Q: Does the culture of youth sports need to change?
A: Youth sports exist to provide interested children a positive and enjoyable recreational experience. Research has shown that children who participate in sports have higher self-confidence, are healthier, perform better in school and are less likely to get involved in drugs than children who do not participate in sports. Unfortunately these positive experiences and outcomes are overshadowed by an increasingly hostile environment that’s ultra competitive, highly pressured and often encourages and rewards a win-at-all-costs approach. Youth sports have become a hotbed of chaos, violence & mean-spiritedness. Physical and emotional abuse of children, rampant cheating and total disrespect for opponents are but a few of the unacceptable behaviors taking place. These disgraceful behaviors have polluted the youth sports landscape, poisoned the fun, distorted child development and left behind countless children with broken hearts, crushed dreams and shattered psyches. Once each community can recognize that there is a need for change, then the rest is easy!

Q: Should every community have a Certified Youth Sports Administrator?
A: In communities across the country, youth sports have fallen victim to lack of leadership. An estimated 70 percent of all youth sports programs are operated by parent-interest groups, with either compromised policies or no requirements at all. To put the fun back in youth sports, policies and requirements that prohibit the physical and emotional abuse of children must be in place in each community, and they must be strictly enforced. This begins by commanding leadership. Each community must be equipped with a Certified Youth Sports Administrator to oversee the entire youth sports operation. Along with overseeing their own programs, the Certified Youth Sports Administrator’s role is to work closely with each group that applies to use the community’s facilities to ensure that the rules and policies are clearly understood, and that deviating from them will not be tolerated in any way. The responsibilities of this position should also include providing information and resources to enhance the sports experience for not just children, but adults, in whatever their respective roles may be. Every group that applies to use the community’s facilities should be required to go through a brief educational program that addresses the importance of youth sports in a child’s development, and what the behavior expectations are for the adults, regardless if they’re a coach, official, or simply a spectator.

The Certified Youth Sports Administrator is the vital component for changing the culture of youth sports. The tax paying parents of the children attending elementary school would never tolerate a school system without a superintendent overseeing their community’s quality of education that each child receives. Youth sports should be regarded in the same way; a Certified Youth Sports Administrator should be appointed to fulfill the same type of role that is needed for a community’s youth sports programs.

Q: What does it mean to be a Certified Youth Sports Administrator?
A: Many communities have discovered the benefits of appointing a professional youth sports administrator, and currently over 2,000 have become Certified Youth Sports Administrators (CYSA). Youth sports administrators who become a CYSA are regarded by a higher standard because they undergo the necessary training to fulfill the duties of their position. Training for these professionals is the key to raising the level of professionalism in youth sports and setting the standard for successful youth sports in each community. Like the superintendent, youth sports administrators need the appropriate training and education to both ensure the public they are prepared and to fulfill the important duties of the responsibility.

Q: How can my community’s youth sports administrator become a CYSA?
A: To become a CYSA, administrators must attend the Academy for Youth Sports Administrators. The Academy is the most comprehensive, cutting edge education available for youth sports administrators. It provides administrators the tools needed to build their body of knowledge to positively impact the youth sports experience for all children. The Academy is a 20-hour certification program that is available onsite or online. The topics covered include youth sports philosophy, professional development, mission statements, policies & procedures, volunteer management, child abuse prevention, parent management, conflict resolution, insurance & risk management, inclusion of children with disabilities and evaluation & marketing of programming. The training and education the Academy provides is vital to ensure a positive, safe, healthy and fun youth sports experience in communities across the country. Communities can receive more information on making the commitment to changing the culture of youth sports by contacting the National Alliance for Youth Sports’ Academy headquarters at (800) 688 – KIDS or via email Academy@nays.org for more information.