The “Youth Sports Summit” is an annual meeting of the top leaders of youth sports programs in Maricopa County.  The meeting takes place at an area hotel or local sports venue in an all-day retreat format with a facilitator, and guest speakers when appropriate.  The purpose of the Summit is to identify areas of need for which the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission can implement initiatives to help our area’s youth sports programs as a collective group.  The Summit is also a place for these youth sports leaders to share best practices of governance, fundraising, event logistics, volunteer management, and other areas of sports administration.

The strategic opportunities identified at each years Summit do not duplicate or compete with entities offering youth sports programming in the Valley.  The initiatives developed at the Summit are implemented by the Sports Commission to enhance what the existing programs are already doing.  These opportunities often involve collaborative efforts between the sport groups and municipalities that may not have available to them individually.

The entirety of this program is run by the Sports Commission’s Youth Committee (Co-chaired by Nona Lee, General Counsel of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Dan Steimel, General Counsel for Uhaul).  The Summit itself and the projects that come from it are funded through grants and other fundraising programs conducted by the Sports Commission with the support of the Summit participants.

The end goal of the program is to enhance the great work being done in our community.  While the Summit itself has historically involved 75-100 youth sports leaders each year, these leaders’ programs serve an estimated 300,000 youth in Maricopa County.

The 2011 Youth Sports Summit will be held on August 11th 2011. For more information on attending and to get your youth sports organization involved for the 2011 Youth Sports Summit, please visit our events page here or contact our Youth and Events Manager Amanda Petru  amanda@phoenixsports.org

Register for the 3rd Annual Youth Sports Summit