ABOUT US
Executive Director's Report - 2011
"You are positive, inspired, passionate and zealous to the degree in which you eliminate negative motions from your life. Engage in mountaintop thinking, stretch forward in deliberation, and then act as if it were impossible to fail." - Sally S. Johnson, CSA, IOM
Presented at the NCYS Annual Meeting
September 13 - 15, 2011 | Orange Beach, Alabama
WOW! 2011 lead off with a bang! Following two and a half years of the worst recession in modern times, I am proud to say that NCYS has had a banner year!
As Albert Einstein once said, "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." So...the NCYS Board of Directors put their heads together and revisited our Strategic Plan. Day to day we use this living document as our guiding light providing vision and relevance, definition and direction to the ever rapidly changing youth sports environment.
The NCYS added five new partners so far this year with more on the horizon! These relationships have added breadth and depth to the meaningful resources we provide to the amateur youth sports industry. Each new program and service is exciting adding value and ease for our members. And each one is pertinent, makes-sense, is purposeful and beneficial reinforcing the NCYS commitment as the 'go to' resource for the youth sports industry.
The National Council of Youth Sports mission is to represent the youth sports industry by advancing the values of participation, and educating and developing leaders. High ethical standards and honest behavior are paramount to the NCYS vision as we aspire to enhance the youth sports experience in America and we strive to be the united voice for amateur youth sports.
What is the State of the Industry? The current trends of the amateur youth sports industry give us bright hope and optimism that responsible leadership today will provide a safe and enjoyable place for our children and future generations to participate in healthy, active lifestyles tomorrow.
In this report I will highlight our key areas and flagship programs that have gained NCYS its valued reputation as the proven leader of the amateur youth sports industry. Further information is always available by calling NCYS Headquarters at 772-781-1452 or by visiting our website at www.ncys.org.
MEMBERSHIP
The National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) members and those they serve are the reason that the NCYS exists. Established in 1979 by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, the organization was originally named the National Council of Youth Sports Directors (NCYSD).
In 1988 we had 14 members. In 1998 the NCYS had 74 members. Today, September 2011, we boast nearly 200 member organizations/corporations who represent more than 60,000,000 registered participants/ 44,000,000 actual boys and girls in organized youth sports programs.
The National Council of Youth Sports is well-known for its advocacy in promoting healthy lifestyles and safe environments for stronger neighborhoods and communities. Credibility, integrity and vigilant visibility have remained at the core of everything we do for our members and our industry. NCYS is committed to the highest standards of quality and dependability with a passion to create a better, more wholesome society.
NCYS is the portal to the amateur youth sports industry. Our reach is broad and deep into the grassroots of America's heartland. That wide-ranging scope brings much responsibility and lots of opportunity for us, our colleagues and our partners. NCYS is the largest known organization in America representing youth-serving industry. No other sport organization in America reaches more grassroots participants than the combined membership of the NCYS.
The National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) comprises the "who's who" in the amateur youth sports industry. Our members are the gatekeepers, the key decision-makers, the power of influence and behavior, and the advocates for valued amateur youth sports participation. These are highly respected national organizations, local associations, park & rec departments, sports commissions, CVBs, insurance agencies, corporate vendors, suppliers, and service providers. A complete list of NCYS members can be found on our website www.ncys.org.
The NCYS is an untiring leader committed to being the united voice for amateur youth sports and advancing the youth sports experience in America. NCYS is unique and we pride ourselves on living up to our Strategic Plan as well as being respected by our members, the media, the government, corporate America and the leaders in and around our industry.
This amateur youth sports industry is diversified representing athletes in all sports, all demographics and of all diversities in sport, in skill, in performance, in rules, and lots more! But philosophically we are united as one with a common purpose - to enhance the youth sports experience in America for the betterment of youth, of sport and of society for today and for generations to come!
The dedication of individuals involved in youth sports - the volunteers, the coaches, the officials, the local and national administrators, the staff on every level, the parents, and the awe-inspiring athletes-are amazingly inspirational. There is extreme pride for those who provide everyday allegiance to children through safe, supervised and organized amateur athletic activities.
Please be an active part of the NCYS recruitment team and ask others to join the team of 'who's who' in the youth sports industry. Everyone is welcome! Together we are a powerhouse of positive influence!
THE NCYS STRATEGIC PLAN
The NCYS Board of Directors met about one year ago to revisit the priorities and structure of its Strategic Plan for the long-term success of the organization. The plan is a living document. It reflects a way of thinking and is an ongoing process.
