Sports Facilities Management (SFM) Announces New Access Program

The Sports Facilities Management (SFM) founder and CEO Jason Clement and Dev Pathik announced the pilot of a new initiative, the SFM Access Program, this week at an industry gathering in Aspen, Colorado. The program, co-created by Pathik and Clement, is a model for improving access to sports in underserved communities.

“This program is a direct response to the disparity that exists in sports today. Far too many kids are left out of sports due to lack of facilities, cost of programming, and/or lack of transportation,” says Clement. “This program is based on strategic partnerships with local youth serving organizations. Through the program, we are creating an inventory of field, court, and other time to support local youth-serving non-profit organizations and the families they serve.”

This is part of a philanthropic effort by The Sports Facilities Management to make sports accessible to all kids, regardless of zip code or athletic ability. According to a Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) 2013 report, fewer than half the children ages 6 to 11 meet the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendation for engaging in at least 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. From this statistic, it’s not surprising that there’s been a significant decline in sports participation in that age group. Again according to the SFIA, 2.6 million fewer children were playing basketball, soccer, track & field, baseball, football, or softball in the past 5 years alone.

“This represents a health crisis for our children,” says Pathik. “Our firms are committed to addressing the health and social disparities that are so clearly linked to sports participation and activity levels. Through our work with leading organizations, we have gained a deeper understanding of the negative social and health impacts that plague kids who do not play sports.”

The SFM Access program will be piloted in the SFA-planned and now SFM-managed Rocky Mount Events Center, located in Rocky Mount, NC. The program will donate facility time and programming suggestions to partnering organizations. SFM plans to roll out the program to more of the facilities in their national network over the next 2-3 years.

“We expect this effort to catalyze others to address these opportunities within our communities. Our kids and families deserve better, and we hope this brings visibility to these issues,” says Clement,

SFA and SFM are founding members of the Aspen Institute Project Play 2020, A group of industry leaders seeking to improve access to sport for all regardless of zip code or income.

About The Sports Facilities Companies

The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) are the Nation’s leading resources for the management and development of sports, recreation, wellness, and events facilities. As a turn-key solution for community leaders and developers alike, SFC services span the gamut of sports and recreation needs from sports tourism & recreation master planning, program planning, and feasibility through professional facility management services. Our 50+ managed venues and 2500+ team members, represented by the SF Network, welcome more than 25 million guest visits and produce over $500 million in economic impact each year. To learn more, please visit SportsFacilities.com and theSFnetwork.com.