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:
⚾️ Inside Curve Sports’ Launch
Sandy Ogg's initial entrance into the youth sports industry was a philanthropy project.
The former Blackstone operating partner launched the Diamond Sports Foundation with his wife after being exposed to access barriers when a group of players from the Bronx joined their son's travel team based in Rye, New York, for a weekend.
"I realized pretty quickly that if we were going to do good and make youth sports, and in this case youth elite travel baseball, more accessible to kids who couldn't afford it, we were going to have to build a business," he told Buying Sandlot. "We were going to have to do well in order to do good in a systematic way."
That process took another big step last week with the launch of Curve Sports with the backing of Weatherford Capital.
The new platform unifies Diamond Allegiance, a national elite baseball club partnership network, and Curve Test Centers, which measures athlete assessments and metrics.
Ogg founded both organizations and will be the CEO of the combined company, which will deploy capital directly to clubs rather than to large-scale tournament operators and other overarching platforms.
"I have felt, and I continue to have even more conviction, that the heart of this is the club," he said. "Because that's where the parents are, that's where the players are, that's where the coaches are. That's where the action happens. ... But they are under-capitalized and underfunded."
Ogg's vision is to have about 30 "super clubs" nationwide and shift focus back on local competition and development. He expects Curve will acquire about 100 total clubs to reach this goal. Diamond Allegiance has about 70 clubs in its network, but it does not own them.
Ogg said Curve has made one acquisition so far and is working through several more— he wants club owners to retain a significant stake and continue day-to-day operations.
Facilities is also a point of emphasis. Ogg expects Curve will mostly acquire/partner with existing, underutilized facilities within its super club footprints. Curve Test Centers tech will be integrated into these facilities, bringing the testing capabilities and data discovery process to the local level (it currently has a facility on-site at LakePoint Sports).
Ogg also hopes to establish academies that pair academics with the clubs. He and Weatherford Capital both have ties to IMG Academy. Ogg is also the board chairman for Nord Anglia Education, a UK-based private school operator with over 100K students in 37 countries.
"Our first priority is to assemble this super club network, and then get the flywheel in place," he said. "We (want to) have the best leaders, the best coaches, the best parents and we're developing the athlete to be everything they can be."
🏟️ Join The All-Star Lineup Of Attendees At The Buying Sandlot Summit
Join the likes of (non-exhaustive list!): Hudl, GameChanger, TeamSnap, LeagueApps, PCA, Rush Soccer, Fastbreak, PlayOn, Perfect Game, Base Sports Group, EventConnect, Team Travel Source, Playbook 365, Ankored, Prep Network, Playmetrics, Sports Facilities Companies, Little League International, i9 Sports, IMG Academy, Wharton, Prep Network, Rawlings, Focus On The Field, MPI Sports, Go4, Onsides and some of the largest private equity investors in the space registered to attend.
We’re at around 150 of total attendees so far and expecting 250+. Ticket prices remain at $649, but will increase later this month— ending up at $799. The earlier you buy, the more you save.
Here is an early preview of panel topics for April 14-15 in Philly:
Tech Heavy Hitters— executives from leading tech platforms discuss state of the industry
Consolidation, Exits and Acquisitions— what to expect in 2026
Tech 2.0— The next wave of AI-first tech platforms entering the market
Soccer in America— The unprecedented opportunity and challenges surrounding youth soccer development in the US
“Eyes on Youth Sports”— Sponsorship, and how it unlocks increased revenue and opportunity for brands, operators and athletes, and how it can subsidize increased participation rates
Compliance and Safety— Increased expectations and liability, from compliance to athlete health and safety
Athlete Data and NIL— how technology and NIL are shaping the future of high school athletes and college scouting
Professionalized Recreation— Creating world-class experiences for athletes regardless of skill level
Remembering the Athlete— Why it’s important to keep the athlete at the center of the youth sports boom
Emerging Opportunities— Flag, Bananaball, golf, and racquet sports, how the next wave of growth may come from unlikely sports
Streaming— How hardware, AI, and adoption are driving a boom in youth sports streaming
Startups: The next wave of tech startups in the space, and what their growth and exit pathways will be
… and much more. And a boatload of networking!
🏈 D1 School Launches Youth Sports Org
We have youth sports #MACtion.
Toledo’s athletics department will operate Rocket Youth Sports Leagues, a regional initiative that will connect kids with the school’s athletes and coaches.
The platform will kick off this spring with boys and girls flag football and plans to expand into other sports, offering leagues, camps and clinics.
