Girls deserve equal opportunities to play, grow and lead through sports. But imagine this: A 12-year-old girl stands on the sidelines, watching her friends play while she stays behind. She wants to join, but something's holding her back — maybe there isn’t a woman coaching the team, the program doesn't feel welcoming or her family doesn't see sports as "for girls." 

You have the power to move her beyond the sidelines. 

According to NRPA research, the statistics are stark: 40 percent of teen girls don't participate in sports and by age 14, they drop out at twice the rate of boys. In your community, talented, capable girls are missing out on the confidence, leadership skills and lifelong friendships that sports provide. 

As a park and recreation professional, you're uniquely positioned to be the guide who helps girls overcome these barriers. You have the platform, the programs and most importantly — the heart to make a difference. 

Your Blueprint for Success 

As part of this year’s pre-conference offerings at the 2025 NRPA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, NRPA is excited to join with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring you “Beyond the Sidelines: Elevating Girls' Participation in Park and Rec Sports.”  This session will give you a blueprint for transforming girls’ experience with sports in communities just like yours. And it’s not just for those in the soccer space. 

The U.S. Soccer Foundation developed a playbook to address some of the challenges girls face in sports and worked with a cohort of 21 community partners — including representation from park and recreation departments — to develop and test strategies based on real-life learnings.  

The playbook and strategies will help organizations take practical actions to address the gender gap across a variety of youth sports. Through this training, you'll walk away with the comprehensive playbook and hands-on training to master the six field-tested strategies: building partnerships that support girls and families, designing programs where girls thrive, recruiting the female coaches girls need to see and marketing that speaks directly to girls and their families. 

"This training gave us an opportunity to explore new and exciting ways to incorporate more women and girls into our programming," says former Columbus Parks and Recreation Administrative Manager Charnon Barnes. "We recruited new women coaches and made changes to our marketing plan that encouraged more participation." 

Her girls went from sideline watchers to confident players. That could be your community. 

Remember, that 12-year-old girl is waiting. She's probably in your community right now, hoping someone will show her she belongs in sports. 

Reserve your spot today! 

Ready to Register? 

This pre-conference workshop is taking place at the Orange County Convention Center on Monday, September 15, from noon to 3:30 p.m. EDT. 

• 2025 NRPA Annual Conference attendees: Simply add the pre-conference workshop to your existing registration 

• Workshop only: Visit https://www.mcievents.com/nrpa2025/, select "Attendees" → "Attendee Registration" → sign into your NRPA account → choose "Additional Training Sessions Only" → find the workshop on page three under "training opportunities" 

• If you need additional support, feel free to email the NRPA Youth Sports Team at YouthSports@nrpa.org  

Register now and become the guide who transforms girls from sideline spectators into confident athletes and future leaders. Their success story starts with your decision to act. 

Be their champion. They're counting on you. 

Brian McFadden is a program manager at NRPA. 

Michael Vaughan Cherubin is the associate vice president of programs at U.S. Soccer Foundation.