Speaker 1: So that's what we need to continue to foster, is
Speaker 1: for kids to get the most out of their experience
Speaker 1: in character development and in life on.
Speaker 2: The field and off the field. That is the good
Speaker 2: and bad of it.
Speaker 1: When the pendulum swings too far to the professionalization, to
Speaker 1: structured play where there's good and the benefits that come
Speaker 1: with that, it means we leave the free play behind,
Speaker 1: and there are a ton of benefits there for each kid.
Speaker 3: This is the Reform Sports Project, a podcast about restoring
Speaker 3: healthy balance and perspective in all areas of sports through
Speaker 3: education and advocacy. Hi, this is Nick Bonacort from the
Speaker 3: Reform Sports Podcast. Today, I'm speaking with Jason Clement, co
Speaker 3: founder and CEO of Sports Facilities Companies, the largest single
Speaker 3: network of tournament and community based sports facilities in the US.
Speaker 3: Formerly trained in licensed as an architect, Jason began his
Speaker 3: career in sports architecture before.
Speaker 4: Founding SFC in two thousand and three.
Speaker 5: Motivated to serve communities focused on the youth and amateur
Speaker 5: sports industry. Jason and I discussed the growth of youth
Speaker 5: sports over the last two decades, the vital need to
Speaker 5: help prevent kids who can't afford to play from falling
Speaker 5: behind and how sports tourism impacts local communities.
Speaker 4: Man, I'm really excited.
Speaker 5: I got another awesome guest, Very very excited to learn
Speaker 5: a lot about him, a lot about his company, but
Speaker 5: super pumped to have him. The co founder of the
Speaker 5: Sports Facilities Companies, Jason Clement. Jason, thanks so much for
Speaker 5: hopping on, bro Nick.
Speaker 1: Great to be with you, and thanks for all you're
Speaker 1: doing through this medium.
Speaker 5: I appreciate it, man, and I really want to dig
Speaker 5: in because I know about the tremendous growth and expansion
Speaker 5: obviously in youth sports overall, but in the.
Speaker 4: Sports tourism piece of it.
Speaker 5: I'd love for you to just give us a little
Speaker 5: bit of backstory about you know, your company and kind
Speaker 5: of what brought you to get in the space.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, first of all, you're right, the growth
Speaker 1: of this i'll call it an industry is extraordinary. I mean,
Speaker 1: it's kids playing sports, right, so it's it's interesting to
Speaker 1: call it an industry, but the way that it has
Speaker 1: consolidated and grown over the last two decades really is extraordinary.
Speaker 1: It's a fifty billion dollar approaching a fifty billion dollar
Speaker 1: industry right now, and a lot of estimates have it doubling,
Speaker 1: you know, in the next five years.
Speaker 2: So you know, a lot of kids are playing sports.
Speaker 1: You know, most of us did growing up as well,
Speaker 1: and it's just accelerating, which I think is a great thing,
Speaker 1: which leads to how we started our company. We believe
Speaker 1: very much in the impact that a healthy sports experience
Speaker 1: has in character development for kids, but also into adults.
Speaker 1: I mean, you look at the pickleball phenomenon right now,
Speaker 1: and just the healthy lifestyle, the ability to connect with
Speaker 1: other people. You know, we're designed to be in community
Speaker 1: with others, and sport, when done right, is as good.
Speaker 2: Of connection opportunity as any other.
Speaker 1: So, you know, we began in two thousand and three
Speaker 1: our company, the Sports Facilities Companies.
Speaker 2: Fast forward to today, we've been in more than.
Speaker 1: Two thousand communities helping them plan, develop, and manage or
Speaker 1: operate their sports assets and sports facilities in order to
Speaker 1: accomplish whatever their goals may be. You mentioned sports tourism,
Speaker 1: but just recreation, play and a number of other you know,
Speaker 1: positive aspects.
Speaker 2: Come out of again a healthy.
Speaker 1: Sports culture and an environment within these communities.
Speaker 2: So you know, we like to say that we.
Speaker 1: Fill in the gaps for whatever communities need so that
Speaker 1: they can't have success in that endeavor. Our mission is
Speaker 1: to improve the health and economic vitality of the communities
Speaker 1: we serve. We define health mentally, socially, spiritually, physically.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: The flip side of that mission statement is that these
Speaker 1: places need to be sustainable financially.
Speaker 2: Doesn't mean that they have to operate at a profit.
Speaker 1: They can, but each community has a different goal and
Speaker 1: so we pride ourselves and I hope pride.
Speaker 2: In a good way of filling in the.
Speaker 1: Gaps for whatever those communities need to to go have success.
