Rebecca Wasserman

Youth Sports Campaign Targets Coach Training to Reduce Early Dropout

DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation and GameChanger are using their Most Valuable Coach announcement to argue that youth sports retention depends heavily on the adults leading teams. Rick Jordan of the foundation and Rebecca Wasserman of GameChanger frame the campaign around a coaching gap: children are more likely to keep playing when coaches are trained to create safe, predictable and supportive environments. The effort positions healing-centered coaching as practical sideline behavior, not therapy, with resources aimed at volunteer coaches who shape whether children stay in the game.