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Where Youth Sports Leaders Come to Shape What's Next.

Since 2019, NextUp has been the gathering for the people building the future of youth sports — operators, brand leaders, athletes, and experts. Not just what happens on the field, but the business, the brand, the technology, and the systems that make great experiences possible.

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October 13-14

New York City

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What is NextUp?

NextUp started with a simple observation: the people running youth sports organizations deserve the same quality of leadership, strategy, and business conversations that any other industry gets.

It’s a gathering built specifically for the directors, operators, and founders who make youth sports happen — people who believe in what this industry does for kids and families.

The landscape has changed. Private equity has arrived. AI is reshaping operations. Families expect more. NextUp is where you make sense of all of it — with the people actually navigating it.

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Julie Foudy

ESPN Analyst and former USWNT champion

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Julie Foudy

ESPN Analyst and former USWNT champion

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Julie Foudy

ESPN Analyst and former USWNT champion

How we got here

From the first school leagues to a $40B+ industry — the history of youth sports, and the seven years of NextUp helping shape what’s next.
1903

Sports Enter the Schoolyard

New York forms the Public Schools Athletic League. 17 cities follow within a decade and physical fitness becomes central to youth development.

1930s

Little League is Born

The Depression guts school funding. Pop Warner, Little League, the YMCA, and Boys & Girls Clubs rise to meet demand. By the 1950s, 5,000+ Little League leagues are up and running.
1972

Title IX changes everything

Banning sex discrimination in education reshapes sports. High-school girls’ participation climbs from 295,000 to more than 2.6 million today.
1978

The Amateur Sports Act of 1978

Brings structure to amateur athletics, creating a national governing body for each sport.
1990s

America's Sports Moment

The World Cup lands on U.S. soil. Two years later, Atlanta hosts the Olympics. Youth soccer, gymnastics, softball, and basketball registrations surge. A new generation of kids wants to play.
2000s

Club sports go mainstream

What started as an alternative to school programs becomes the new norm. Private clubs and travel teams spread across every sport. With it, came better coaching, better facilities, and higher stakes.
2010

LeagueApps is founded to help youth sports organizations operate via software

2019

NextUp is born

The first NextUp conference gives youth sports leaders and organizers a home: a community built for the people running the game behind the scenes.
2020

Pandemic shuts down sports

Lockdowns pulled millions of kids off the field. Physical activity and youth mental health dipped, participation fell sharply, and the gap in access widened.
2020

NextUp University goes online

LeagueApps hosts a virtual gathering that keeps the industry connected through COVID, learning from one another and lifting each other up when it counts.
2021

NextUp: Play Forever Tour

LeagueApps hits the road, touring through the Northeast, visiting youth sports organizers at their facilities and events across Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.
2022

Flagship NextUp Conference returns in-person

The conference comes back, bringing youth sports leaders together to learn, connect, and level up their operations. Paul Rabil and Victoria Arlen headline, and mental health in sports takes center stage.
2026

NextUp Goes Regional

NextUp heads to Dallas — spotlighting the Southwest and introducing unique experiences like an event at Dude Perfect.
NextUp Dallas
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October 14th, 2026

New York, New York

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Past speakers

Julie Foudy

ESPN Analyst and former USWNT champion

David Robinson

Admiral Capital co-founder, NBA champion

Swin Cash

3x WNBA champion

Shane Battier

TEDx Speaker and NBA champion

Paul Rabil

President, PLL

David James

Vice President, Baseball & Softball Development, MLB

Don Garber

MLS

Angela Ruggiero

Sports Innovation Lab

Amy Brooks

NBA

Ali Curtis

MLS Next

Alison Overholt

ESPN

Kim Davis

NHL

Kathy Behrens

NBA

Gotham Chopra

Religion of Sports

Dan Porter

Overtime

Lisa Levine

NWHL

Brad Stulberg

Author

Josh Wolfe

Lux Capital

Cari Champion

ESPN

Dhani Jones

QEY Capital

George Barrios

Isos Capital

Jeff Addiego

Golden State Warriors

If you run youth sports, you belong here

Behind every youth sports program is a whole team of people making it happen. Nextup brings them all together.

Club & League Operators

Directors and executives running travel clubs, rec leagues, tournaments, and multi-sport programs across the country.

Facility Managers

Owners and operators of training facilities, complexes, and multi-sport venues navigating growth and utilization.

Startup Founders & Tech Builders

Entrepreneurs and product leaders building the tools, platforms, and services powering the next generation of youth sports.

Program Directors

Coaches and administrators overseeing player development, competition scheduling, and the on-field experience.

Marketers & Brand Strategists

The people telling youth sports stories — building brand, driving enrollment, and communicating value to families.

Nonprofit & Community Leaders

Mission-driven organizations expanding access to sport for underserved communities and the next generation of players.

Leaving NextUp feeling energized and inspired. This is exactly the type of event our industry needs — practical, real, and full of people who actually care.

Carrie Gamper

Base Sports Group
To be honest I hate conferences. 99% of the time I’d rather be home with my family. But NextUp is different. These are real people doing real things. I walked away with 3 things I’m implementing this week.

Allen Hamilton

TeamPlayr

Easily the most relevant conference I ve been to in youth sports. The breakout tracks hit exactly what I needed — not generic advice, actual strategies from operators doing the same work.

Jake Juels

GameBreaker

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October 14th

New York City

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