Youth Sports: The Downstream Investment That’s Growing Up Fast
Why youth sports is the next $70B play for clubs, capital, and content
🧠 The Berkida Take
Youth sports may be the most investable chaos in global sport today.
It is a $70B market built on passion, parental spend, and intellectual property, but held back by fragmentation, inefficiency, and outdated infrastructure. Now, capital is catching up.
Top clubs are building global academy networks. Private equity is rolling up tech, tournaments, and training. Cities are treating youth sport as strategic infrastructure.
This is not just about finding the next Messi. It is about owning the journey - from first kick to fandom, from weekend games to monetised content.
If you are an investor, here is where to look:
Streamline the chaos: A super app can solve the fragmented family experience.
Capture content: UGC-first platforms like GameChanger are outpacing fixed hardware.
Own the brand, not the league: PSG and Juventus are turning academies into global IP plays.
Back the backend: League operations, Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) tools, and sponsorship tech are where value will compound.
Smart capital is moving in. If you are not looking at youth sports yet, someone else is.
Youth Sports: The Downstream Investment That’s Growing Up Fast
Youth sports have become investable. Private equity, top clubs, and family offices are now treating it as a global $70B opportunity, driven by brand equity, IP, and long-tail monetisation that starts as early as age 6.
Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly investing up to $70M on a residential academy in Florida. Juventus operates over 80 academies worldwide. Why? Because it is no longer just about talent. It is about owning the journey, building brand equity early, and turning 12-year-olds into lifelong fans.
The capital markets have taken note. Josh Harris and David Blitzer’s Unrivaled Sports raised $120M last month to consolidate the fragmented U.S. youth sports space. Dick’s Sporting Goods co-led the round. Private equity, venture capital, and retail giants are all making strategic moves.
Cities are moving fast too. Lubbock, Texas just greenlit an $8M expansion to its youth sports complex to attract more tournaments and tourism. In Ocoee, Florida, officials approved a $1 billion project to build “The Dynasty,” a 159-acre youth sports mega-complex with 17 convertible fields and a 150,000 sq. ft. indoor facility.
Even veteran investors in pro sports are leaning into youth. Brett Johnson, co‑owner of Ipswich Town FC and Chairman of Rhode Island FC, recently said on the Sport Businessman Podcast that youth sports are “largely uncorrelated with the broader economy” and “recession-proof” because families tend to cut back on other expenses before discontinuing their kids’ sports participation.
Market Snapshot: A Fragmented $70B Sector Built on Passion, Primed for Platforms
The numbers back it up:
$70B global market by 2030
60M+ U.S. kids in organised sports
$1,400+ per year in average family spend
$91.8B in U.S. economic impact through youth sports tourism
Over $1B in new U.S. facilities built this year alone
And yet despite the scale, the market is still fragmented:
Parents juggle 8+ apps to manage schedules, streaming, and recruiting
An estimated 40M+ games go unmonetised every year
NIL is already hitting high school, but tools to manage it are still playing catch-up
Families invest big (often $10K+ per year) chasing scholarships — yet only 7% of athletes play in college
Now, smart capital is stepping in. PE firms, holding companies, and sport investors are buying up club teams, tournament rights, and infrastructure platforms to bring coordination to a chaotic but fast-scaling space.
Market Snapshot: A Fragmented $70B Sector Built on Passion, Primed for Platforms
Youth sports have scaled but the infrastructure hasn’t. The result is a sprawling, high-spend ecosystem with deep fragmentation across technology, capital, and coordination. Growth is accelerating but so are the inefficiencies.
Market Size & Growth
Global estimates:
$37B global youth sports market in 2022 → projected $70B by 2030
$24.9B (Wintergreen estimate, 2022) → projected $77.6B by 2026
U.S. participation:
60M+ children participate in organised sports annually
Family Spending & Economic Impact
Spending per child:
$885 per season for primary sport
$1,400+ per year on average
Some families spend $10,000+ annually including travel, coaching, gear
Broader economic effects:
$39.7B in direct youth sports tourism spending (2021)
$91.8B total U.S. economic impact
$1B+ in new or renovated youth sports facilities expected in 2024
Participation & Demographic Shifts
Participation trends:
39.8% of youth played team sports in 2023 — highest since 2015
By gender:
Girls aged 6–12: 34%
Girls aged 13–17: 38%; girl’s participation is at decades high.
