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:
🧢 Unrivaled Sports Adds To Roster
Courtesy of Twin Creeks Sports Complex
Unrivaled Sports has taken over Twin Creeks Sports Complex in Sunnyvale, California.
The youth sports platform said it plans to "invest millions in targeted facility upgrades that will elevate the quality of play and improve the overall experience for athletes and families" at the facility.
As new leaders of this complex, Unrivaled Sports will invest in Twin Creeks and partner with the communities in Santa Clara County to enhance and expand local and national youth sports opportunities at the facility. Unrivaled Sports plans to preserve the legacy of Twin Creeks while elevating the venue through thoughtful property improvements and diverse sports programming to welcome even more athletes and their families.
The venue has 8 diamond fields that can be used for multi-sport purposes. Unrivaled also owns the Big League Dreams facility in Manteca, about 90 minutes from Sunnyvale.
Quick Take: Twin Creeks is about two miles from Levi’s Stadium, which will host Super Bowl LX and World Cup games next year. So this could be some timely new real estate for Unrivaled from an activations and events standpoint.
🏟️ Buying Sandlot Summit 2026 Sponsor Deck Now Available!
We’ve already received tons of sponsorship interest for the event, and I (Kyle) feel like I’ve spoken to half of this audience already. But our initial sponsorship deck for the Buying Sandlot Summit 2026 is now available for download.
It includes:
Sponsorship tiers
Descriptions for each sponsor opportunity
Venue images
And current pricing
Click here to register interest and download the sponsorship deck:
Just want to attend?
Get early bird and VIP tickets at this link.
If your organization would like group ticket pricing for 5 or more, or more sponsorship information, you can also contact [email protected].
🏒 Youth Hockey Platform Acquires Famed Camp
200×85 — a hockey developmental organization — has acquired Heartland Hockey Camp.
The 164-acre Deerwood, Minnesota, facility bills itself as the world’s largest self-contained, privately owned summer hockey camp. Founding owner Sandy Jensen will remain involved in the operation.
2 ice arenas
Training center
6:1 camper-to-coach ratio
Tennis courts
Mini golf course
25 lodging units
Over 7K feet of private lakeshore
200×85 operates developmental camps, programs, select teams, showcases and tournaments in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
It has a partnership with CCM and merged with girls hockey organization Premier Ice Prospects last year.
🤝 BASE Sports Group Pairs Facility, Zoo
The Proving Grounds — a multi-use youth sports complex in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania — has entered into a sponsorship partnership with the Elmwood Park Zoo in nearby Norristown.
BASE Sports Group brokered the partnership.
The zoo "will receive prominent branding, visibility, and engagement opportunities throughout designated spaces" inside the complex as part of the deal.
🏈 Big Names To Call HS Football Showcase Game
ESPN is putting its best foot forward for the inaugural Overtime Nationals High School Football Championship.
The worldwide leader will have college football/WWE play-by-player Joe Tessitore and NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky in the booth for tonight’s showdown between St. Frances of Baltimore and Utah’s Corner Canyon (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Overtime is collaborating with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions on the game, which will be played at Under Armour Stadium in Baltimore. The winning team receives $250K for its athletics department.
Overtime CEO Dan Porter previously told SBJ he wanted the broadcast to feel “epic” like a Super Bowl would.
We will see if that happens. But having two household voices on the call, rather than down-roster talent, would seem to be a step toward realizing that goal.
And obviously ESPN, Omaha and Overtime have no control over the most important factor for any sports broadcast — the quality of the game.
This was supposed to a showdown between IMG Academy and St. Frances before IMG declined to participate for myriad reasons. Corner Canyon is a powerhouse with NFL alumni like Jaxson Dart and Zach Wilson, but its national rankings are all over the board while St. Frances (and IMG) are consensus top-5 programs.
We will be watching and have our thoughts in Friday’s send.
📝 Youth Sports News + Notes
Las Vegas’ tourism authority has created a chief sports officer position. Officials said the new hire will be tasked in part with attracting amateur and youth sports events and tournaments due to their importance to the city’s hotel infrastructure. Quick Take: Expect to see more public roles relating not only to sports tourism and development, but also participation.
New Balance has pledged over $9M to boost youth sports, education and nutrition in Massachusetts. The Boston-based apparel giant will donate to a slew of local non-profit organizations.
US Sports Camps and ex-NFL defensive back Anthony Newman will launch an expanded lineup of Nike Sports and Recreation Camps in the Portland, Oregon, area. Newman starred at Oregon before playing 12 years professionally; the camps will launch next July.
Eight youth football players from Philadelphia face felony charges in Florida after allegedly shoplifting over $2K from a Dick’s Sporting Goods location. They were in town to compete with their team in the Prolifix Nationals tournament.
A Canadian man pleaded guilty to embezzling over $81K from a youth sports organization. He forged checks in his former role as the treasurer and faces two years in prison; his attorney said he has paid restitution.
🥥 Rush Soccer Lands Vita Coco Deal
The coconut water brand is now the youth soccer platform’s official hydration partner.
National product integration at Rush tournaments
Hydration stations at key events
Grassroots activations
Custom educational content
Rush has over 55K players in its network between the U.S. and international markets. The partnership will launch in the new year.
Keep in mind: Rush has also partnered with Carvana to sponsor its kits. The soccer club network is now owned by Pioneer Sports, owners of Surf Nation, in a story we broke this summer. Pioneer-Rush is showing how scale allows for major brand sponsorship with another large-scale partnership.
🎥 Hudl Teams Up With Elite 11
The streaming giant has inked a recruiting data partnership with the football developmental platform.
Hudl will get exclusive access to event video for Elite 11 events, including all high school QB showcases. Verified performance data will then be available on Hudl’s Recruit platform.
The multi-year agreement will begin next year.
🔗 Youth Sports Links
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Good game.