This newly revised Strategic Plan focuses on four key priority areas:
- Priority 1: Funding. The goal is to obtain sustainable and diversified financial base to fund activities for long-term growth and expansion.
- Priority 2: Quality Member Services. The goal is to expand quality of services and increase the numbers and diversity of membership.
- Priority 3: Marketing & Communication. The goal is to have an internal focus to our members and constituents. Enhance our brand through an increase in our reach and frequency of messaging on the key issues of the amateur youth sports industry.
- Priority 4: Public Relations. The goal is an external focus. Communicate key issues on a consistent basis to the media and governmental agencies.
Strategic planning may be a tool for effectively plotting the direction of a company; however, strategic planning itself cannot foretell exactly how the market will evolve and what issues will surface in the coming days in order to plan your organizational strategy. Therefore, strategic innovation and tinkering with the 'strategic plan' have to be a cornerstone strategy for an organization to survive the turbulent business climate.
A respectful thank you to NCYS Board of Directors who leads the youth sports industry with vision, dedication, strategic thinking, and a responsible commitment. Each one of the board members is outrageously busy with their own jobs but they always make themselves available to assist with NCYS. These are remarkable, unselfish individuals who lead with a true passion, an open mind and great vision to be certain NCYS best serves the needs of our youth sports, youth-serving industry.
NCYS MEMBER SURVEY and MARKET RESEARCH
Earlier this year, the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) conducted a member survey in order to better understand how our members view, utilize, and benefit from the NCYS resources and services.
The results reveal the significance of NCYS and the meaningful role the NCYS plays in leading the amateur youth sports industry and enhancing the youth sports experience. The NCYS Board of Directors will use the results of this research to help in future shaping the NCYS Strategic Plan ensuring the resources and services we provide continue to be relevant, reliable and purposeful for the members we serve.
We learned that a whopping 75% if our members rely on NCYS to stay current on amateur youth sports industry trends, quickly followed by access & networking connections, being part of a credible industry group, advocacy/government relations/public policy and educational opportunities. Our members trust the NCYS for its reliable resources and information.
The NCYS Study "Report on Trends and Participation in Organized Youth Sports" is the #1 service used by our members. The National Center for Safety Initiatives and the NCYS Recommended Guidelines for background screening followed as well as other noteworthy safety, physical activity, and health & wellness programs.
SAFETY & HEALTH & INJURY PREVENTION
The NCYS Helps Keep Youth Sports Safe
An Untiring Advocate for the Protection of Children
The National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) - long known for tackling the big issues in youth sports - is an untiring advocate for the protection of children, eradicating criminal behavior, and providing a safe environment in order to make a positive difference for children of all backgrounds, genders, and economic diversities. In the spirit of keeping children safe by preventing, recognizing, and responding to situations both on and off the playing field, we hope all those who serve children will take on a responsible call to action to protect the children in youth-serving organizations and keep them safe.
National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI)
BACKGROUND SCREENING: Are You Doing Your Due Diligence?
In 2002, the NCYS began three years of research including amateur youth sports feedback surveys, industry-wide studies, meetings with government officials, white papers, and several summits with the NCYS and the insurance industry leadership. In 2005, the National Council of Youth Sports announced its formation of the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) demonstrating its dedication to protecting and keeping our children safe.
The National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) is the country's leading resource for background screening services for non-profit and youth serving organizations. NCSI was created in cooperation with the National Council of Youth Sports with the mission of eradicating harm and protecting organizations from loss and is 100% focused on helping organizations who serve non-profits, youth and vulnerable populations.
NCSI is the choice of many of the greatest, most reputable sports organizations in the world including the United States Olympic Committee. NCYS is most appreciative of those groups who are active clients of NCSI (www.ncsisafe.com). They have done their homework and understand the vast distinction between conducting a 'background check' versus being committed to utilizing a fully-managed program that uses multiple sources of data with up-to-date, comprehensive criminal history information. There is a big difference.
While we wholeheartedly encourage youth serving organizations to be on top of their game with background screening we also place caution to which background screening company one contracts with. Using a vendor who might provide a 'great rate' but doesn't keep their information current and complete may actually do the organization and the children it serves more harm than good by providing a false sense of security.
The comprehensive background screening programs offered by NCSI have saved thousands of people from harm and millions of dollars in losses to organizations. NCSI handles ALL aspects of the screening process from start to finish saving an organization time, money and the legal issues associated with the many liabilities involved in background screening.