Boys: down to 41% in 2023 (from 50% in 2013)
By ethnicity:
Black youth: dropped to 35% in 2023 (from 45% in 2013)
Hispanic youth: up 14% in 2023 — highest since 2016
College Incentives & Athletic ROI
Only 7% of high school athletes play in college (including all NCAA divisions)
Club and AAU circuits dominate the recruiting pipeline
Families often view sport as tuition leverage:
Spend $10K on AAU → land $50K/year scholarship
Average 4-year tuition:
Private college: $33,150
Public college: $16,356
Technology & Streaming: A Mobile-First Arms Race
40M+ youth games are played annually in the U.S., but most go unrecorded
GameChanger:
Streams 2.5M+ games per year using just smartphones
Covers 7M+ games per year and claims 70% market share in baseball/softball scoring
Families use 8+ disconnected apps (registration, training, scorekeeping, video)
High demand for an integrated “super app” experience
Structural Trends & Emerging Opportunities
Participation is falling, but family spending is rising — leading to affordability gaps
The pressure to start early is growing: if your child is not on a travel team by age 6, some families worry the dream is already over
Tech platforms can help democratise access and rebuild participation
Monetisation models are emerging:
NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) is now legal for high schoolers in 22+ states
Platforms like Mogul support 20,000+ college athletes with average earnings of $2,200 per year
Top earners generate $100K+
Brands now prefer college athletes (35%) over pros due to better engagement rates
The Franchise Flywheel: Big Club Academy Expansion as Strategic Investment
Top European clubs are no longer just content distributors or talent developers — they are becoming franchise operators with global academy networks.
Both Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are deploying asset-light, IP-rich models combining:
Brand licensing
Co-investment with local operators
Soft power diplomacy
Youth development as deal flow
🇫🇷 PSG: A Global Franchise Model
Operates through Strive Football Group
Key markets:
North America: 60+ annual events; residential academies in Miami, Chicago, Dallas, LA
Africa: Flagship academy in Senegal, plus Morocco, Reunion, Guadeloupe, French Guiana
Europe: Residential centres in Switzerland, Türkiye, Wales
Education tie-ups: Pair football training with academic programs in North Wales and beyond
🇮🇹 Juventus: Strategic Localism Meets Global Reach
Juventus has opted for a model blending direct ownership (in high-growth frontier markets) with education partnerships in premium European school systems.
Co-ownership and education-based expansion model
Key initiatives:
Juventus Academy Ghana: Co-owned with former club player Kwadwo Asamoah, this academy targets pan-African talent and showcases Juventus’ brand equity beyond Europe.
Saudi Arabia: With 3 academies (Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar), Juventus leverages major events (e.g., Supercoppa Italiana) to deepen local engagement and open new academies.
Europe: New partnership with Inspired Education Group to embed Juventus Academy programs in 100+ premium schools across 27 countries—bringing elite coaching into the classroom.
Who’s Investing: Capital, Consolidators, and the Emerging Ecosystem
The youth sports industry is becoming a structured asset class. Investors are targeting technology, operations, and content. From tech platforms to tournament roll-ups, the space is drawing interest from private equity, venture capital, family offices, and strategic investors.
Emerging platform builders:
Game tech:
Hudl (video + analytics, Bain Capital-backed)
Pixellot (AI-powered cameras)
NFHS Network (school sports streaming)
GameChanger (UGC streaming, 70% share in baseball/softball)
Crossbar (league ops software with grassroots traction)
Software & league operations:
TeamSnap (acquired by Waud Capital)
PlayOn Sports (KKR-backed)
MaxPreps (high school sports data)
Capital formation & consolidation:
Private equity activity:
KKR → Acquired Varsity Brands, invested in PlayOn
Bain Capital → Hudl
Waud Capital → TeamSnap
Unrivaled Sports → $120M raise led by Dick’s Sporting Goods
Backed by Harris-Blitzer-Chernin, Dynasty Equity, LionTree, Miller Sports
Assets include Ripken Baseball and Cooperstown All Star Village
Estimated valuation: $650M+
Investment themes:
Youth tournaments and travel ball
Facility operators
NIL infrastructure
Scouting and recruiting tech
Merchandising (eg Varsity Brands) and retail platforms
Streaming, content monetisation, and sponsorship tech