Speaker 4: I've seen those statistics. It's staggering.
Speaker 5: And I like how you joked about because we're talking
Speaker 5: about kids sports and but it is turned into an industry,
Speaker 5: and you know, what do you think is the main
Speaker 5: driver of it? You know, I'm located in Wilmington, North Carolina,
Speaker 5: so we're only about an hour plush from Myrtle Beach,
Speaker 5: and I believe you operate a facility in Myrtle which
Speaker 5: you know a ton of there's a there's a ton
Speaker 5: of activities and sports that.
Speaker 4: Go on on there.
Speaker 5: It's almost like at times, you know, families prean vacations
Speaker 5: to Disney or amusement parks, and part of me, as
Speaker 5: a father of six, I'm like, sometimes it seems like
Speaker 5: you're playing a family vacations around you know sports. Is
Speaker 5: that is that kind of how this whole thing, like
Speaker 5: what caused it all to kind of balloon to what
Speaker 5: you're saying could potentially be a one hundred billion dollar industry.
Speaker 4: Uh in then in the near future.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you nailed it. We call it tournication, right,
Speaker 2: the vacation in the tournament.
Speaker 1: Now they meld together. But there's so much benefit right
Speaker 1: out of participating in playing sports. It's such an important
Speaker 1: strain in our culture, right, the tapestry of our culture.
Speaker 1: And uh yeah, just the a ton of kids that
Speaker 1: are playing it right now and will continue to because
Speaker 1: of all the positive benefits and you know so much
Speaker 1: on the professional side and the collegiate side. And you
Speaker 1: know when you look at the name, image likeness, all
Speaker 1: of that's coming downstream right now, good bad. You know,
Speaker 1: there are pros and cons to both of it, but
Speaker 1: all of that's coming downstream and impacting sports participation, which
Speaker 1: is just going through the roof. I mean, look, some
Speaker 1: sports are growing faster than others, but generally and overall,
Speaker 1: the sports participation is just continuing to increase. More kids
Speaker 1: are playing, more adults are playing as amateurs as well,
Speaker 1: and that's really where our company and organization is focused.
Speaker 1: It's on the youth and amateur side of sports participation
Speaker 1: and trying to, you know, sports facilities facilitate that positive
Speaker 1: outcome no matter the sport in the communities that we're in.
Speaker 2: And you know, to your point, whether it's Myrtle.
Speaker 1: Beach, which is a strong tourism destination, or you know,
Speaker 1: whether it's Albertville, Alabama, right which is a population twenty
Speaker 1: five thousand in Alabama. Every community right now is looking
Speaker 1: at their park, recreation and sports assets to determine how they.
Speaker 2: Can get the most out.
Speaker 1: Of those facilities to provide the best outcomes for their community.
Speaker 4: And I know you mentioned the pros and cons.
Speaker 5: Do you feel like there's any concern Do you have
Speaker 5: any concern with the professionalization of youth sports, you know,
Speaker 5: undermining the experience for families.
Speaker 4: I do.
Speaker 5: I do.
Speaker 1: And so much of this conversation is framed as an
Speaker 1: either or conversation, like it's either good or it's bad,
Speaker 1: and you've got to set foot in one of those
Speaker 1: two camps. That is not where we are, It's not
Speaker 1: where I am personally. We see it as a both
Speaker 1: and it's very positive in a number of ways. Kind
Speaker 1: of this i'll call professionalization, use your word, but I
Speaker 1: would just say maturation of youth sports.
Speaker 2: It's providing better competition.
Speaker 1: You know, kids are getting to play at whatever their
Speaker 1: potential is.
Speaker 2: You know, I was a very average athlete.
Speaker 1: Growing up, and my youngest brother played in the big leagues.
Speaker 2: He was the third draft pick overall.
Speaker 1: Right, we had a very wide disparity in our ability
Speaker 1: level and talent. But I got just as much out
Speaker 1: of my sports experience as he did. I'm sitting here
Speaker 1: today in large part because of the experience that I
Speaker 1: had both in a structured way and team play, and
Speaker 1: then in an unstructured way playing in the backyard with
Speaker 1: my friends and my family and you.
Speaker 2: Know, brothers and sister.
Speaker 1: So that's what we need to continue to foster, is
Speaker 1: for kids to get the most out of their experience
Speaker 1: in character development and in life on the field and
Speaker 1: off the field.
Speaker 2: And that is the good and bad of it.
Speaker 1: When the pendulum swings too far to the professionalization or
Speaker 1: the formalization, the rig or the structured play where there's
Speaker 1: all the good and the benefits that come with that.
Speaker 2: It means we leave the free play and.
