Number 120
Image source: RCX
MLS GO, RCX Sports, NRPA Partner
to Expand Youth Soccer Access
Featured Focus:
Youth Development, Community Programs,
Access / Inclusion / Equality
Scope of Impact: National
Major League Soccer, through its MLS GO initiative, and RCX Sports, the leader in youth sports experiences, are forging powerful alliances to democratize youth soccer access nationwide. Here’s what you should know:
Strategic Partnership for Nationwide Reach: MLS GO, RCX Sports, and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) have united in a multi-year commitment, strategically leveraging NRPA's vast network of 60,000 agencies in all 50 states and existing infrastructure to expand youth soccer, and ensure programs reach underserved communities.
Dismantling Barriers with Direct Funding: A cornerstone of this initiative is the $100,000 MLS GO PLAY FUND, explicitly designed to subsidize operational costs for local park and recreation departments. This direct financial injection actively reduces economic barriers, making high-quality soccer accessible to thousands of kids, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Fostering Holistic Youth Development: Beyond mere participation, this partnership champions a vision of inclusive play that fosters skill development and a lifelong passion for the game. By simplifying administrative complexities for local agencies and providing structured programs, it cultivates environments where young athletes can thrive physically, socially, and emotionally, contributing to improved mental health and academic performance.
Flag football, field hockey, and now soccer! RCX is on a roll, and we love how they go about these various partnerships. With its collaboration with MLS and the MLS GO initiative, RCX is now the official youth sports operator for the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLS, MLB, and USTA. Talk about a takeover.
We specifically love the partnership with the NRPA (National Recreation and Park Association) that’s involved in this particular collab. It really takes this initiative to the next level by making it as efficient as possible, by avoiding new infrastructure costs, and by being able to move more quickly on turning plans into action.
The MLS GO PLAY FUND is the other lever that will directly target economic barriers, ensuring every child can access soccer and its transformative benefit.
It seems like RCX has found a successful template that they can replicate with any sport to increase access nationwide. We love it!
How will the MLS, its teams, and its star players be involved to amplify the reach of this program? This is one of the question marks we have for this amazing project.
There are so many ways and opportunities to include the league in this initiative, especially after the success of this summer’s Club World Cup, and all of hype leading up to next year’s main event. RCX should definitely should strike while the iron’s hot.
Another idea nugget on our minds: what about expanding the partnership to include an apparel partner, helping to get in front of more youth nationwide? There are the big names like Puma and Nike, of course, but we’re also fans of championing the underdog brands who have values of representation and access at their core.
RCX, if y’all need a hand making those connections…we go you.
How can you emulate what RCX and its foundation are doing to expand youth access to sports? This is our challenge for you after reading this download.