We know organizations and event hosts want to provide a safe place for all concerned which is why we encourage you to review your background screening policies and procedures and your organization's codes of conduct. Having appropriate controls and best practices in place to protect against potential harm is paramount in avoiding devastating losses.
Background checks are one of the most important services the NCYS has ever offered to its membership. We are proud to be the industry leader on complete and comprehensive criminal background screening program for youth serving organizations. And we are most appreciative of NCIS' commitment to promoting safety, protecting the young athletes and our organizations.
NCYS Recommended Guidelines for Background Check Screening
The NCYS Recommended Guidelines© were created to assist those responsible for the children in youth programs to no longer have to reinvent the wheel of minimum standards for policies, procedures, and best practices. These NCYS Recommended Guidelines have become the industry gold standard. We are in the process of updating the existing document to stay current with evolving best practices for protecting young athletes beyond background screening.Here's the history....In 2002, several of our member organizations were attempting to solve this problem individually yet there are no standards by which they could effectively and consistently protect themselves and their participants. In order to provide coverage for youth organizations, insurance companies wanted to be assured that youth organizations were properly protecting themselves against the exposure, and yet our industry did not have a consistent means with which to evaluate the effectiveness of individual risk management programs.
It became clear that the solution to this problem required an industry-wide approach. While criminal background check screening is just one part of a program to protect the safety and well-being of youth participants, it is a critical part and one that we began to address by developing NCYS Recommended Guidelines for our members and industry.
At the conclusion of a full day summit in April 2004, an overwhelming group consensus of industry representatives identified a void to be filled and asked the NCYS to respond with an action plan to address the verbalized needs. Participants expressed concern that our children are our greatest assets, yet in youth programs children are unnecessarily exposed to harm because there was no consistent method to protect them from the harmful behaviors of predators and criminals.
The expectations of the insurance industry, the courts, and parents have proven true...the youth-serving organizations have accepted the challenge, implemented the NCYS Recommended Guidelines and are doing their due diligence using the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) for background screening as their first-line of defense in the protection of the children under their care.
The National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) is the only background screening company endorsed by National Council of Youth Sports and licensed to use our publication, Recommended Guidelines for Background Screening in Nonprofit and Youth-Serving Organizations© .
KidSafe Photographer
Youth Sports Photography Network Connection (YSPNC)
The advancements in photography from film to digital imagery has created a wealth of opportunities for the youth sports photographers to better serve the photographic needs and wants of their most valued customers, the youth sports participants. Yes, these technological advances allow for a more effective and efficient operation. However, the ease of manipulating digital photography combined with the internet has opened the door for disturbing illegal activity.
While the vast majority of photographers in the sports photography industry conduct their businesses ethically and professionally, there are some who have compromised the integrity and high ethical standards our industry demands by taking photographs of youngsters only to enhance them in an unethical, immoral and illegal way.
The NCYS strongly encourages all those affiliated with the youth sports industry to be certain all youth sports photographers - professional photographers, parents with cameras, or sideline amateurs - have been recognized by the Youth Sports Photography Network Connection (YSPNC), have submitted to a National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) criminal background screening and have agreed to operate their business by a strict code of ethical behavior making a commitment to keeping kids safe.
aHead of the Game
A New Program!
The National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) is proud to be a partner with Chartis Insurance for the "aHead of the Game" program. aHead of the Game is an initiative to reduce the risks of concussions and other head injuries in youth sports.
Emergency room visits for concussions in kids ages 8-13 doubled from 1997 to 2007, and concussions skyrocketed 200 percent among kids ages 14 to 19 over the same span, according to a recent study by The American Academy of Pediatrics.
aHead of the Game is providing critical and responsible information for coaches, parents and athletes to help identify, manage and reduce the risk of a concussion and brain injuries. Through greater awareness and education, together we want to help coaches, parents and young athletes learn signs and symptoms of concussions, seek proper treatment and follow appropriate return to play protocols to avoid the significant dangers of multiple concussions.
The NCYS is best-known for its advocacy in promoting healthy lifestyles and safe environments for children that advance stronger neighborhoods and communities. Education and advocacy are at the core of the NCYS. Furthering the awareness to minimize potential serious injuries to our youth athletes is supreme to our mission.
Chartis has created a very well-done aHead of the Game website along with free educational materials and a quarterly newsletter. The NCYS will help spread the aHead of the Game message to every amateur youth sports program nationwide. NCYS appreciates the Chartis commitment.