Speaker 1: The recreation behind and there are a ton of benefits
Speaker 1: there for each kid, and those are the families that
Speaker 1: can afford to play. One of the drawbacks is it
Speaker 1: is getting more expensive to play, and that leads a
Speaker 1: lot of families outside looking in. There's a socioeconomic demographic
Speaker 1: and class that aren't getting the same sort of access
Speaker 1: to sport as what others are who can afford to play.
Speaker 1: And you know, that's a problem that we need to
Speaker 1: solve within our culture and within our society, and it's
Speaker 1: certainly one that we're taking head on in the communities
Speaker 1: and facilities that we're blessed.
Speaker 2: To work with.
Speaker 5: Like as mentioned, I have six kids and so we're
Speaker 5: entrenched in the sports community.
Speaker 4: I've coached for Rex Sports.
Speaker 5: And you know one thing that concerns me or and
Speaker 5: I love your take on it.
Speaker 4: You know, the growth in youth sports and the tourism
Speaker 4: and facilities piece of it.
Speaker 5: Do you think that adds pressure on the kids because
Speaker 5: of the financial commitment of the parents, Like we're doing this,
Speaker 5: so I need to see results, like, have you seen
Speaker 5: any impacts that are potentially impacting the kids in the
Speaker 5: negaway from a mental health standpoint for sure?
Speaker 1: Right, And we're seeing, you know, kids that are burning
Speaker 1: out at a young age. The kids that are fortunate
Speaker 1: enough and good enough to play at the college.
Speaker 2: Level, they're burning out there. We're seeing even professional athletes
Speaker 2: right need to.
Speaker 1: Take mental health breaks as well. So definitely that's absolutely
Speaker 1: the case. And you know, there's some good organizations which
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're familiar with, whether it's Positive Coaching Alliance,
Speaker 1: you know, FCA does a lot of good work in
Speaker 1: this way too, that are trying to continue to educate
Speaker 1: the parents who mean well, they want the best for
Speaker 1: their kids, try to educate them on what is best
Speaker 1: for their kids.
Speaker 2: And it's not always this intense pressure.
Speaker 1: And needing to play twenty four to seven and train
Speaker 1: twenty four to seven. The kids that have a lot
Speaker 1: of success are playing multiple sports as long as they can.
Speaker 1: The goal from our perspective is getting to age twelve
Speaker 1: with multiple sports and then you can start to focus
Speaker 1: in on a couple you know, that make the most sense.
Speaker 1: And that's what the data and the science is saying.
Speaker 1: It's not Jason Clement's opinion.
Speaker 2: It's these are the kids that are going to.
Speaker 1: Play high level collegiate athletics, many of which are playing
Speaker 1: multiple sports. They're wrestling in playing football, right, They're playing
Speaker 1: baseball and basketball and other things. Not to mention, you know,
Speaker 1: I mentioned pickleball earlier. I've got three kids similar a
Speaker 1: ranges you, right, eight, ten and eleven and man on
Speaker 1: Easter Sunday, they got some new pickleball stuff and we
Speaker 1: just went out.
Speaker 2: And played as a family and it was the best day.
Speaker 1: And you talk about physical literacy, right, if you're just
Speaker 1: out playing baseball twenty four to seven, you're doing a
Speaker 1: disservice to these kids and their ability to move their
Speaker 1: body and work different muscles in different ways and the
Speaker 1: blend of those things. I believe it's an education opportunity
Speaker 1: for parents, and then secondly, it's a courage thing for
Speaker 1: parents to say, now I'm going to buck the trend.
Speaker 1: I'm not going to go to this one sport twenty
Speaker 1: four to seven. I'm going to give my kids additional opportunities,
Speaker 1: even if that means I'm not keeping up with the
Speaker 1: Joneses at eight U baseball. Right in you baseball, and
Speaker 1: I'm going to give my kids a good wide range
Speaker 1: and variety of experiences.
Speaker 5: So if I'm not mistaken, sports facilities compan you guys
Speaker 5: congratulate just had a bit partnership back in late twenty
Speaker 5: twenty two with private equity firm. And you know, that's
Speaker 5: not the first time I'm seeing I have a In
Speaker 5: my former career, I worked in finance. So from my experience,
Speaker 5: when you see private equity, you know, funding coming into
Speaker 5: any space, they're investing in it for the long term.
