Wayne Moss: Why Youth Sports Matter

SportsTravel Podcast

Wayne Moss began his career in professional sports, working for the Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Orioles before taking the call to service and joining the recreation divisions in his hometown of Cleveland and later Dekalb County in Georgia. He then worked 15 years at the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, where he led program planning and assessment efforts. In 2018, he was appointed the executive director of the National Council of Youth Sports, whose members serve an estimated 60 million registered participants in organized youth sports programs.

The NCYS works to promote the essential role of youth sports in America, with a goal of enhancing the experience of all participants by reducing barriers and creating safe environments. And that’s no small task. With issues such as ensuring athlete safety, increasing participation rates, finding enough qualified coaches and volunteers, and providing adequate access to organized sports, the youth sports landscape has challenges left and right. And yet there remain opportunities thanks to the work of the National Council of Youth Sports and others in the space. As part of its advocacy efforts, the council will promote National Youth Sports Week, October 24–29, with an emphasis on all the things the organization stands for in its efforts to get more kids involved in sports and to provide them a safe atmosphere in which to do so.

In this discussion with SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, we talk about the work the NCYS is doing on the ground, what more can be done and the challenges and opportunities that await.

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