Youth sports help children learn and grow—socially, emotionally, and physically. Given high rates of childhood obesity, and the importance of caring adults in children’s lives, youth sports programs are a particularly rich resource to support kids’ healthy development. However, three-quarters of low-income kids in the Bay Area still are not benefiting from participation in sports. And urban girls make up less than a quarter of participants.

Through grantmaking, training, and policy advocacy, Team-Up for Youth is breaking down the barriers for thousands of low-income kids in the Bay Area so that no child is left out of the game. Launched with a $5 million grant from the Haas, Jr. Fund, Team-Up has increased sports opportunities for girls; reached ethnic and immigrant communities; educated policymakers about the benefits of youth sports; and trained coaches and program directors to provide high-quality programs.

In nearly five years of programming, Team-Up has achieved the following:

• Gave 10,000 more low-income children the opportunity to take part in high-quality after-school sports programs;
• Trained more than 700 program staff and coaches;
• Launched the Coaching Corps, which has trained and placed 75 coaches in community programs;
• Provided customized technical assistance to approximately 50 organizations to strengthen their capacity to deliver excellent programming;
• Granted $4.24 million to 61 community-based grantees to increase the quality and supply of youth sports programs;
• Launched Neighborhood Sports Initiatives in five low-income neighborhoods (San Antonio, Tenderloin, Excelsior, Fruitvale, and Ashland in Southern Alameda County) to mobilize community groups to provide more sports opportunities for their kids.