Speaker 5: They think there's going to be return for shareholders. You know,
Speaker 5: they're trying to extract you know, untapped value. Right, how
Speaker 5: do you balance that from a company standpoint, from making
Speaker 5: sure that obviously you have return on shareholder value, your
Speaker 5: bottom line is hit, while at the same time balancing
Speaker 5: you know, we're talking about kids, we're talking about families
Speaker 5: and supporting communities. How do you balance the whole thing
Speaker 5: without letting like the gorilla in the room of needing
Speaker 5: to make money for shareholders impact maybe the overall impact
Speaker 5: on the lives of the kids that are participating in
Speaker 5: these events and at these locations.
Speaker 1: Nick, It's a great question, and I appreciate it. You know,
Speaker 1: we grew this company again beginning in two thousand and three,
Speaker 1: out of cash flow, and we grew it organically.
Speaker 2: No debt. So, you know, forgive me and help the listeners.
Speaker 2: For give me for getting into the business side of
Speaker 2: this a.
Speaker 5: Little well, I think it's fascinating and people need to
Speaker 5: understand it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And so as we grew, you know, again out
Speaker 1: of cash flow organically, a few of us in a small,
Speaker 1: you know, little apartment building we called an office in
Speaker 1: the early two thousands into what we were, you know,
Speaker 1: at the end of twenty twenty two, which was fifteen
Speaker 1: hundred team members across the country in twenty different states,
Speaker 1: managing these venues, you know, working with strategically planning eighty
Speaker 1: different facilities at once, having twenty in design and construction
Speaker 1: you know, on the boards, and then roughly forty that
Speaker 1: we were managing, you know, around the country. You know,
Speaker 1: we did it in a conservative, fiscally responsible way. And
Speaker 1: to your point, we recognized, you know, probably three eight
Speaker 1: to five years ago, private equity was starting to flood
Speaker 1: into this space and a consolidation was happening in a
Speaker 1: number of different ways, and we recognized for us to
Speaker 1: serve these kids, serve these families, and serve these communities
Speaker 1: and our clients better, and to serve more. It was
Speaker 1: time for us to go get additional capital so that
Speaker 1: we could partner strategically, We could merge, we could acquire,
Speaker 1: you know, some of these organizations, some of these tournaments
Speaker 1: and events, and some of these other services that we
Speaker 1: could bolt on to just facility management to create the
Speaker 1: best sport experience possible. So when we decided we wanted
Speaker 1: to go get additional capital to do those things, we
Speaker 1: had a decision do we want to go take on
Speaker 1: debt or do we want to go.
Speaker 2: Bring in a partner you know that can help help
Speaker 2: us do that.
Speaker 1: And so we chose to be a little bit dead
Speaker 1: averse and go bring in a partner. And so that's
Speaker 1: why we went out to attract private equity, and Nick,
Speaker 1: I'm telling you, because of I think the topic, because
Speaker 1: of the attractiveness of what was happening in this industry.
Speaker 1: We had a lot of interest in our firm, and
Speaker 1: so we chose very carefully a partner that we weren't
Speaker 1: going to, you know, quote sell out to, but someone
Speaker 1: we just wanted to.
Speaker 2: Invest in us. And what we were doing and.
Speaker 1: Believed in our mission and our approach and just allowed
Speaker 1: us to simply serve more and serve better. So I
Speaker 1: think where it could have gone sideways is if we
Speaker 1: had chosen a partner that was about you know, growth
Speaker 1: and was about just you know, putting the torch up
Speaker 1: the backside and saying, you know, we need to see numbers,
Speaker 1: we need to grow and certainly we want to build
Speaker 1: a good business, and we are and we're scaling appropriately.
Speaker 2: But for us, it was about the partner that we
Speaker 2: brought in.
Speaker 1: That believed in the impact and as long as we
Speaker 1: served really well, you know, and continue to do our thing,
Speaker 1: the financial results come. And as long as we're putting
Speaker 1: that customer and that client first. We say this all
Speaker 1: the time in the grand opening of a new facility,
Speaker 1: it's about that one face in the crowd. You remember
Speaker 1: the Sports illustrated faces in the crowd, you know, back
Speaker 1: in the day in the magazine there.
Speaker 2: It's about that face in the crowd that is going
Speaker 2: to get to play.
Speaker 1: And have access to this state of the art facility
Speaker 1: and this best in class programming that otherwise wouldn't have
Speaker 1: access to it, and they're going to make it's going
Speaker 1: to make an impact in their lives, again on the
Speaker 1: court or off the court, because physically active kids, and
Speaker 1: again it's the stats here, they earn more later, they
Speaker 1: have better healthcare or health situation, they get better grades,
Speaker 1: and it's all because of the habits that are formed by.
Speaker 2: A positive sport experience.
Speaker 1: Right. So that's what we're about, and we found that
Speaker 1: we can balance both of those things and we can
Speaker 1: blend it well.
Speaker 2: And when we put that client first.