PUBLIC POLICY
Get Involved and Make a Difference!
NCYS Advocacy: A Unified Voice for Youth Sports
The NCYS strongly supports legislation that empowers Americans to be active, healthy and fit making youth sports and family fitness more affordable.
On July 27th, the Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports Legislative Agenda was announced on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. The NCYS executive director was an invited speaker at the media event. The Legislative package entitled "F.A.N.S. for Youth Sports" will strengthen four main pillars of youth involvement in sports: Fitness, Access, Nutrition, and Sports. The agenda is a compilation of legislation that augments the mission of the Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports. Each of these legislative measures included in the Agenda supports one of the four F.A.N.S. pillars. Together, these proposals will provide suitable spaces, requisite resources, invaluable instruction, and paramount protection to create an environment friendly to youth sports activities.
On a related topic, the NCYS was chosen to participate on the ChildObesity180 elite task force. The purpose of the task force is to gather information about organization's policies or practices around afterschool eating, physical activity and screen time-Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, and Wellness. A national strategy will emerge to reverse the trend making social change. An announcement is tentatively scheduled for a public launch in November together with the Partnership for a Healthier America. NCYS has submitted a marketing proposal and will be part of the implementation plan.
Speak out on important issues and contribute to legislation affecting fields and facilities, advocate for the protection and safety of our children, fight obesity, promote physical activity & fitness, and influence other important youth sports industry public policy. Get involved and make a difference!
FUNDRAISING RELIEF
A New Program!
Everyday Spending Becomes Everyday Funding - http://www.SmartGivingCards.com/Sports
The purpose of this program is to assist youth sports organizations with responsible and respectable fundraising solutions that provide for funds from the grass-tops national organizations to the grassroots local teams and leagues. The program is sponsored by Locker81 Fundraising Solutions and owned by NFL great, Heisman trophy winner, successful businessman Tim Brown who has a sincere desire to give back to youth sports in a meaningful way.
There are two products that will provide organizations with residual income thus reducing - and eventually eliminating - the need to start over with a new fundraiser every year:
- Smart Giving VISA Debit Card (Prepaid)
- Smart Giving VISA Payroll Card
The Smart Giving Card program is a great way for youth sports organizations to responsibly raise money while the teams, leagues, coaches, parents, volunteers, staff members, friends and family use the VISA debit card for their normal day-to-day purchases. "Everyday Spending Becomes Everyday Funding" when the Smart Giving VISA Debit Card is used at retail stores, and for gasoline, groceries, entertainment, sporting goods equipment, online shopping, etc. as well as for team expenditures including registrations, insurance, uniforms, equipment, and team travel.
This universal VISA card can be used anywhere, anytime. One simply uses a VISA debit card for their regular spending and concurrently generates fundraising dollars for their organization.
TRAINING & EDUCATION
Why NCYS is Involved in Education
Providing Youth Sports Coaches and Parents with Quality Resources
The National Council of Youth Sports has excellent resources to enhance the personal and professional development of amateur youth sport leaders while staying current with the trends and meeting continuing education needs. If you're like most sports enthusiasts, you have a desire to learn, gain experience, and self-improve. The NCYS has teamed up with providers to offer high-quality, online education courses and resources for our members.
Certified Sports Administrator (CSA)
The NCYS continues its partnership with internationally renowned The George Washington University (GWU) School of Business to develop a customized, flexible and affordable educational program that provides management-related courses to NCYS youth sports executives to address the existing market.
We know that the rapidly changing sports market is requiring more sophisticated marketing and greater fiscal responsibility from sports organizations. The courses are ideal for youth sports administrators, leaders, managers, volunteers, coaches, parents who do not have the time, resources, or opportunity to earn an advanced management degree.
Courses offered are: Marketing Sports Organizations; Sponsorship & Negotiations; Risk Management; Event Management; Funding Sports Organizations; and Management & Leadership of Sports Organizations. They are conveniently offered online through the NCYS website. Completion of all six courses earns one the prestigious CSA designation along with a signed and sealed Certificate from NCYS and GWU.
Sports Parenting and Coaching Tips
Through a continuing relationship with PlaySportsTV (PSTV) the NCYS continues to host a video on 20 Tips for Coaches and Parents on our website home page. Additionally, the inside designated webpage now presents Sports Parenting and Coaching Tips as thirteen (13) individual videos.
