KIDSPORTS

Creative Brief

By Hannah Morrow

photos courtesy of flickr

 Big Picture
Kidsports works to promote an active lifestyle by getting children active
and moving at an early age. This is important because kids who become
active early on are more likely to stay active for the rest of their lives.
Physical activity and participation in team sports release positive hor-
mones in a childs brain, and help to relieve stress. They also teach chil-
dren cooperation, teamwork, and dedication. Children who participate
in team sports are more likely to do well in school, and less likely to get
involved in delinquent activities. Additionally, schools in the Eugene area
do not have a physical education requirement, so having a physical activi-
ty resource in the community is vital to a childs education and well being.
By providing the community with a way for children to become active,
Kidsports is setting a solid foundation for childrens futures and helping to
combat many issues. These issues include child obesity, child delinquency,
and a sedentary lifestyle. Kidsports is also promoting a healthy lifestyle
both physically, emotionally, and academically. Without Kidsports, chil-
dren would not have a structured way to engage in physical activity and
discover all the benefits it has to offer.

Organization
Kidsports is a private non-profit organization founded to provide kids
from pre-K to 12th grade with sports programs. They offer a wide va-
riety of sports, including football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, base-
ball, softball, and lacrosse. Children can participate in a number of
ways, as Kidsports offers tournaments, camps, and clinics. Kidsports
aims to get children active at a young age and teaches them to coop-
erate and work well as a team. Kidsports was first founded in Eugene
in 1953. At this time, it consisted of ten all-male basketball teams. It
wasnt until 1974 that girls were allowed to join as well. Over the years
they have continued to add more sports to those that they offer and
continued to expand their programs.

photos courtesy of Kidsports

 Why Us?
Kidsports is unique because they are ubiquitously inclusive and have a required mini-
mum amount of playing time for every player. Kidsports has also created scholarship
opportunities and fee waivers for underprivileged youth allowing anyone to participate
regardless of race, religion, creed, sex, ability, or financial status. (Kidsports, 2012)

Whats the Problem?

Kidsports needs to inspire coaches to enthusiastically partake in its training program.
This way, the organization can guarantee that its coaches are maintaining its mission
to change youth sports culture. Additionally, Kidsports needs donors to sponsor this
program in order to have the resources necessary to adequately educate their coaches.

Kidsports in Action
At an observed practice, the coaches were able to maintain control over the practice
while cultivating a positive and enjoyable environment for the players. When a young
girl started crying, her coach knelt next to her, comforted her, and then reincorporated
her into the practice. It can be seen that Kidsports training programs are worthwhile
and the learning that coaches gleaned from them are well employed. Would it be no-
ticeable if a coach had not gone through Kidsports coach training program?