Speaker 1: And we put those guests into the venues first in
Speaker 1: those families, the financial results come, and it's done in
Speaker 1: a way that you're creating raving fans.
Speaker 5: When we come back, Jason and I discuss why the
Speaker 5: best businesses are able to balance mission and margin, and
Speaker 5: as advice for parents looking to help their kids get
Speaker 5: the most out of youth sports. Heading into the break,
Speaker 5: I wanted to share an update with you from our
Speaker 5: friends at Team Snap, who was having a busy summer
Speaker 5: with exciting announcement after exciting announcement. As you may recall,
Speaker 5: we had Peter Francilli's CEO of Team Snap on an
Speaker 5: earlier episode of this podcast, and one of the areas
Speaker 5: we covered was how he saw technology evolving within the
Speaker 5: youth sports industry. Last month, Team Snap launched Team Snap
Speaker 5: for Business, its next generation platform and an all in
Speaker 5: one solution for sports organizations. Now, Team Snap is thrilled
Speaker 5: to announce the upcoming launch of its brand new registration system,
Speaker 5: one of the most configurable, cost effective, and intelligent ways
Speaker 5: to register players and staff. Team Snap Registration was built
Speaker 5: on years of feedback from the Team snap community, which
Speaker 5: includes over nineteen thousand organizations and twenty five million users.
Speaker 5: In celebration of this launch, Team.
Speaker 6: Snap is inviting you to a live webinar on Thursday
Speaker 6: July twenty seventh, one pm Eastern eleven am Mountain Time.
Speaker 6: During the webinar, they will cover everything inside the brand
Speaker 6: new Team Snap registration system, including some important new capabilities
Speaker 6: like multiple installment options, advance logic, answer dependent add on fees,
Speaker 6: and an intuitive set up wizard. Using the new Team
Speaker 6: Snap registration, you can effortlessly create forms, collect fees and documents,
Speaker 6: and make your programs with these so you can keep
Speaker 6: your energy focused on the thing you love, amateur sports.
Speaker 6: Head to teamsnab dot com and sign up to save
Speaker 6: your spot for the webinar that will be held on
Speaker 6: July twenty.
Speaker 4: Seventh, where we left off, Jason.
Speaker 5: And I were about to talk about sports tourism and
Speaker 5: the financial strain that many families feel as a result
Speaker 5: of the increased costs of youth sports.
Speaker 4: We wrote a blog Reform Sports Project.
Speaker 5: I wrote one a few weeks ago talking about like,
Speaker 5: we're not going back to the good old days.
Speaker 4: You know, we're just not.
Speaker 5: I'm a firm believer that, you know, things aren't going
Speaker 5: backwards right here.
Speaker 4: It all the time.
Speaker 5: I wanted to go back to the eighties and seventies
Speaker 5: and nineties when you know your kids gathered and the
Speaker 5: lots and played and you know, just got together.
Speaker 4: I'm like, you know, that's great, but we're not.
Speaker 5: That could still happen at times, you know, kids live
Speaker 5: in couldness acts or gather at parks. But we're not
Speaker 5: going back to the seventy We're not going back to the.
Speaker 4: Ags in nineties.
Speaker 5: So I believe, like you, there is room for a
Speaker 5: healthy balance. So that's kind of you know, our mantra
Speaker 5: Reformed Sports Project. It's like, we want to help parents
Speaker 5: and people make the most informed decisions, right, I mean, listen,
Speaker 5: like you mentioned the multi sport or whatever. I mean,
Speaker 5: there is a time and place where certain kids need
Speaker 5: to lock into a sport at a certain age. There's
Speaker 5: not a one size fits all solution to anything. So
Speaker 5: I'm a firm believer that as consolidation and as this
Speaker 5: space continues to evolve, there's going to be a healthy
Speaker 5: balance and the best of breed, you know, companies and
Speaker 5: such are going to be the ones that are standing
Speaker 5: at the end of the line that are helping facilitate
Speaker 5: this ever growing sector and quite frankly impacting the most lives.
Speaker 4: So you mentioned the difference and the costs.
Speaker 5: Obviously it's you know, there are people that are held
Speaker 5: out because they can't afford you sports. So like when
Speaker 5: when hosting varying travel tournaments and events, how much control
Speaker 5: do you not you personally, but your company have in
Speaker 5: terms of pricing for fans, family who've paid money for
Speaker 5: not only their kids to participate in the sport, but
Speaker 5: also the travel expensive surrounding you know, food, lodging, tickets
Speaker 5: to watch their own kids compete. Because I hear it
Speaker 5: all the time, like I signed my kid up for
Speaker 5: the team, you know, then we got to travel, then
Speaker 5: we go this, Then I got to pay the park.
