PORTLAND, OR, UNITED STATES, January 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A new national study finds that sponsoring youth sports is among the most effective ways for brands to engage parents, bringing new data and credibility to a marketing channel that has historically been overlooked by many advertisers.
The ROI of Sponsorship in Youth Sports, one of the most comprehensive national examinations to date of sponsorship performance in youth sports, finds that sponsoring youth sports programs outperforms professional sports and traditional media when parents are asked which channels are most effective at reaching them.
The study was commissioned by Priority Partnerships, a sports sponsorship agency based in Portland, Oregon, and conducted by YouGov Sport, a global leader in sports and consumer research.
“The size of the gap was the real takeaway,” said Dan Scheinman, President of Priority Partnerships. “When parents compared channels, youth sports stood in a class of its own.”
Key findings from the study include:
• 68% of youth sports parents say they are more likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors their child’s program than one that sponsors their favorite pro team
• Youth sports delivers 2.5x the attention of influencer marketing and 1.6x the attention of TV commercials among youth sports parents
• Sponsoring a child’s youth sports program is 1.5x more likely to capture parent attention than sponsoring a professional sports team
• Youth sports outperforms pro sports on key brand equity drivers, including trust, consideration, and loyalty.
Beyond performance, the study also addresses a common concern among brands: whether parents welcome brand sponsorship in youth sports. The answer was clear: 84% of youth sports parents reported positive sentiment toward the idea of brands sponsoring youth sports programs.
Youth sports operates on a scale that remains largely unrealized in national advertising discussions. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated to be a $30+ billion annual industry that touches tens of millions of families each year, underscoring why its sponsorship performance with parents has broad relevance.
While the study focuses on sponsorship performance, it is being released amid growing concern about access to youth sports as participation costs continue to rise. According to the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2025 report, children from higher-income households participate in organized sports at dramatically higher rates than those from lower-income families, a gap driven largely by cost.
Taken together, the findings position youth sports as a mainstream channel for reaching parents rather than a niche sponsorship category.
Scheinman cautions that while youth sports represent a powerful opportunity for brands, meaningful barriers remain. The youth sports landscape is highly fragmented, with relatively few properties that have the infrastructure, professionalism, and scale required to support sophisticated, multi-market sponsorship programs expected by brands.
Despite those challenges, the findings point to a clear shift in how brands should evaluate opportunities to reach parents.
“This research begs a simple question for brands,” Scheinman added. “If your goal is to reach parents, why wouldn’t you be in youth sports?”
The full study is available for download at https://www.prioritypartnerships.com/youthsportsreport.
About Priority Partnerships
Portland, Oregon-based Priority Partnerships is a leading sports sponsorship agency focused on professionalizing sponsorship in the youth sports ecosystem. Established in 2022, Priority Partnerships has emerged as a trusted resource for regional, national, and global organizations representing millions of customers, fans, and followers. For more information, visit www.prioritypartnerships.com.
About YouGov
YouGov is a global research data and analytics group. Our mission is to offer unparalleled insight into what the world really thinks and does. With operations in the Americas, Mainland Europe, UK and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world’s largest research networks.
Above all, YouGov is powered by reality. That stems from a unique panel of millions of registered members across 64 markets, encapsulating some 18 million shopping trips and millions of interconnected data points. Our unique approach to recruiting and engaging with our panel, combined with our state-of-the-art technology platforms, enables us to deliver real-world, real-time insights that lead to better decision-making and a competitive advantage for our clients.
As innovators and pioneers of online market research, we have a strong reputation as a trusted source of accurate data and insights. Testament to this, YouGov data is regularly referenced by the global press, and we are consistently one of the most quoted market research sources in the world.
YouGov / Research Reality
For further information, visit yougov.com
Media Contact
Tim McDowd
Sidecast Marketing
Email: tim@sidecastmarketing.com
Tim McDowd
Sidecast Marketing
+1 503-826-4749
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
