School Sports Playbook

• Helps principals and athletic directors design inclusive programs that reflect student interests.
• Supports districts aiming to improve participation among girls, students of color, and students with disabilities.
• Useful when rethinking how sports fit into school wellness and educational missions.
• Ideal for schools lacking athletic facilities or dealing with limited budgets.
• A guide for funders, policymakers, and youth sports organizations partnering with schools.
• Valuable for school types across all contexts, including charter, urban, rural, suburban, and private.

This resource is practical, equity-focused, and grounded in real school examples. It clearly maps out strategies for building inclusive programs and emphasizes the value of cross-sector collaboration. Soccer is highlighted multiple times as a high-demand, accessible sport for students—especially through examples like the Alexandria City High School partnership with a local soccer association to support players cut from school teams.

• What student needs or participation gaps exist in your school’s current sports offerings?
• How might you adapt one or more of the eight strategies to fit your school type or resource level?
• What partnerships—local clubs, parks, or nonprofits—could help expand access?
• How are you currently gathering student feedback, and how could that inform your next steps?
• Which staff or community members can help champion inclusive, student-centered approaches?
• What systems are in place to evaluate your program’s performance in terms of access, inclusion, and alignment with educational goals?

The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program convenes leaders, facilitates dialogue, and inspires solutions that help sport serve the public interest. Project Play, the program’s flagship youth sports initiative, develops insights, ideas and opportunities to help stakeholders build healthy communities through sports. Learn more at www.ProjectPlay.org.