As soccer captures national attention across the United States, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the New York Life Foundation have announced an expanded partnership to increase access to youth sports and strengthen coaching and mentorship for young people nationwide.
Through its Coaching the Future initiative, the New York Life Foundation is investing $3.2 million over three years to advance Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s growing sports strategy to expand access to play while strengthening the quality of coaching that shapes young people’s experiences on and off the field.
This builds on a more than 30-year partnership between the New York Life Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America that drives academic support, social-emotional development and reflects a shared commitment to delivering holistic, youth-centered support at scale.
While interest in sports is on the rise, access remains uneven. Youth sports costs now average $1,016 per child annually, up 46% in five years, while access to safe places to play and trained coaches continues to lag. Boys & Girls Clubs of America is addressing these barriers by expanding affordable, community-based programs that currently enables 540,000 young people to play sports at little or no cost. Earlier this year, Boys & Girls Clubs announced a goal to double sports participation to 1 million youth by 2030.
“This partnership represents a transformational step forward for the young people and communities our Clubs serve,” said Jim Clark, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Through the New York Life Foundation’s significant investment, we’re expanding access to sports while strengthening the coaches and mentors who make that access meaningful. Together, we’re helping more young people stay engaged, build confidence and develop skills that extend far beyond the game.”
Expanding Access to Youth Sports
With support from the New York Life Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America will expand youth sports programming nationwide, reaching more youth in urban, rural, military and Native communities.
Over the next three years, the partnership aims to:
- Train 10,000 coaches and youth development professionals in positive, youth-centered practices
- Increase youth participation in sports by 25%, reaching hundreds of thousands more young people
- Engage 45 Clubs in a multi-year Coaching the Future cohort to deepen coaching quality and peer learning
- Expand access through equipment, training and consistent program delivery nationwide
In 2026, early efforts include equipment distribution, community soccer events, and programming, alongside volunteer engagement from New York Life employees and agents. Over time, the partnership will scale proven models, deepen coaching quality and expand infrastructure investments to ensure more communities have both access and the support systems needed to sustain youth participation long-term.
“We believe every young person benefits from having caring adults in their corner,” said Heather Nesle, President of the New York Life Foundation. “That’s why we’re proud to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America through Coaching the Future to strengthen the network of coaches and mentors who help young people discover their strengths, build resilience and reach their full potential.”
Strengthening Coaching as a Catalyst for Impact
At the center of this investment is a focus on coaching and recognizing that access alone is not enough. While facilities and equipment open the door, trained, trusted coaches are what keep young people engaged and help them thrive.
Research shows that positive coaching experiences are linked to higher participation, stronger retention, and improved youth outcomes, including greater confidence, resilience and leadership development. By investing in thousands of coaches, sports directors and youth development professionals, the partnership is helping ensure more young people not only get on the field, but stay in the game and build skills that last a lifetime.
Investing in Infrastructure to Expand Safe Places to Play
Access to safe, high-quality places to play remains one of the most urgent barriers to youth sports participation. For example, demand for sports is growing, but access to welcoming, well-maintained spaces, especially in under-resourced communities, has not kept pace.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America is addressing this gap by bringing play surfaces and spaces directly to Clubs, where young people already gather each day.
The New York Life Foundation is playing a critical role through targeted investments that create lasting community infrastructure. As part of the partnership, 10 sports fields, pitches and courts will be upgraded or refurbished over three years, including five soccer mini-pitches in 2026 across cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, Seattle and New Jersey.
In certain cities, these new play spaces will bring together additional local community partnerships, such as Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and Dallas Trinity FC, where Club youth will participate in a soccer clinic alongside the groundbreaking of a new pitch, marking a major milestone for the community.
Each mini-pitch will serve as anchors for daily play, sports programming and long-term community engagement, ensuring more young people have consistent, local access to soccer long after the world’s teams return to their home countries.
Activating Soccer in Communities Nationwide
This summer, the partnership will come to life through a series of high-energy, community-based activations designed to introduce more young people to the game.
Boys & Girls Clubs and New York Life volunteers will host soccer jamborees, youth clinics and global soccer match parties in cities across the country, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia to Houston, New York and Metro Atlanta, to bring together youth and families for hands-on play, skill-building and shared celebration of the sport.
These activations create accessible entry points for young people, many playing for the first time and reinforce the critical role of coaches, mentors and the community in keeping kids engaged.
Building a Lasting Legacy of Access and Opportunity
By combining a decades-long partnership, a focus on coaching and mentorship, and strategic investment in sports infrastructure, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the New York Life Foundation are building on a strong foundation of support for youth to create a lasting legacy of access and opportunity. The Foundation’s enduring leadership in bereavement and grief support continues to anchor this work, while Coaching the Future expands that impact by investing in trusted mentors who help young people build confidence, resilience and a sense of what’s possible.
Together, they are ensuring more young people have a safe place to play, a trusted adult to guide them and the support they need to thrive.
To learn more, visit www.bgca.org.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Over 5,500 Clubs serve more than 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. The national headquarters is located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and LinkedIn.
About the New York Life Foundation
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided over $490 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation invests in programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of coaching and bereavement support. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program and Grief-Sensitive Schools and Grief-Supportive Workplace Initiatives. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
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