This is Buying Sandlot — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.
Let’s get to it.
In the email today:
🏉 Coming Soon: Youth Sports (In A Box)
Three of the buzziest buzzwords in the industry so far in 2026:
Accessibility
Affordability
Infrastructure (largely because its in every AI-generated LinkedIn post)
Equip Sport aims to address all three — and is expected to enter the U.S. market sometime this year.
The Swiss company operates self-service modular equipment locker stations in public spaces, allowing users to borrows balls using an app.
Think a sports version of Citi Bike in New York — but free, as stations are funded through public-private partnerships (another buzz term!)
Over 500 stations across Europe
Close to 100 in Canada
Started as a shared paddleboard platform
Now supports over 20 sports
Offerings tailored to location, designed for durability and usage
“We quickly realized the real value was access, not ownership,” Quentin Sandrini, the company’s business development manager for Canada, told Buying Sandlot. "The model prioritizes participation, reliability and scalability."
Sandrini said U.S. expansion is scheduled and Equip has identified a strategic partner, but declined to go into further detail.
An added wrinkle: There is an Australian company — SportsBox — that offers an effectively identical app-based, free-use product Down Under. It is not associated with Equip Sport, but the companies do share at least one partner — Decathlon, the world’s largest sporting good retailer.
SportsBox has not responded to several Buying Sandlot messages, but it previously said it plans to expand to the U.S. and several other countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America.
SportsBox’s stated business model involves local governments buying the stations and then paying annual subscriptions for maintenance and tech; it also integrates sponsors into stations and in-app offerings.
A cool concept.
I would imagine Equip Sport and/or SportsBox have a good chance at success in the U.S. because it checks all of the boxes we mentioned above, plus it encourages activity and play.
It seems like a no-brainer add for parks and recreation departments, especially in cities. And I’d imagine businesses like Dick’s Sporting Goods would gladly outfit the lockers in return for branding opportunities.
That all said … I would be curious to know how impactful a ball would be in increasing participation. I’d imagine you see more results if the lockers offered the ball plus — a football and a set of flag belts, tennis balls and racquets, baseballs and mitts, and so on.
🏟️ Only 2 Weeks Remain For Early Bird Tickets
Ticket prices for the Buying Sandlot Summit will increase on January 31. Early bird tickets are $599 and include 2-days of programming and networking with a who’s who of youth sports + our evening event at the amazing Ballers (pictured here). All meals, dinner, drinks included in early bird pricing.
🚨 This May Become A National Story
A youth 7-on-7 football tournament at Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa was cut short yesterday after a massive fight.
And that may be understating it!
100 people involved
70 cops from 4 law enforcement agencies responded
Scene cleared after 45 minutes
Police said there were no arrests or injuries reported. Even more amazing — there does not appear to be any video.
The tournament was organized by Red Zone Elite, a national 7-on-7 and flag platform. The organization released a statement that said in part:
The event was isolated to a handful of players from four specific teams, and a large crowd of other players, coaches and parents who were following them around antagonizing further as RZE staff, complex security and PD worked together to break up the crowds.
RZE said it is cooperating with police and that involved parties will face consequences, including potential bans from RZE events and other tournaments in its network.
A youth soccer tournament at the complex was also canceled, but there is no indication any parents or players were involved.
One comment besides the obvious (what the hell is wrong with people?):
Several reports said AAG had off-duty cops working at the complex as security.
This has become commonplace throughout youth sports at events big, medium and small. And it is not cheap — we wrote last April about an organization in Texas that hiked fees over 20% as a result.
And when that is not enough to keep things from going off the rails … what more can you do?
This reiterates the need for increased focus on physical safety - not just compliance - at events that are increasingly becoming larger. Never mind the liability aspect as plaintiffs see deep-pocketed private equity firms behind things.
An example that comes to mind is Go4. While more focused on health and athletic trainers, not law enforcement, they help build Emergency Action Plans for venues, ensure they’re staffed by certified trainers, and even offer injury reporting. I expect to see a lot more in this space as the industry grows up, so to speak.
⚽️ Mitre, PlayerData Team On High-Tech Soccer Ball
The British soccer brand is collaborating with the performance technology on a GPS-enabled connected ball.
The ball is currently in development; the companies say it will be the first product of its kind in the world and will “[mark] a major step forward in how players will soon be able to train, develop and perform."
PlayerData’s GPS tech inside the ball
No external LPS or optical tracking
Greatly reduces cost, complexity of analytics
"Roll it out of the bag and play” ready
Users access data through subscription model
PlayerData supports over 50K athletes worldwide via wearable GPS tracking and performance analysis tools— it is billing the ball as the answer to providing users with tactical and technical data that matches the metrics used for athlete movement, load management, etc.
Pre-orders begin in March ahead of a planned launch this summer.
🤖 Teamworks Snags Hockey Tech Firm
The platform which bills itself as “The Operating System for Sports,” has bought Sportloqic, an AI-driven analytics company that heavily emphasizes hockey — 31 of 32 NHL teams are clients.
SBJ said its the 13th acquisition overall and No. 9 in the last three years for Teamworks, which was valued at over $1B last summer after a $235M funding round.
Teamworks has relationships with over 6.5K teams worldwide across sports; it provides coaching, operations, performance and personnel tools.
🏟️ U.S. Soccer Federation Makes ‘Pathways’ Move
USSF has announced a strategic partnership with US Club Soccer and will manage the non-profit organization’s internal operations. Wasserman previously managed them.
As part of this new agreement, U.S. Soccer will support US Club Soccer’s core back-end operations, including HR, IT, and finance. This approach enables both organizations to focus on better support to clubs and leagues, participation growth, and affordability across the ecosystem.
USSF said the managed services agreement is part of the Pathways Strategy and its efforts to “to make soccer more affordable, drive higher participation and produce more world-class players for its national teams.”
🫡 SFC Captures Workplace Honors
The Sports Facilities Companies was named to the 2026 list of Top Workplaces for Frontline Workers.
SFC was also recognized among the Great Plains Top Workplaces for 2026.
Both honors are based solely on confidential employee feedback gathered through surveys administered by Energage LLC.
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Good game.