ESPN and Disney Jr. mark two years of youth sports access push during National Youth Sports Week

During National Youth Sports Week, ESPN and Disney Jr. are spotlighting what they describe as the long-term benefits of getting young children into organized play. The programs, rolled out under ESPN’s “Take Back Sports” powered by Disney Jr. “Let’s Play!”, aim to make it easier for families to sign kids up for sports, cover registration fees, and find nearby opportunities to participate.

Now in its second year, the initiative targets children ages 3 to 7 through a partnership with national nonprofit Every Kid Sports, according to the companies. The focus is on offsetting costs that families face when trying to register young children for sports, where fees can be a barrier for first-time participants.

Disney said the program has awarded more than 2,400 grants to families across the United States. It also said those grants are for preschool and kindergarten-aged kids participating in programs spanning 26 different sports. Nearly half of the families receiving grants reported it was the child’s first time playing a sport, the companies said.

The campaign also includes free sports “Let’s Play Sports” clinics designed to introduce kids to different athletic activities in a low-friction setting. Disney said the clinics provide children an opportunity to play and sample sports such as flag football, soccer, t-ball, gymnastics, and basketball without requiring families to pay expenses.

Disney pointed to rising participation costs as part of the rationale for the initiative, citing Aspen Institute Project Play research that youth sports costs are up 46% since 2019. The companies said the effort is intended to help more young children participate and to reinforce the skills sports can teach, including teamwork, confidence, and sportsmanship.

For families, Disney said one practical hurdle is simply knowing where and how to register. The clinics are designed to connect parents and caregivers to local resources and organizations in their communities, while giving children a welcoming introduction to sports before they commit to an ongoing program.

The companies said the clinics expanded beyond an initial launch in Los Angeles last year. Disney said ESPN and Disney Jr. teamed with local ABC stations KGO, WLS, KFSN, and KABC to add four new clinic cities: Oakland, Chicago, Fresno, and Fontana. It said hundreds of kids and families have attended the free clinics to date.

At the events, Disney said children were surprised with a special appearance from Mickey Mouse, including a Disney Jr.-associated “Hot Dog!” dance from “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+.” The day’s programming also included community organizations providing information about local youth sports programs and resources to support families, with Disney listing groups that include the Chicago Park District, City of Oakland Parks, Recreation and Youth Development, Empire Strykers, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California, High Performance Academy, and the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation associated with Steph and Ayesha Curry.

Disney did not provide financial figures tied to the program, nor did it disclose how many specific families are still in the pipeline for grants or how the initiative will measure long-term outcomes beyond participation and first-time enrollment. It also did not specify whether the number of cities or sports represented will grow again next year, leaving the future scale dependent on logistics, partner capacity, and grant demand.