Ashleigh Huffman

Ashleigh Huffman is Senior Director of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, where she works on sports diplomacy, gender equity, research-driven social impact, and system-level reform to expand access to sport. She previously served as Chief of Sports Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State and co-founded the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society at the University of Tennessee.

Youth Sports Participation Rebounds, but 63% Goal Requires System Change

At an Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program session on the 63x30 challenge, Ashleigh Huffman said youth sports participation has rebounded from its COVID-era low but remains constrained by a system built to “weed folks out.” Rick Jordan of the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation and Steve Tanner of PGA of America argued that reaching 63% participation by 2030 will require more than new programs: longer community investments, coordinated sport pathways, practical access to facilities and equipment, and coaches who make children want to return.

The Aspen InstituteMay 20, 202610 min read