Speaker 5: Then how much does your company even have in determining that?
Speaker 2: Yeah, we have some. We have some for sure.
Speaker 1: So you know, we we work with the right boulder,
Speaker 1: the tournament provider, and we pick and choose, you know,
Speaker 1: what tournaments come in and plan on what weeks and weekends.
Speaker 1: And those tournaments that don't deliver on the experience, that
Speaker 1: don't you know, deliver on the impact, that don't align
Speaker 1: with us from a values perspective, aren't tournaments that we
Speaker 1: you know, put in place, if that makes sense. And
Speaker 1: so there's that side of it, and then the other
Speaker 1: side of it on the financial piece, we believe so
Speaker 1: much that there is a certain percentage that are getting
Speaker 1: left behind. We started our own not for profit called,
Speaker 1: you know, the SF Access Program Sports Facilities Access Program,
Speaker 1: and what we do is essentially scholarship or sponsor kids
Speaker 1: and communities that can't afford to play on that you know,
Speaker 1: travel ball. Look, the good ones, the best players, they
Speaker 1: they find a way to make the team, whether they
Speaker 1: can afford it or not. Right yeah, I mean they're
Speaker 1: going to get on the team. The kids that can't
Speaker 1: afford to play but could very much benefit from a
Speaker 1: sports experience, those are the kids we're trying to find
Speaker 1: and so you know, we kind of have a say
Speaker 1: in the communities we're in and where we're We've implemented,
Speaker 1: you know, the SF Access program. If you qualify for
Speaker 1: free and reduced lunch, you should qualify for some form
Speaker 1: of free and reduced play.
Speaker 2: And that's what we're trying to put in place in
Speaker 2: that way.
Speaker 1: So yeah, we've got some control. We're doing the things
Speaker 1: that we can. We're also part of a consortium with
Speaker 1: the Aspen Project Play Aspen Institute Project Play.
Speaker 2: These are big brands.
Speaker 1: These are ESPN, Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL, NFL is
Speaker 1: part of that, NBC, you know, NBC Sports, and Amazon
Speaker 1: and others that have come together to say, hey, we're
Speaker 1: going to put our organizational priorities aside here and we're
Speaker 1: going to try to solve this problem, right, the access
Speaker 1: to play problem, and we're all going to bring our
Speaker 1: best solutions to the table. And in some ways maybe
Speaker 1: we've got to compromise and sacrifice some.
Speaker 2: Of our organizational you know, goals and objectives there, but this.
Speaker 1: Is a this is a problem we need to solve,
Speaker 1: you know, industry wide.
Speaker 2: So that's happening as well, and we're part of that.
Speaker 1: We represent the youth and amateur space and those conversations
Speaker 1: and there's been some really good work thought leadership.
Speaker 2: I'm coming out of that certainly to turn the tide.
Speaker 1: You know, Kobe before he passed away, it was very
Speaker 1: involved Kobe Bryant in.
Speaker 2: That it was a spokesperson for it.
Speaker 1: So you know, it's it's getting talked about more so
Speaker 1: that on podcasts like this. I mean, I love what
Speaker 1: you guys are doing so that it becomes more mainstream
Speaker 1: and that parents and community leaders can become aware of
Speaker 1: this because ultimately that's how it's getting solved, you know,
Speaker 1: on the ground.
Speaker 5: I think that, you know, and I had Tom Ferry
Speaker 5: you know, from Project All the Aspen Institute on I'm
Speaker 5: very familiar with him, John Salomon, their work. So I
Speaker 5: applaud you for being involved, you know. And one thing
Speaker 5: I know for us at Reform Sports Project, we're very
Speaker 5: much entrenched on trying to influence everything from a grassroots
Speaker 5: level and trying to impact the local organizations. And you know,
Speaker 5: the economic benefit has often discussed, you know, with the
Speaker 5: state of the art facilities in terms of tourism dollars
Speaker 5: being brought into the area, but how do you approach
Speaker 5: that in such a way that it benefits the local residents,
Speaker 5: Like what types of initiatives' offerings to provide the surrounding
Speaker 5: community for instance.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, look, I could point out to dozens of
Speaker 1: examples in the communities.
Speaker 2: That we've been in where businesses have flourished. You know,
Speaker 2: I mentioned albert Bille, Alabama earlier.