NCYS members are eligible to have the "Sports Parenting Tip of the Month" added to their respective websites free of charge. This educational tool is a customized video player that an organization can add to its web page as an embedded image that automatically updates a new sport parenting/coaching tip monthly.
NCYS provides the Sports Parenting and Coaching Tip of the Month as a benefit and service to its members making it simple and easy to pay it forward with sports parenting tips for the parents, the coaches, the athletics and families within their network.
NATA Sports Safety for Youth Coaches
A New Program!
The NCYS has teamed up with the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) to deliver their Sports Safety for Youth Coaches Course. Hush, hush...the official announcement has not yet been made. But this is way too exciting to not fill you in on it now!
The course offers coaches of youth athletes a comprehensive sports safety guide from the healthcare professionals who work with athletes every day - athletic trainers. Youth coaches will learn essential tools in the prevention and care of common illnesses and injuries, emergency planning, risk management and more.
NCYS will help market the courses and build brand awareness both online and in-person at member orgs meetings, conferences, and conventions. The course is completing final, final edits. Definitely watch your emails for the big announcement and links to take the course.
The NATA Sports Safety for Youth Coaches course includes:
- Module 1: Risk Management
- Module 2: Pre-participation Exam
- Module 3: Emergency Planning
Training and Conditioning - Introduction
- Module 4: Growth and Development of the Young Athlete
- Module 5: Physical Training and Conditioning
- Module 6: Healthy Nutrition for Athletes
- Module 7: Substance Abuse
Recognition of Illnesses and Injuries - Introduction
- Module 8: Emergency Situations
- Module 9: Common Illnesses
- Module 10: Common Sports Injuries
- Module 11: Age-Specific Injuries
Safe Playing Conditions - Introduction
- Module 12: Athletic Protective Equipment
- Module 13: Environmental Conditions
Concussion
MEETINGS & EVENTS
By Participating Your Voice Just Got Louder!
Live, Learn, and Give New Meaning to Social Networking
NCYS STRIVE Program
A New Sponsor!
Exciting news! STRIVE is alive! Thanks to Chartis Insurance there will be a NCYS STRIVE Coach of the Year Award in 2012! All the details are being created now. Guaranteed to be a new look, a contemporary process and a blockbuster event. I promise you, this is one you will not want to miss!
These annual awards typically recognize coaches, administrators, officials and volunteers - from hometown communities throughout the United States - who have demonstrated a heartfelt passion, an enthusiastic commitment and a contagious spirit to help kids succeed in youth sports making a positive difference in the lives of children. Through their actions and professionalism, they demonstrate to young people that Sports Teach Respect, Initiative, Values and Excellence.
Youth sports play a vital role in the development of well-rounded youngsters by helping to teach children the importance of good sportsmanship, the rewards of hard work and practice, and the sweet taste of victory. The NCYS STRIVE Award recognizes the best of the best as America's hometown heroes.
STRIVE is a real world program with real value! Sponsorship opportunities for other categories are available! This is a great program with extraordinary publicity as well as a perfect springboard to drive corporate brand recognition and equity to all ethnic groups, all economic levels, all ages, and all sports!
NCYS CEO Summit and Legislative Fly-In
Believe it or not you are in government relations! Government relations programs can be informational, reactive, proactive, or a mix. The NCYS is prepared to put forth legislation, respond to legislation that has already been introduced, and mobilize grassroots volunteers when a bill is approaching final action, or commenting on published regulations.
We are prepared to provide input to lawmakers, especially those on the public policy committees or legislative subcommittees that work on fine-tuning bills. We are also prepared to be proactive government relations partners with other groups by initiating legislation and providing input for laws and regulations as they are written.
Periodically, the NCYS brings together the amateur sports industry leadership for a CEO Summit and Legislative Fly-In at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC to:
- provide focused discussions of timely subjects,
- be an effective advocate in the legislative process on issues effecting amateur youth sports,
- visit with U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives to influence Congressional legislation.
The success generated by a collaborative industry approach goes a long way in establishing critical long-term communications opportunities to promote amateur sports and business issues in Washington.
S.P.O.R.T.S. Institute
Aaaahhhh...THE Relationship Conference! Refreshing! Fun. Personal. Work. Play. Enjoy. Connect. Build relationships. Develop new strategies. Make lifelong connections. Secure sports events for your destination. This is where all amateur youth sports leaders, sports event planners of all types/all sizes, as well as for destination host organizations and other industry suppliers are invited to attend a really, really different industry event, S.P.O.R.T.S. 2011 - The Relationship Conference!
