reduced Inequalities. Partners in their work have included DICKS Sporting Goods, Under Armour, T-Mobile, Little League International and the National Basketball Players Association Foundation. To learn more or to get involved, please visit www.everykidsports.org.
About Positive Coaching Alliance:
As a catalyst for a positive youth sports culture, Positive Coaching Alliance provides research-based training and resources for coaches, parents, athletes, and leaders to ensure a positive youth development experience for ALL kids, in all communities across the U.S., through sports. PCA ensures sports are ‘done right’ with programming that is research-based and designed to have impact at three levels in a youth sports organization or school:
PCA believes that all youth can benefit from a positive, inclusive sports culture that develops social and emotional skills, molds character, and prepares them for competition and life. In more than two decades of work, PCA expanded from a small local nonprofit to a strong, nationwide organization that provides programming in all 50 states, reaching thousands of organizations around the country and positively impacting millions of youth athletes every year. PCA has now partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver more than 20,000 live group workshops, reaching over 20 million youth. For more information, visit www.positivecoach.org.
