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Another PE Acquisition of Youth Sports-Focused Business
š„ The business of youth sports
Kyle Scott
April 18, 2025
This is Buying Sandlot ā the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.
Before we get to the holiday weekend, lots of news in the space.
In the email today:
š„ Varsity Hype Brings Live Streaming to Wealthy Atlanta Suburb
Live-streaming provider Varsity Hype has expanded into the Atlanta area through a new partnership with Druid Hills Youth Sports (DHYS).
Starting this season, DHYS will use Varsity Hypeās liveāstreaming platform to share games and events across the community.
Varsity Hype installs AIāenabled cameras at youth venues at no upāfront cost, then hosts live and onādemand video, highlight editing, and team pages in a subscription model for parents and fans.
After acquiring SportsāÆChannelāÆMedia and YourāÆGameāÆCam (2024), the company says it now manages 700+ cameras nationwide.
Hereās a brief overview of what the live-streaming competitive landscape looks like:
Segment | Key Players |
|---|---|
Allāināone video and data | Hudl (25% share of sportsātech installs), NFHSāÆNetwork / PlayOn! Sports (20k+ schools, free Pixellot cameras) |
Youthātournament streaming | BallerTV (tens of thousands of AAU/club events), LiveBarn (dominant in ice rinks) |
Hardwareāfirst camera makers | Pixellot (AI autoāfollow, whiteālabels to NFHS), Veo(portable dualālens camera, directātoāteam sales) |
Teamāops / comms SaaS (less videoācentric) | SportsEngine, TeamSnap, JerseyāÆWatch |
The youth sports streaming market is LARGE, and growing. One study (done pre-Covid!) projected that youth sports video (including streaming and coaching analytics) would rise from a $2.1B market in 2019 to $5.5B by 2024. I imagine weāre somewhere beyond that point now.
Live Event: Abuse Prevention in Youth Sports*
April is Childhood Abuse Prevention Monthā a vital time to refocus on the safety and well-being of young athletes.
It can be challenging for most youth sports organizations to find the time or tools to strengthen abuse prevention policies.
Ankored - which offers an automation solution for safety compliance for staff, coaches, and volunteers - is bringing together a panel of experts to share practical insights on how to build a safer, more supportive environment for kids in sports.
The no-cost webinar will cover key topics like abuse prevention protocols, educating and managing coaches, parents, and players, and immediate steps you can take to improve your organizationās safety program.
The speakers:
Kyle Lubrano: Chief Customer Officer at Players Health
Meredith Thompson: Sr. Director of Health and Safety Protocols at Unrivaled Sports
Irene van der Zande: Executive Director and Founder at Kidpower International
Itās designed for busy leaders, and will offer actionable guidance to help start or enhance your safety efforts without getting overwhelmed.
Attendees will hear directly from professionals with real-world experience in training, risk management, and abuse prevention and safety.
Webinar Details: April 30th at 1 PM EST (10 AM PST), 60 minutes
*Sponsor
If you would like to advertise in Buying Sandlot, a list of available dates is here.
šø PE Firm Acquires Majority Stake in Sports Surfacing Company
Monogram Capital Partners announced its acquisition of a majority stake in The Vasco Group, which specializes in the installation of sports playing surfaces.
Vasco, which was founded in 1967 as a commercial asphalt and paving company, indentifed the huge opportunity in sports surfaces in the mid-2000s, and has expanded to achieve a market-leading presence in Ohio and Florida (operating as Nidy Sports in Florida).
Hereās the rub:
"We are thrilled to partner with the Vasco management team on their next wave of growth and expansion leveraging the phenomenal service culture and technical capabilities they've built to bring Vasco's leading sports service practice to new markets across the country.
We specialize in businesses that have developed unique know-how in a difficult service trade and that can further cement their advantage through extending best practice across systems, people and processes at scale.
Vasco and Nidy are a paramount example of this coupled with a sports surfaces landscape that is incredibly fragmented.ā
Other notable sports surface acquisitions:
KPS Capital Partners acquired German-based Sports Groupā one of the worldās largest field installers, which has provided turf for the Summer Olympics, US Open, and womenās World Cup.
L2 Capital acquired Robbins Sports Surfacesā which makes many pro and college basketball courts, but in a press release at the time, L2 noted the overall opportunity: āWe are excited to partner with Robbins and look forward to providing athletes and enthusiasts of all levels with the safest, highest quality surfaces.ā
My take: The trend of PE firms buying up high-margin service businesses is well-established.
But this investment smashes that thesis together with the trend of consolidation in the sports space.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Iām guessing Vasco is highly-profitable, with a playbook and know-how that could easily be replicated basically everywhereā¦ especially as the Youth Sports Facility Arms Raceā¢ heats up.
To witā¦
š¶ Borussia Dortmund Affiliate Will Transform a Greyhound Racing Park in South Tucson into a Youth Soccer Facility
Boy, that headline is a real Mad Lib of nounsā Iām gonna fight the urge to make puns here, but this is a doggone interesting transformation.
BVB International Academy Arizona, an affiliate of the German soccer club Borussia Dortmund, has unveiled plans to transform a former Greyhound racing park into a state-of-the-art soccer academy complex in South Tucsonā proving that you can teach an old facility new tricks.
The track burned down last year, just after an agreement was reached with its owner to transform it into a soccer complex.
The facility will have 3 fields, including 2 that will meet FIFA regulation standards.