photos courtesy of Kidsports


Our positioning of Kidsports reflects its flexibility in price for the nine
sports that it offers. Unlike its compet- itors, Kidsports offers qualifying
participants full-fee waivers. Willamalane offers one sport more; however,
it has significantly higher prices, with some sports costing as much as $220,
according to its website. The Boys and Girls Club is the most affordable;
according to its website, a $40 fee grants a yearlong membership but gives
members access to only six sports. Both the Amazon Community Center
and the YMCA offer fewer and more expensive sports than Kidsports,
according to their websites.
Strengths
Kidsports full-fee waivers and avail- able scholarships allow chil-
dren from lower-income families to participate. Also, its variety
of sports, including some that are not offered by other programs
in Lane County, attracts a wide audience of potential players and
coaches. The organizations policies, such as a minimum playing
time requirement, ensure that players of all skill levels have equal
opportunities to participate.
Weaknesses
Because it is a non-profit organization, Kidsports lacks resources to
advertise itself on a larger scale to potential donors. Also, without a
position to supervise coaches, such as a Director of Coaching, Kid-
sports cannot ensure that coaches are upholding the organizations
standards. 10% of the coaches that Kidsports brings onboard have
no prior coaching experience. (Bev, 2016)
Opportunities
Alliances that Kidsports has with schools give it access to indoor and
outdoor recreational facilities year-round. Additionally, Kidsports
can reach a new audience, low-income families, that usually would
not have the opportunity to play sports due to a lack of sufficient
funds. Parents of players are often willing to coach teams. This alle-
viates the stress involved in seeking out coaches.
Threats
Aggressive spectators interfering with practices and games create
an unpleasant atmosphere that can harm the experience for every-
one involved. Competition over fields and gyms with other sports
programs limits the amount of time Kidsports teams can spend
practicing. There are also other programs in the community that
offer a wider variety of sports, including rock climbing and martial
arts, that may draw customers away from Kidsports.
Coaches
Are you passionate about both children and sports? Kidsports is seeking
coaches of any age or gender to coach a variety of sports. Kidsports
coaches must uphold the standards of the organization, including all
the training requirements and codes of conduct. Being a Kidsports
coach is an opportunity to be a part of an organization that is improv-
ing youth sports culture. Some people may not feel inclined to coach
because they must go through tediuous training without pay. They must
tackle both the positive coaching alliance and several training courses.
Improper coaching can lead to a childs emotional harm and
unwillingness to participate in sports. Therefore, participating in a
coach training program is vital to the players emotional well being.
Phil Mettler, 39, has been a Kidsports coach for 11 years now. He is
the manager of a restaurant and lives with his girlfriend in Eugene.
Phil values teamwork and respect, and requests that each of his players
uphold these values. He is lighthearted at practice and takes a pa-
tient approach to teaching. His main goal is to teach the importance
of teamwork in a way that will resonate with his players. It can be a
challenge at times to keep the players attention and make sure they are
competing respectfully, but he feels that it pays off in the end. Kidsports
gives Phil a valuable way to connect with his community and enjoy the
sport he played as a child.
Donors
Kidsports is seeking donors to donate money to support their coach
training program. These donations will support the physical, social,
and emotional growth of thousands of local children. Additionally,
Kidsports will advertise the companies that donate and increase their
publicity in hopes of increasing sales at the supporting businesses. Some
companies may not be as inclined to donate if they do not feel strongly
towards the cause the money is supporting, or if their company does
not make a large enough profit to donate to an outside source.
The programs that Kidsports coaches are required to complete en-
sure that coaches know how to deal with difficult parents and keep
children safe. This improves the Kidsports experience for all.
Jake Krankenhower, 38, is the manager of Backcountry Gear in Eu-
gene. He is married and has two sons that enjoy playing soccer and bas-
ketball. Jake loves the outdoors and believes that outdoor activity is vital
to ones happiness. Sometimes it is hard for Jake to find time to spend
with his family because managing a store takes up a lot of time. Jake
decided that Backcountry gear should donate a portion of its profits to
Kidsports because Kidsports raises active children that grow up to be
outdoor-loving adults that go hiking and camping. They get the gear
they need for these activities from Backcountry Gear, so supporting
Kidsports in turn increases sales at Backcountry Gear.
photos courtesy of adventurejay.com and pixabay.com
 Connect With Us! External Links
What is Kidsports? Kidsports. N.p., nd. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions. Kidsports. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
What is Kidsports? Kidsports. N.p., nd. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.
Kidsports, [Kidsports], [ca. 2016], Kidsports Recreation Center, [Face-
book], https://www.facebook.com/www.emeraldkidsports/
Kidsports, [kidsports4life], [ca. 2016], Emerald Kidsports, [Instagram],
https://www.instagram.com/kidsports4life/
On Facebook, Kidsports
Kidsports, [Emerald Kidsports], [ca. 2016], Emerald Kidsports, [Linke-
posts promotional, infor- Though Kidsports used
dIn], https://www.linkedin.com/company/8646278?trk=tyah&trkInfo=clicked-
mational, and documen- to have a very active Vertical%3Acompany%2CentityType%3AentityHistoryName%2CclickedEntity-
tary information with a blog, it has not been Id%3Acompany_8646278%2Cidx%3A1
light and friendly tone. updated since April of Kidsports, [Bevs Blog], [ca. 2016], Bevs Blog, [Blogspot], http://www.
They posted 4 times in 2012. bevskidsportsblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/about-5-years-ago-i-read-very.html
March, with an assort- Kidsports, [Kidsports4life], [ca. 2016], Kidsports, [Twitter], https://twit-
ter.com/kidsports4life
ment of text, photo, and
Rec Guide | Eugene, OR Website. (2016). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
link posts. https://www.eugene-or.gov/132/Rec-Guide
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA. (2016). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
http://www.eugeneymca.org/youth-sports
Willamalane Park and Recreation District. (2016). Retrieved April 23,
2016, from http://willamalane.org/?taxonomy=class-group&term=birth-k
Willamalane Park and Recreation District. (2016). Retrieved April 23,
2016, from http://willamalane.org/?taxonomy=class-group&term=grades-k-5
Willamalane Park and Recreation District. (2016). Retrieved April 23,
In the month of March, Kidsports does not use 2016, from http://willamalane.org/?taxonomy=class-group&term=grades-6-12
Kidsports posted 13 Instagram frequently; What We Offer. (2016). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
times. They post a they posted one photo http://www.bgcev.net/what-we-offer/
in the month of March. KIDSPORTS. (2016). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
variety of promotion-
http://www.kidsports.org/home.php?layout=360947
al, informational, and They generally post fun What is KIDSPORTS? (2001). KIDSPORTS. Retrieved from http://
educational photos, text photos documenting www.kidsports.org/home.php?layout=360947
posts, news, and links. events that happened at EMERALD KIDSPORTS CORPORATE POLICIES AND PROCE-
They have an encourag- Kidsports. DURES (2012). KIDSPORTS. Retrieved from http://www.kidsports.org/doclib/
ing and lively tone. corporatepolicies2012.pdf
Backcountry Gear Ltd. (2016). Retrieved April 23, 2016, from
http://www.manta.com/c/mtxgz2j/backcountry-gear-ltd

photos courtesy of flickr