The National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) is a partner in S.P.O.R.T.S. with SportsEvents Magazine. S.P.O.R.T.S. is known for its one-of-a-kind town hall meetings. This is an open forum with a unique frank discussion format for industry leaders, grass roots organizers, amateur youth sports leaders, sports events planners, destination marketers and everyone in between to talk, question, and share. S.P.O.R.T.S. gives new meaning to social networking!
This year's S.P.O.R.T.S. is being held September 13-15, 2011 at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama located on the beautiful gulf shores. We ask leaders to pay it forward spreading the word to other colleagues who might benefit from this extraordinary opportunity.
This event is a terrific opportunity to connect with other sports industry colleagues with one-on-one personal meetings and learn more about sites, destinations, event management and related industry issues. S.P.O.R.T.S. 2011 is designed to form lasting, meaningful relationships and do what it takes to earn each others business. As of this writing more than 700 pre-scheduled appointments have been made. Now that's what I call opening up the lines of new business opportunities!
S.P.O.R.T.S. brings us out from behind our computers to unwind face-to-face and to do some real good business together. Clearly the strength of our industry lies in the collaboration and interacting with our peers. S.P.O.R.T.S. provides us the setting to be forward thinking and share our experiences and knowledge for the betterment of our common goals.
These high energy educational training conferences are moving across the country and gaining momentum! S.P.O.R.T.S. 2011 is the fifth such meeting following prior locations in Birmingham Alabama, Palm Beach County Florida, Orlando Florida, and Branson, Missouri.
Special thanks to SportsEvents Magazine for generously sponsoring the National Council of Youth Sports board meeting. The National Council of Youth Sports is a proud partner of S.P.O.R.T.S. and we appreciate SportsEvents Magazine's Publisher Talty O'Connor and his staff's dedicated commitment to the amateur youth sports industry.
MOTEL 6 "NCYS Official Lodging Partner"
A New Program!
The National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) is proud to be working with Motel 6 to offer affordable lodging to its members for sports and leisure travel. The partnership offers NCYS members a discount on Motel 6 and Studio 6 room reservations.
With 1,100 properties across the United States and Canada, NCYS members can find clean, comfortable rooms and great service at the lowest price of any national hotel chain as they travel for sporting events and leisure. Motel 6 offers a low price and great value without sacrificing comfort at 1,100 locations in the United States and Canada. Standard amenities include free local phone calls, no long distance access charges, free morning coffee and an expanded cable channel line-up. All Motel 6 properties welcome pets, and most locations offer Wi-Fi Internet access, swimming pools and guest laundry facilities.
Motel 6 is ideal for the budget-minded sports traveler. The partnership is a natural fit for the NCYS members who serve more than 60-million amateur athlete participants. We encourage our members to contact Motel 6 to learn how their organization and its members can benefit from a customized partnership.
Team-Up!
NCYS Helps Our Members Grow By Helping Leaders Make their Orgs the Best they Can Be
We invite you to take advantage of all our first-class resources and enjoy the positive benefits for you, the parents, coaches, managers, administrators, teams, leagues, communities and most of all the amazing young athletes. You and your programs will reap the rewards!
Always Positive®
A New Program!
Always Positive® is a social movement inspiring people and organizations to "Be Positive" and motivating them to "Do Something Positive". The Always Positive mission is to recruit, educate, and mobilize people and organizations to live the Always Positive lifestyle and cause positive cultural change through youth advocacy, character education, mentoring, volunteerism and global initiatives that improve the quality of life for future generations by providing economic development, humanitarian aid, educational curriculum and sports, recreation, health and fitness programs.
The Always Positive Foundation was founded in 2001 as a 501c3 public charity to change attitudes, transform lives and restore hope by inspiring people and organizations to choose a positive attitude, teach the benefits of developing strong character and providing opportunities to make a positive difference.
Joining the Always Positive movement is simple:
- Pledging to choose a positive attitude,
- Spreading the message,
- Making a positive difference.
Always Positive unites people and organizations to create cultural change by spreading a message of hope through their attitudes, actions and words. Do you have the Courage to cause positive change, the Character to live with integrity, and the Commitment to make a positive difference? A positive attitude lifestyle movement is happening. Are you in?
LeagueAthletics.com
A New Program!
