SportsEngine, Inc. Launching North America’s Largest Youth Sports Directory
SportsEngine, Inc., an NBC Sports Group company, is launching North America’s largest youth sports directory, where parents can search and compare youth sports programs in their areas.
Youth Soccer News: Tired of searching for the right contact info for a sports organization? Now there is a great solution.
SportEngine to the rescue.
Available now, just in time for kids heading back to school, the directory contains more than 100,000 youth sports listings spanning across 20 different sports for youth and amateur athletes.
By entering a few simple details, including what sport or organization the user wants to search, their postal code, and their child’s gender and age, parents have access to programs across the US and Canada at their fingertips.
“For parents, finding a quality, trustworthy program for their kids from among thousands of choices available is a daunting task,” said Justin Kaufenberg, SportsEngine CEO.
“The Sports Engine youth directory provides parents with a curated list of conveniently-located options based on their child’s age, interest, and location,” said Kaufenberg. We are making sure that parents and kids can find the best program that is best for them.”
SportsEngine has software that organizes sports registration, tournaments, and leagues — so it makes sense to use all that registration information to create a valuable listing for parents searching for a place for their kids to play a sport.
John Weinerth, VP of Soccer for SportsEngine said,”This is exciting for us — we are dedicated to helping grow youth soccer, and all sports — and as a parent, I know how challenging it can be to find the right place for your kid to play.”
Weinerth is the former Chief Executive Officer of US Youth Soccer’s Cal South and with more than 200,000 registered players, coaches, referees and league administrators in the Southern California area alone, he understands the value of a comprehensive directory.
With more than 100,000 youth sports listings in 20 different sports — this list is a comprehensive tool for parents.
“There is nothing like this on the market today,” said Weinerth. “The idea is to help get kids out to play a sport — and to make finding the right club or association easier and quicker for parents.”
Here are what the search results look like:
Organizations, clubs, and leagues are listed for free in the SportsEngine directory.
The goal of SportsEngine.com is to simplify the process for a parent to find the right sport program for their child.
Without the help of technology, knowing all the options available in a local neighborhood is nearly impossible.
You can check message boards at your local coffee shop, review materials provided by the school, ask neighbors what their kids are playing, and scour the web. You can then collate all of this information — and finally, start making a decision, or you can visit the directory.
SportsEngine aims to grow sport participation among youth, a commitment reflected in its support of the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, which mobilizes stakeholders to build healthy communities through sports. Offerings on Sports Engine include no and lower cost programs from the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, as well as listings for thousands of local clubs and associations.
In addition, the directory helps these organizations recruit athletes for their programs. USA Hockey, which has used SportsEngine’s Sport Life Management services for 5 years, is one of the national governing bodies joining SportsEngine.com at launch.
“We’ve already gotten extremely positive feedback from many of our national governing body partners” said Travis Shives, VP of Sports at SportsEngine. “The new Sports Engine will be a key asset for them to drive awareness and participation in not only their member club programs, but also key membership development programs like ‘Try Hockey For Free’ and ‘TryLax Clinics.’”
SportsEngine, Inc. powers over 650,000 teams, leagues, and clubs, helping them manage, connect, and communicate with a diverse range of stakeholders, including athletes, parents, administrators, coaches, referees, scouts, volunteers, fans, journalists, and sponsors.
