The Problem Organizations Keep Ignoring
I approach the youth sports industry from a customer’s perspective with the idea that youth sports leaders have the ability to make significant shifts in large scale problems at a grassroots level. My approach is to view any organization through a customer experience lens. Right now, as soccer tryout season unfolds, I am watching organizations produce marketing content that completely misses the point. We know there are serious retention issues in girls sports. We know the reasons. And yet, organizations continue to ignore the most critical factors that would actually solve the problem.
In my book, I outline three foundational priorities for any youth sports organization: joymaking, learning and development, and community. Joymaking is number one. It must come first. If the joy component is not figured out, the rest simply does not matter. Development is a marketable word, but without joy as the foundation, development means nothing to the child experiencing your program.
PICK UP THE BOOK
The Customer Experience of Youth Sports: Strategies to Move Youth Sports Towards Joy, Learning and Community by Dr. Michelle Mullman is available now.
What Girls Actually Need
Girls are not the same as boys when it comes to their emotional needs, what inspires them, how they problem solve, and how they build confidence. That is not a controversial statement. It is a business reality that youth sports organizations must design around.
Girls feel confident when they feel included. Girls feel confident when they experience some measure of success. This is true regardless of whether your program is elite or recreational. Creating a joyous environment is not optional. It is the foundation of a successful girls program. No child is going to remain in a program where she does not feel confident, and no parent is going to keep paying for an experience that does not serve their daughter emotionally.
“The differentiator in girls sports is emotional connection. It is the thing most people cannot see and cannot measure until a child begins to articulate it.”
Organizations that figure out how to deliver that emotional connection will have a winning program.
The Coaching Standard Must Change
If we know that girls are more emotionally driven in how they experience sport, then the coaching model must reflect that. Two non-negotiables:
Organizations need female coaches, particularly at the middle school level and increasingly at the high school level. This is not a preference — it is a programming necessity.
Coaching standards and leadership qualities for girls programming must be differentiated from boys programming.
A coach who is fun, inspiring, joyful, and understands the complexity of coaching girls well will attract more engaged families than any elite-focused marketing campaign.
Marketing to the Right Parent
There is a widespread assumption in youth sports that all parents of girls are focused on elite level play and college recruitment pathways. That assumption is wrong. Most parents want their children to be active, to be in a social environment, and to feel confident and valued.
The rise of professional women athletes in mainstream culture is exciting, but it does not mean every girl in a youth program wants to follow that path. Kids are still kids. Research consistently shows that children want to have fun and spend time with their friends. That has not changed.
“What needs to change is how organizations build business practices and coaching models that actually honor that research rather than simply citing it.”
If you market your girls program around joy, confidence, and genuine emotional connection, you will see more families choose your program. Elite positioning alone is no longer enough.
What has your organization done to improve the experience for girls in your programs? I would love to hear from practitioners in the field.
PICK UP THE BOOK
The Customer Experience of Youth Sports: Strategies to Move Youth Sports Towards Joy, Learning and Community by Dr. Michelle Mullman is available now.
