WHO WE ARE:
The National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) comprises the who’s who in the youth sports industry. We are well-known for our leadership and advocacy in promoting healthy lifestyles and safe environments for stronger neighborhoods and more wholesome communities.
Founded in 1979 by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, the NCYS boasts a membership of more than 220 organizations that represent more than 60 million registered participants in organized amateur youth sports programs.
WHAT WE DO:
Youth sports is the conduit through which children learn important life lessons, values, compassion, and good ethics. It is the relationship between sports skills and life skills that provide our young athletes with the fundamentals they need to succeed both on and off the playing field.
NCYS is committed to developing good character through sports while making a positive difference for children of all backgrounds, genders, abilities, and economic diversities. Think of NCYS as the “go-to” trusted resource providing the “good housekeeping seal of approval” and as a clearinghouse of meaningful information for all those involved in amateur youth sports.
The NCYS works on issues that are common among the youth sports industry while supporting and benefitting sport on all levels, such as:
- Empowering children to be physically active, healthy, and fit for a lifetime.
- Encouraging proper nutrition through the Tufts University ChildObesity180 Healthy Kids Out of School initiative which advocates for 3 simple principles:
- Drink Right (choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages)
- Move More (boost movement and physical activity in all programs)
- Snack Smart (fuel up on fruits and vegetables)
- In 2003, we founded our flagship program, a criminal background screening company called the National Center for Safety Initiatives. NCSI specializes in youth sports/youth serving organizations for the protection and safety of our young athletes.
- The NCYS S.T.R.I.V.E. Award recognizes Sports Teach Respect, Initiative, Values and Excellence.
- We advocate to protect the land so it does not become overdeveloped and is available for all recreational activities; for equal opportunities in sport; and for child safety issues.
- The NCYS was on the original lead team for the CDC’s Heads-Up: Concussion in Youth Sports initiative. And we are co-founders of the National Sports Concussion Coalition.
- We provide responsible and useful resources to the parents, coaches, athletic trainers, and medical personnel with tools like PrivITs Electronic Pre-Participation Evaluation, an online personal health history questionnaire.
- NCYS provides quality coaching education through Human Kinetics Coaching Essentials and sports-specific courses.
WHY NCYS EXISTS:
Our reason to exist is to enhance and advance the youth sports experience in America for today and for generations to come! No other sport organization in America reaches more grassroots participants than the combined membership of the NCYS. Credibility, integrity, and vigilant visibility remain at the core of everything we do for a safer, more wholesome society. Together we are a powerhouse of positive influence.