Speaker 1: Sure they had zero hotels in their community, opened this
Speaker 1: complex two years ago. The third one is on the books,
Speaker 1: are on the boards right now for being developed. You
Speaker 1: can imagine the economic growth that's happening in that community
Speaker 1: as a result of the sports tourism that's coming there,
Speaker 1: and then it provides an opportunity for enhanced weekday programming
Speaker 1: for the constituents and the community there as well. Same
Speaker 1: things are happening in you know Hoover and Panama City
Speaker 1: Beach and Myrtle Beach that you mentioned, Brandson, Missouri, and
Speaker 1: all types of different locations, you.
Speaker 2: Know, Bedford Park, Illinois.
Speaker 1: So residents are getting the benefit of you know, the
Speaker 1: economic climate, you know, optic being raised as a result
Speaker 1: of this, and they're getting enhanced programming, and the tax
Speaker 1: base is increasing as.
Speaker 2: Well for those local communities. So it really is a
Speaker 2: boom to the communities.
Speaker 1: And I again, I don't know of one community in
Speaker 1: the country at least that we're talking to and we've
Speaker 1: worked with, you know, over two thousand of them that
Speaker 1: aren't talking about how can we maximize the assets that
Speaker 1: we already have to take advantage of this opportunity and
Speaker 1: serve our community really well, and then how can we
Speaker 1: supplement those right with with additional assets and facilities.
Speaker 2: And you know that means something different for each community
Speaker 2: and what their capabilities are. But they're all talking about it,
Speaker 2: you know, proactively.
Speaker 5: So you mentioned you're involved in trying to help and
Speaker 5: give back the community. So like, how do you sports
Speaker 5: facilities companies give back to youth.
Speaker 4: Sports, you know, both the short and you know, for
Speaker 4: the long term going forward.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we're investing, first of all, financially, we're investing
Speaker 1: real dollars in sponsoring and scholarship and kids, as I
Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, they can't afford to play, you know, within
Speaker 1: these communities.
Speaker 2: That's one.
Speaker 1: Secondly, we're investing in partnerships within the industry. I read
Speaker 1: a book recently that we've gone from a production economy
Speaker 1: right to a consumer economy. We've gone from a consumer
Speaker 1: economy to a creat economy recently, and the new economy
Speaker 1: that's coming now is a collaboration economy.
Speaker 2: So we're collaborating with the best.
Speaker 1: In class leagues, camps, clinics, tournament organizers and providers around
Speaker 1: the country. We don't have to own them, but we
Speaker 1: want to find the best that have shared values, that
Speaker 1: are trying to solve this challenge and this problem that
Speaker 1: you're talking about. Those are the organizations we want to
Speaker 1: place into the community.
Speaker 2: So we want to.
Speaker 1: Help scale them and expand them because they're doing it right,
Speaker 1: and they've got the right heart and they can balance
Speaker 1: that mission and margin right and the best organizations can
Speaker 1: do that.
Speaker 2: So we use collaboration as our strategy.
Speaker 1: So we're trying to bring the best in class together
Speaker 1: and help scale that footprint really across the country. And
Speaker 1: it's a heck of a lot of fun doing it
Speaker 1: as well. Nick, So, I mean, this is what it's about.
Speaker 1: My kids are playing, right, I'm traveling around with my kids.
Speaker 1: I'm playing in the local rec leagues as well. We're
Speaker 1: doing sports tourism and so I get to see firsthand
Speaker 1: what works and what doesn't and in addition to what's
Speaker 1: happening around the country in the fifty million visits that
Speaker 1: we have inside these facilities.
Speaker 5: Well, Jason, a lot of parents, a lot of coaches,
Speaker 5: they're going to listen to this and they're kind of
Speaker 5: they're trying to navigate it. And I know you've touched
Speaker 5: on quite a bit of what you do. What are
Speaker 5: ways for those parents out there who are looking at
Speaker 5: youth sports like, man, this is I can't keep up,
Speaker 5: you know, this is tough, Like how do I navigate this?
Speaker 5: Like as someone who's you know, really in the trenches,
Speaker 5: who's help and cultivate the future of youth sports and
Speaker 5: the way it's going to go and their kids are
Speaker 5: going to participate. What would be some advice you'd give
Speaker 5: to parents, particularly on how they can kind of stay
Speaker 5: the course, help navigate it, you know, and also make
Speaker 5: the most informed decisions to help them on their path.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, I think the baseline is begin with the end
Speaker 1: in mind, right, what do you want for your kids?
Speaker 1: And I'm not talking next year, five years, ten years,
Speaker 1: you know, what do you want for your kids thirty
Speaker 1: forty fifty years In terms of a legacy, what are
Speaker 1: you leaving for them, and it's not going to be
Speaker 1: that they're the next professional athlete, right, very very few.
Speaker 2: Get to play at that level. Very very few, frankly.