And see if you can spot the trend here: The facility will feature a restaurant with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, so parents can sit and stay while they watch their GOOD BOYS AND GIRLS play soccer. [This week we told you about a beer hall-laden soccer facility coming to Denver].
Armando Ramirez, the Executive Director of BVB International, says construction will utilize all local contractors, and bring hospitality and coaching jobs to the area.
But of course, the main draw will likely be regional tournaments:
āBy bringing in teams from Phoenix, Mexico, California, and surrounding areas, weāll inject tourism dollars into the local economyā
The facility will be less than two hours from Phoenix, but, sadly, it looks like Chihuahua is too far way:
šļøāāļø Ripken Baseball Will Host All-Ripken Futures Games in Panama City, Florida
Ripken Baseball announced that the 2025 All-Ripken Futures Games Powered by Under Armour will take place Dec. 11-14 at Publix Sports Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. The year-end event will spotlight the top players from the All-Ripken Games season, recognizing them among the nationās best youth baseball talent.
Hereās the full list of the Unrivaled-backed Ripken Baseball Under Armour tournaments this year:
July 31-Aug. 3 -- Rocker B Ranch in Graford (Texas)
Aug. 7-10 -- The Ripken ExperienceĀ® Myrtle Beach (South Carolina)
Aug. 14-17 -- The Ripken ExperienceĀ® Pigeon Forge (Tennessee)
Aug. 18-21 -- Diamond Nation (New Jersey)
Aug. 21-24 -- Sports Force Park at Cedar Point Sports Center (Ohio)
Aug. 28-31 -- The Ripken ExperienceĀ® Aberdeen (Maryland)
Aug. 29-Sept. 1 -- Cooperstown All Star Village (New York)
Sept. 4-7 -- The Ripken ExperienceĀ® Aberdeen (Maryland)
Sept. 11-14 -- Broussard Sports Complex in Lafayette (Louisiana)
Dec. 11-14 -- Publix Sports Park in Panama City Beach (Florida)
ā½ļø SCORE Sports Is Pledging Large Amounts To Youth Sports Organizations
SCORE Sports - a leading provider of uniforms and apparel - is celebrating its 50th anniversary by doling out $500k over the next 10 years to 501(c)(3) non-profit youth sports organizations.
Applicants can create their fundraising page and then invite participants (teammates, coaches, fans) to donate between May 16 and June 13. 100% of raised funds are kept by the organization. But the group that raises the most earns $50k from SCORE.
You can learn more about how to register your organization here.
šø Tweet of the Century
All this high-def, AI-powered, live-streaming, high-bandwidth video used todayā¦ and Gary nailed this scouting report with a grainy photo 12 years ago.
For those who donāt know, Paige was drafted #1 overall in the WNBA draft this week.
š More Youth Sports Links
š Job Alert: Manager, Athlete Scouting and Development, USA Football
USA Football is seeking someone to oversee their scouting department.
From the description:
This role is designed to develop and maintain USA Footballās Athlete Scouting and Development Program. USA Footballās activities in these areas support the Development Program, the National Team Program, and USA Footballās athlete database which will provide resources to members.āØāØ
This will include creation and maintenance of formal athlete scouting processes and procedures for both in-person and video/digital based scouting initiatives. This role will ensure that the scouting database is searchable and connected to the broader athlete account and membership profiles.
This is a fully-remote contract position.
See the full job description on LinkedIn.
Would you like to put your open position in front of thousands of youth sports professionals? Pick an available date here.
š„ Welcome To New Members
Welcome to new members of the Buying Sandlot community.
Rick Kelly: SNHU, Kevin Bednoski: SixFour3, Bobby Johnson: Lenoir City Parks and Recreation, Nelson Santiago: NYC Rising Stars, Chad Doyle: PRO 35 Sports Academy, Adam: Project Olympic, Bobby: More Than a Game, Gregg Lauderdale: GL Consulting, Harry Edward Leckemby Jr.: Perfect Game, Shannon Baylor: Project Manager for Sports Companies ( SelfāEmployed ), Fred Ewig: Focal Point Business Coaching, Lance: AS, Jerimee Moses: 6 Sigma Lacrosse, BJ Mumford: Play Practice Basketball, Luis Garcia, Scott Miles: Southpaw Ventures Corp, Niro Robert: nteoniro.com/design, Brian LaClair: Stars New England, Morgan Lyons: Perfect Game, Cassie Reynolds: Perfect Game, BJ Herald: CC Knothole, James Matthew Martin: 3Star Athletics, Corey: Main Line Athletes, Glen Leibel: Robert Jacobson Sports Foundation, Daniel Garcia: Diamond Crushers, Rey Colon: Pitch King, Kyle Rogers: Deltaāv Capital, Cedar Rihani: Dynamic Sports Group, Adam Goins: Secondslide, Trevor Johnson: Seek Up Solutions, Mike Nazzaro: CT City Lacrosse, Garrett Ball: 65Medicare.org, Robert Thompson: Valhalla SC Arena, Michael Conley: Upstate Sports Charities, Adam Nelson: TeamSnap, Sean OāConnell: InjureFree, Jacob Cowan, LR Diaz, Gerry Danso, Rick Peppers, Scott, and Chip Volke.
Along with members from 5 Tool Hero, Eb Williams Player Development, GrowCo Capital, Laurinburg Optimist Club, Pinkprint, The Fort McKenry, ActionāLab Ai, Varsity Hype, SJF Ventures Inc
Would you like to be introduced to the largest growing community of youth sports investors, owners and operators? Take our subscriber survey!
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Good game.