Ed Price — who founded Toledo’s Football N’ America chapter — will be RYSL’s executive director.
FNA is the Drew Brees-helmed platform recently acquired by Unrivaled Sports.
🏟️ NFL Picks Pro Flag Leagues Partner
The Shield will join forces with TMRW Sports on its planned men’s and women’s flag football leagues, according to Sportico.
TMRW is backed by Tiger Woods, among other big names, and operates indoor golf league TGL.
The NFL has pledged up to $32M in funding to get the leagues off the ground ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But it’s not clear how hands-on the league will be beyond writing the check.
Maybe having Tiger play permanent QB would help the Pro Bowl ratings.
🏢 SFC Makes Another Acquisition
The Sports Facilities Companies announced it has purchased RCI Sports Management.
Three new properties will join the SFC roster as a result of the deal:
Amarillo Netplex
The Refinery Fieldhouse in Garden City, Kansas
Travis Fields at Midtown Park in Bryan, Texas
RCI’s leadership and operations team will be retained by the combined organization.
🛋️ Big Brands Continue To Enter The Space
Nike partners with Hudl
Hudl’s Rick Rattay announced on LinkedIn this morning a partnership between Nike and Hudl to reach high school athletes with Hudl’s video inventory across high school basketball and other winter sports.
IKEA has partnered with The Proving Grounds in a deal brokered by BASE Sports Group.
The Swedish furniture and home goods giant’s Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, location will outfit a family lounge at the complex along with other activations and branded experiences.
I wrote on LinkedIn today that all youth sports tech platforms are increasingly looking like media plays, and in our BIG TAKEAWAYS post from our interview with GameChanger President Sameer Ahuja yesterday:
“In aggregate, the media impressions generated in a mature market could rival or surpass a pro sports league. And that’s before considering the fact that it costs money to view most of these streams (GameChanger is charging $9.99 per month) and all the additional in-app engagement around scheduling and communications. Tens of billions of eyeballs. These are media plays.”
This thinking explains why Hudl just struck a deal with a local news company to distribute highlights for free and why Ahuja thinks sponsorship drives the next leg up in the youth sports TAM. Media and sponsorship grow the revenue— and then perhaps subsidize participation at scale?
🤠 Facilities Arms Race: Texas Two-Step, Part 2
We wrote recently about a pair of neighboring Dallas suburbs working on massive youth soccer complex/entertainment district projects with the connective thread of a USL expansion club.
We now head down to the Gulf Coast.
Portland — a city of about 21K — has a trio of SFC-managed youth sports venues. Officials are projecting they will generated about $12M in economic impact this year.
Corpus Christi — population: 317K — wants some of that action now too. The city’s mayor is pushing to build its own complex about 10 miles down the Nueces Bay Causeway, arguing sports tourism gold awaits it as well.
Quick Take: Field inventory does not match demand in the Metroplex, so officials in Garland and Rowlett can always point to the local need first and the potential new revenue second. But there was no mention of that here— Corpus Christi just seems to believe it can replicate what Portland has going. That seems like a bit of a gamble given neither city is well-positioned from a geographic standpoint to begin with.
🧱 More Youth Sports Facilities News
Midland, Texas: City officials said youth sports accounted for close to $35M in economic impact last year, including over 27K hotel nights in the oil town. A pair of new facilities are expected to go online this year.
Oxford, Mississippi: One of the state’s top youth sports complexes is closed due to significant winter storm damage. Hundreds of trees were either damaged, destroyed or destabilized at Trade Park; officials are hopeful cleanup could be done by the end of the month.
Sandy, Utah: The public areas of the Utah Mammoth’s new practice facility are expected to open on Feb. 23. The NHL team will provide ice time and programming for youth hockey and recreational skaters of all ages. Mammoth (and Utah Jazz) owner Ryan Smith is one of the more fascinating people in the youth sports ecosystem.
Williamsport, Pennsylvania: Trinity Willoughby is Little League International's new landscaping and sports turf technician. She will be responsible for baseball diamonds and landscaped grounds.
🏀 NBA’s All-Star Weekend Youth Plans
The Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA will hold clinics for over 1K youth from Los Angeles-area schools today as part of its All-Star Weekend programming.
One of the clinics will partner with the Luka Doncic Foundation piloting the Total Hoops curriculum promoted by the Los Angeles Lakers star.
Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff will also lead a coaches clinic this weekend.
🔗 Youth Sports Links
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