Youth Sports Alliance: Empowering Dreams and Building Futures Through Youth Sports
The Youth Sports Alliance (YSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to sports, recreation, and athletic opportunity for young people in Summit and Wasatch Counties. Originally founded as the Youth Winter Sports Alliance following the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, YSA continues the legacy of inspiring youth participation by providing affordable afterschool programs and meaningful support for developing athletes.
YSA engages more than 3,500 youth each year through two main afterschool offerings: Get Out & Play, designed for elementary students, and ACTiV8, created for middle, junior high, and high school students. These programs introduce kids to a wide range of winter and outdoor sports, fostering skill-building, confidence, teamwork, and a lifelong love of physical activity. In addition, YSA provides essential fundraising and operational support to seven competitive winter sport programs in the region.
A cornerstone of YSA’s mission is reducing financial barriers for aspiring athletes. Through the Stein Eriksen YSA Opportunity Endowment, a $2 million need-based scholarship fund, YSA awards more than $150,000 annually to help athletes cover coaching, travel, and equipment expenses. Many scholarship recipients have gone on to earn placements on U.S. National and Junior National Teams, showcasing the impact of early support.
YSA has been nationally recognized for its leadership, earning honors from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, the Aspen Institute, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and the Defender Service Awards.
Through community partnerships, donor support, and dedicated volunteers, YSA continues to make sports accessible, empowering young athletes to dream big and build bright futures.