Maureen Weiss, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology, was invited by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) to present at a public listening session intended to inform the development of a National Youth Sports Strategy. Representing the National Academy of Kinesiology, Weiss and colleague Dr. Dan Gould (Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, Michigan State University) opened the day-long session by summarizing the current state of youth sports and proposing recommendations for how the government can implement the initiative. You can see their presentation here.

The session focused on four topics: (1) participation benefits and barriers, (2) private and public strategies to increase youth sports participation, (3) metrics to gauge and improve participation, and (4) strategies to recruit and train coaches. Emphasis was also placed on reducing barriers for underrepresented populations, including girls, racial/ethnic minorities, and youth with disabilities.

The USDHHS is charged with drafting the National Youth Sports Strategy Report by early summer, an initiative mandated by Executive Order 13824, declared on February 26, 2018.

Weiss said she is excited about the potential of this initiative, “It is encouraging that the government is recognizing the potential for youth sports to contribute to physical activity and other health outcomes. They are taking steps to promote youth sports programming and education for coaches, as well as to reduce disparities in participation of underserved groups.”