For more than a decade, LeagueAthletics.com has been providing youth sports organizations with high quality web sites, online registration, communications, and member management services and solutions to thousands of sports programs across the United States and around the world.
Earlier this year, the NCYS joined with other national partners like the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) and US Lacrosse, to assist our members and their constituents with a complete online sports management solution by LeagueAthletics.com.
With League Athletics services, a club can easily move from traditional paper registrations to a simpler, more organized online experience, making the process much easier for the club members and reducing administrative work for volunteers.
Sports programs love LeagueAthletics.com's product, and most importantly, their service. It is the most cost-effective way to communicate league information to parents, volunteers and players, and the kids love it too.
LeagueAthletic.com offers a no obligation, 30-day free trial. They also have free first-class technical support available to all LeagueAthletics.com customers no matter the size of the organization. We encourage teams, leagues, and youth sports organizations to get their team or league online today!
MARKET RESEARCH
NCYS Studies Assist in Strategic Planning
"NCYS Report on Trends and Participation in Organized Youth Sports"
There is absolutely not a week that goes by without numerous inquiries for our research. NCYS is well known for producing credible market research and the "NCYS Report on Trends and Participation in Organized Youth Sports" study remains a much sought after document. No other entity produces such a publication by and for the organized amateur youth sports industry.
This study reveals a ten year comparison providing important data and trends in the marketplace. The NCYS Report on Trends and Participation in Organized Youth Sports, our latest edition serves as a useful tool for effective future planning and forecasting. The results of this trends study serves as a valuable resource for our members, market researchers, corporations, event destinations, marketing firms and PR agencies and to all those interested in trends and participation in organized amateur youth sports.
From our research, we learned the important role NCYS plays on behalf of the amateur youth sports industry. Technology practices, field & facility usage, and general trends in age & gender participation have provided invaluable insight into the youth sports industry. In addition, NCYS has utilized this information to further its advocacy work in the area of government relations & public policy issues such as: protecting the land for recreation facilities, child safety protection (PROTECT Act), and physical education, obesity & fitness issues.
We surveyed the NCYS membership in 1997, in 2000 and again in 2008 to present a broad measure of the scope of youth sports in the United States. An astounding 98%-100% of the members responded to these surveys. NCYS is currently seeking a sponsor in order to produce the next edition of the "NCYS Report on Trends and Participation in Organized Youth Sports."
The member organizations of NCYS who participate in these studies represent a wide range of local and national groups that conduct organized youth sports programs. The NCYS is appreciative to its members for taking the time to participate in this much sought after study.
WWW.NCYS.ORG
The NCYS website is our "face" to the youth sports industry we represent, and our website drives new business to us everyday serving as our most valued area of communication, visibility, brand marketing, and source of expansion.
Last year we created a completely new NCYS website. We regularly receive compliments on its organized, easy to navigate, uncluttered/clean appearance. Feedback is that www.NCYS.org is informative, comprehensive, and defining giving the reader a good understanding of who we are and what we stand for.
NCYS is pleased that individuals, corporations, organizations, pr agencies, coaches, parents, administrators, media, marketing firms, etc. etc, etc. utilize NCYS the go-to organization for resources and services. The new NCYS www.NCYS.org serves as a valuable source and clearinghouse.
The website is current, exciting and full of new RESOURCES for the entire amateur youth sports industry. Please visit the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) new website www.NCYS.org and see all the awesome resources available to you!
SOCIAL MEDIA
We hear a lot about “social media” but it can sometimes be difficult to answer the question of what is social media. According to About.com, “The best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication.”
Regular media is a one-way street where you read or listen with limited ability to respond with your comments; whereas social media is a two-way street that gives you the ability to communicate. Used wisely, social media can add significant inputs/outputs to professional development, networking opportunities and personal branding.
Social media participation has become an essential tool in networking with professional contacts, making new contacts, recruiting employees, and keeping in touch with the world. The Internet has opened up communication across world boundaries. What a perfect way to use the social media components to expand your network, enhance your career, add friends, make connections, recruit employees, find people with scarce skills, develop candidate pools of passive potential employees, and enlarge your world view.
For NCYS the more professional oriented LinkedIn is the most popular social networking media with over 230 members and more than 750 followers. The visibility and new contacts has been staggering. We use both LinkedIn and Facebook as an additional effective marketing tool for spreading the word on new partnerships, programs, opportunities directly to those who have similar interests and wanted to be an active part of the amateur youth sports industry. We look forward to those in our new social media community joining the National Council of Youth Sports.
