California takes important first step for kids with Youth Sports for All Act

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OPINION — California has long been known as a state that dreams big.

We built the world’s fourth-largest economy through innovation, creativity and investing in the future. We welcomed the FIFA World Cup, and over the next two years will host the Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It places California as a focal point of the global sports stage. It’s where we belong.

We must ensure all California’s children benefit from that legacy.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a state budget that includes $4 million to implement the Youth Sports for All Act (AB 749), authored by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood). This historic investment establishes a statewide commission to examine the landscape of youth sports and make recommendations for a centralized entity to ensure equitable access to quality sports programs for all youth in California by 2028.

The bill’s passage and the $4 million in funding are an important first step.

For too long, California and the rest of the nation approached youth sports through a patchwork of nonprofits, schools, municipalities and private organizations. Extraordinary work happens across our state, but too often athletic opportunity and success depended on where a child lives, how much their family earns or if affordable programs exist nearby. Far too many children are left on the sidelines.

The 2026 California Play Equity Report paints a troubling picture. Three of every four California children fail to achieve the daily physical activity recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cost is among the biggest barriers, with six in 10 parents reporting that keeping their children involved in sports is a financial burden. One in three youth stopped participating in sports altogether last year. Girls, Latino youth and children with disabilities face significant participation gaps. 

The survey highlights that Californians overwhelmingly recognize the importance of sports. More than 70% of parents support greater state investment in youth sports, and three out of four voters say they are more likely to support a governor that prioritizes youth sports and physical activity.

Sport and play teach resilience, teamwork and leadership, while reducing anxiety and depression. Youth sports help build confidence, form friendships and develop skills that last a lifetime. 

Investing in youth sports is not simply recreation policy. It is education policy, public health policy and economic policy.

California must consider strategically how to ensure every child has access to these opportunities. The new commission will unite experts from government, education, youth development, health care, sports and philanthropy to study what works, identify gaps and recommend a sustainable path forward.

California has led the nation by tackling complex challenges. The Youth Sports for All Act is another opportunity to lead. Many countries have national structures dedicated to youth sports. The U.S. does not. California can build a comprehensive framework to ensure all children have access to quality sports experiences.

This commission is not intended to solve every challenge. Its purpose is to ask the right questions, gather evidence and develop recommendations worthy of a state as innovative and ambitious as California.

Every great achievement begins with the first step. Gov. Newsom, Assemblymember McKinnor and the State Legislature took that step by investing in the Youth Sports for All Act.

Now comes our opportunity to build something lasting.

California can become not only the world’s sports capital for international events, but the national leader in ensuring every child has the opportunity to experience the life-changing power of sport, play and movement.

That investment will pay dividends for generations to come.

Renata Simril is president of the Play Equity Fund.