Speaker 1: Are even remembered, you know in terms of breaking records
Speaker 1: and those sorts of things.
Speaker 2: It's the impact that they're going to make.
Speaker 1: And you want to be you know, positive contributors to
Speaker 1: our community and to our society as a whole. Well
Speaker 1: sport is a great way to build those fundamental foundational
Speaker 1: building blocks for character development.
Speaker 2: And so start there.
Speaker 1: Okay, Now, what decisions can I make and what benefits
Speaker 1: to get there? And I mean there's a decision every season, right, Well,
Speaker 1: I put my kid on that travel team or that
Speaker 1: travel team, do I skip out to go.
Speaker 2: To the next big thing or the others?
Speaker 1: And I was on a flight three weeks ago and
Speaker 1: I happen to sit by a Division one baseball coach
Speaker 1: who's recruiting, is on a recruiting trip, and he said, hey,
Speaker 1: just because you are talented, Jason, meaning just because you're
Speaker 1: on the good team, doesn't mean you're talented. Right, when
Speaker 1: we go watch kids, we're going.
Speaker 2: To watch that kid. We're not watching others.
Speaker 1: We're at a place in time now where there aren't
Speaker 1: diamonds in the rough. If your kid's good, they're going
Speaker 1: to get seen. I mean they just they will. It
Speaker 1: doesn't matter what team they're they are going to get seen.
Speaker 1: So I would say teach those kids. So I'm trying
Speaker 1: to do the best of my ability on I'd always
Speaker 1: get it right with my own, but teach them and
Speaker 1: demonstrate for them in the game and in the decisions
Speaker 1: that are being made about respect and about how you
Speaker 1: treat other people and the character development that goes along
Speaker 1: with that, and that will govern the decision making. And
Speaker 1: then from there, Yeah, help them get to their potential
Speaker 1: right athletically. And there are a number of different ways
Speaker 1: you know to do that, but first and foremost, it's
Speaker 1: about making decisions and demonstrating a decision pattern both on
Speaker 1: the field and off that allows them to make that
Speaker 1: impact in life thirty forty fifty years from now.
Speaker 2: And it's all about how you treat people.
Speaker 1: So that's what we're trying to do as an organization
Speaker 1: that those are the events we're trying to plug into
Speaker 1: the communities, those are the.
Speaker 2: Partnerships we're trying to build. And when you do all
Speaker 2: of those.
Speaker 1: Things and serve people, well, serve the guests, serve the family, well,
Speaker 1: you know, the business side, all the other positive outcomes will.
Speaker 2: Come out of it.
Speaker 1: So I hope there's something in there in that rambling
Speaker 1: response that makes sense.
Speaker 2: But man, it's so easy in this divisive, you.
Speaker 1: Know, culture and climate that we're in right now to
Speaker 1: find things to argue about. Youth sports shouldn't be one
Speaker 1: of them. They really shouldn't. This should be something we
Speaker 1: can all rally around together, you know, in a quote
Speaker 1: by partisan way, to figure it out for the kids
Speaker 1: and for their benefit and so that they can have
Speaker 1: fun and they can grow up with the confidence that
Speaker 1: they deserve to grow up with and then ultimately make
Speaker 1: a positive impact for our country and our communities.
Speaker 4: Jason Clement, I love it. I love it.
Speaker 5: I can't thank you enough for coming on sharing Sports
Speaker 5: Facilities companies appreciate you.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 4: Where can people connect with you and learn more?
Speaker 1: Yeah, you can go to our website sports Facilities dot com.
Speaker 1: There's another website, the sfnetwork dot com to see the
Speaker 1: facilities that we're with, and anybody can reach out to
Speaker 1: me at any time.
Speaker 2: We love what we do.
Speaker 1: We're passionate about it, and man, it's really great to
Speaker 1: spend time with you, Nick. Thanks for making a difference
Speaker 1: in an impact in this culture and in this community.
Speaker 2: It matters, and the more of us they come.
Speaker 1: Together here for the greater good for the kids and families,
Speaker 1: it's just going to continue to turn the tide. I mean,
Speaker 1: the best is yet to come for sure in our
Speaker 1: space because of people like you and your leadership.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
Speaker 4: I appreciate you. Brother.
Speaker 5: That's Jason Clement, co founder and CEO of Sports Facilities Companies.
Speaker 5: Thanks for listening to the Reform Sports Project podcast. I'm
Speaker 5: Nick Bonacor and our goal is to restore a healthy
Speaker 5: balance and perspective in all areas of sports through education
Speaker 5: and advocacy. For updates, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter,
Speaker 5: and Instagram, or check out our website by searching for
Speaker 5: the Reform Sports Project.