NCYS has also begun co-branding webinars and webcasts with a few of our members. This has proven to be a great way to help our members spread their message throughout the world. It also allows other members to see what other organizations are doing and how they might be able to duplicate some of the concepts into their own programming.
PARTNERSHIPS
For the past two and a half years, we have focused our efforts on methodically seeking new sponsorships and partnerships that are meaningful to the NCYS and its members. NCYS partnership opportunities are available to those desiring to achieve superior brand recognition by aligning themselves with responsible, ethical, credible, and reliable quality youth sports programming in America.
Partnerships/sponsorships are one of the best ways to create brand awareness, goodwill, advertise one's services, as well as reaffirm the company's reputation as a responsible corporate citizen in the business world. Cross-marketing company brands with others and all sharing in the partnership to support youth sports can provide added value without breaking the bank!
Perseverance and hard work pays off. We have added five awesome new partners so far this year! Additionally, there are an abundance of corporations, marketing firms, PR agencies and the like who never heard of NCYS before who now have us on their radar screen and are impressed with who we are and what we do! While we are still finding some corporations still in a financial holding pattern, when we do come out of this financial downturn it will be NCYS’ strength, identity, credibility, professional image, and visibility that will earn us a seat at the table.
New partnerships, particularly within our amateur youth sports industry, have been formed and we are being told regularly by others that their opinion of NCYS is a “respectful organization,” “influential,” “we like what you do and stand for” “NCYS is an impressive group,” and NCYS is the type of organization we want to do business with.
In addition to the partnerships mentioned previously in this report, collaboration and alliances have expanded to other organizations/groups such as: the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (and its affiliates groups); ChildObesity180; CDC Heads-Up and Heat Related Illness programs; BattersUp USA; Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA); National Physical Activity Plan; the National Foundation on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; National Sports Marketing Network; participation in the USOC Olympic family meetings and working groups; relationships with several disability groups; e-PPE/the Pre-Participation Evaluation; and so much more! Even Fortune magazine has recently used NCYS for references, resources, and interviews.
While this financial crisis has taken its toll, I have to believe that the conversations, negotiations, positive business relationships with some major corporations over the past two-and-a half years is already proving to be productive for the profitable future of the NCYS and we are being recognized as a respected player.
IN CLOSING
This report is an attempt to highlight some of the activity among our top programs and projects. Obviously membership recruitment and retainment, marketing, administrative responsibilities, securing funding, responding to market research inquiries, public relations, building brand identity-credibility-visibility awareness, staying current with advocacy issues, responding to our sponsors, creating partnerships, providing member services, developing leadership and solid organizational structure, promoting the programs, website maintenance, etc., etc., etc. are all just a part of the daily activity.
Thank you to our generous corporate partners whom we are so appreciative to. Without them, we absolutely would not exist. The people who comprise the sports industry are really unique. I am forever inspired by their dedication, determination, and untiring loyalty. It is this combined commitment of unwavering support that keeps my enthusiasm and passion at its peak motivating me to drive youth sports forward in an optimistic and constructive way.
It is when we share our knowledge that we discover the most. Everyday is a learning experience. Please continue to exchange good ideas, make new contacts, meet new people, and stay connected. It's easy to get lost behind our computers, PDAs, Blackberry's and Smartphones. Don't forget to pick up the phone, attend meetings in person and reach out. It is when we come together that we are stronger in our service and the most effective in our common mission.
It is such an honor to be able to share with you, the youth sports industry leaders, a piece of the excitement and joy that I live with and cherish each and every day. One of the joys of my job it to bring people within the industry together, to share successes and help build a pipeline with a flow of relevant information from the grass tops to the grass roots and from the grass roots to the grass tops.
Thank you for all that you do each and every day to make a child's life more fun and more complete. And thank you for this extraordinary opportunity, honor, and extreme privilege to serve the National Council of Youth Sports.
Yours truly for the kids,
Sally S. Johnson, CSA, IOM
Executive Director
National Council of Youth Sports
Click Here for the 2010 Executive Director's Annual Meeting Remarks [PDF]
Click Here for the 2009 Executive Director's Annual Meeting Remarks [PDF]
Click Here for the 2008 Executive Director's Annual Meeting Remarks [PDF]
Click Here for the 2007 Executive Director's Annual Meeting Remarks [PDF]
Click Here for the 2006 Executive Director's Annual Meeting Remarks [PDF]