Why youth sports
Parents notice the brand on their kid's field.
In a national YouGov Sport study for Priority Partnerships, sponsoring a parent's own child's program beat every channel brands already buy: pro sports, TV, social and influencers.
The study
Where parents pay attention.
Youth sports parents rated how likely each channel is to win their attention. Their own child's program came out on top in every comparison.
Net likelihood that each channel earns a youth sports parent's attention.
Net likelihood that each sponsorship earns a youth sports parent's attention.
Net likelihood that parents act after learning about a brand through a youth sports sponsorship in their community.
Source: The ROI of Sponsorship in Youth Sports, commissioned by Priority Partnerships and conducted by YouGov Sport. 1,345 U.S. adults, including 922 youth sports parents, surveyed November 14 to December 8, 2025. Third-party research, not Signature data.
Beyond attention
Sponsorship parents act on.
The same study found parents feel good about the brands that back their kids, and buy from them.
Sponsors
80%
of youth sports parents are likely to choose the brand that sponsors their child's program over a product of similar cost and quality.
Sentiment
84%
of youth sports parents feel positive about companies sponsoring youth sports teams and programs. Only 3% feel negative.
Attention
1.5x
the attention of a pro team sponsorship, among youth sports parents.
Attention
1.6x
the attention of a TV commercial, among youth sports parents.
Purchase
68%
are more likely to buy from a brand that sponsors their child's program than one that sponsors their favorite pro team.
Source: The ROI of Sponsorship in Youth Sports, Priority Partnerships and YouGov Sport, 2026. Third-party research, not Signature data.
Why now
Youth sports needs partners.
Costs keep climbing, kids quit young, and most programs run on volunteer parents. Brands can help keep kids in the game.
Cost
+46%
rise in what families spend on a child's primary sport since 2019, to $1,016.
Kids
Age 13
Kids who stop playing organized sports quit at an average age of 12.93, most often between ages 12 and 14.
Congress
June 30, 2026
Congress held a bipartisan "Field of Fees" hearing on the rising cost of youth sports.