News and Updates
Article
Coaches May Be One of the Most Powerful (and Overlooked) Supports for Kids’ Mental Health
SheKnows spotlights new Million Coaches Challenge report, Winning Beyond the Game, showing how coach training is helping shape stronger, more supportive environments for young people—on and off the field. Read the full article to see tips for how parents can parents can get involved.
Article
Youth Coach Training Study Finds 90% Confidence Boost
Youth Sports Business Report spotlights the Million Coaches Challenge’s new Winning Beyond the Game report, breaking down key findings from the four-year study and what they mean for youth sports leaders and parents—from coach-reported gains in confidence and athlete experience to the broader opportunity for alignment across a fragmented youth sports system.
Press Release
Million Coaches Challenge Releases Landmark Study on Impact of Training 1M+ Youth Coaches
The Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) today released findings from its multiyear study, conducted by the American Institutes for Research, documenting the reach and influence of one of the largest efforts to train youth coaches in the United States, reaching more than one million coaches in evidence-based youth development practices.
Podcast
Kevin Connors x Hoop Heads Podcast
Kevin Connors, MCC lead and Managing Director of the Susan Crown Exchange, joined the Hoop Heads Podcast to dig into what quality coaching actually looks like in practice: why knowing a player’s name matters as much as knowing the plays, how coaches can support young people through real mental health challenges, and why training alone isn’t enough—coaches need community, mentorship, and organizational support to sustain the work.
Webinar Series
Policy Webinar Series
This three part webinar series will examine the history, the current landscape, and the possibilities of youth sports policy. The goal of the series is to deepen the conversation, learn from other sectors about the path to state policies, and center the health needs of young people in a discussion of policy-focused reform of youth sports. Register for Webinar 1 on April 8th at 2pm ET.
Press Release
Million Coaches Challenge Launches $1M Funding Call to Advance Quality Coaching for Youth Sports
The Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) today announced Empower Every Coach, a $1 million funding opportunity designed to address the systemic barriers preventing millions of coaches across the nation from accessing the tools, training, and support they need to help young people thrive on and off the field. Nonprofits may submit Letters of Inquiry through February 17, 2026.
Article
University of Washington Launches Free Legislative Tracker for Youth Sports Policy Across All 50 States
The University of Washington Center for Leadership in Athletics released the Youth Sports and Physical Activity Legislation Tracker, a free interactive tool that compiles state and federal laws affecting youth sports programs. The resource was developed in partnership with The Sports Institute at UW Medicine, King County Play Equity Coalition, Susan Crown Exchange, and LiFEsports at The Ohio State University.
Press Release
One Million Coaches Trained and a Bold Vision Launched for Youth Sports
The Million Coaches Challenge (MCC) announced a milestone shaping youth sports: our cohort of partners has trained one million youth coaches across the United States in evidence-based youth development practices. MCC partners are celebrating this milestone with new resources for the field: 12 Coaching Strategies to Support Positive Youth Development and Calls to Action: A Vision for Youth Sports Coaching in the United States.
Article
Shifting the Culture of Youth Sport by Supporting Coaches
MCC partners including the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, Laureus Sport for Good USA, and LiFEsports at The Ohio State University and Ohio High School Athletic Association highlight how they are leading a cultural transformation in youth sports. These organizations are redefining coaching to center on empathy, emotional support, and community systems to empower both youth and the adults who guide them.
Article
Reimagining Youth Sport: Putting Positive Youth Development First
Jessy Newman with American Institutes for Research (AIR) shares that youth sports should be redesigned around Positive Youth Development (PYD) to foster supportive, inclusive, strengths‑based environments and equip coaches with the tools they need so that sports truly nurture young people’s confidence, leadership, and life skills rather than simply promoting competition.
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Press Release
ESPN Launches Take Back Sports
ESPN today announced the launch of a new year long youth sports initiative dedicated to increasing access to play for young athletes. ESPN is teaming up with Positive Coaching Alliance and the National Recreation and Park Association as part of the Million Coaches Challenge to provide training to coaches throughout the country.
Press Release
California Takes Bold Step to Revolutionize Youth Sports with 25×25 Coaches Challenge
Governor’s Advisory Council and Million Coaches Challenge Join Forces to Train 25,000 Youth Coaches in California by 2025, Setting New Standard for Positive Youth Development and Sport Equity.
Press Release
3 States Join Collective Effort to Train 1 Million Coaches in Youth Development Practices
The Million Coaches Challenge (MCC), supported by the Susan Crown Exchange, announced expansion into three new states: Maryland, Indiana, and Kansas.
Press Release
NRPA Proud to Join the Million Coaches Challenge
With foundational support from the Susan Crown Exchange, and additional support from ESPN to expand the reach and impact of the program, NRPA awarded grants to 39 park and recreation agencies.
Article
Why Coaches and Athletes Should Be Teammates In Fighting Mental Health Stigma
Athletes like Simone Biles put mental health in the spotlight. The Million Coaches Challenge aims to continue the movement by training youth coaches.
Press Release
How to Coach Kids and the National Recreation and Park Association Join the MCC
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and How to Coach Kids (HTCK) co-developed by Nike and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) have officially joined forces with the Million Coaches Challenge, a multi-partner movement supported by the Susan Crown Exchange.
Article
How Coaches Can Be a Source of Mental Health Support for Student-Athletes
Coaches interact with kids all the time and are well placed to support students’ mental health—but they need more training.
Announcement
NRPA Announces Million Coaches Challenge Grant to Champion Positive Youth Development
Through the Million Coaches Challenge, NRPA is partnering with leading national training providers to ensure park and recreation agencies have access to no-cost, high-quality training programs.
Video
How Youth Sports Can Help Solve the Mental Health Crisis
SXSW EDU 2024: Leaders from the Million Coaches Challenge make the case for investing in coaches and offer strategies that schools, cities, and states can use to improve youth outcomes.