The Combined Strength of These Organizations Will Help Ensure Access to Trained, Caring Coaches at a Critical Moment For Nation’s Youth

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Positive Coaching Alliance and Coaching Corps announced today the intention to merge these non-profits to drive significant change within the youth sports space. The combined organization, which will retain the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) name, will lead the increasingly important movement to change the culture of youth and high school sports so that every child, regardless of social or economic circumstance, has access to a trained, caring coach. Following a unanimous vote by both Boards of Directors, both organizations expect the merger transaction to close in the first half of 2022.

Janet Carter, current CEO of Coaching Corps, will be the Chief Executive of the combined PCA. She said, “This merger will expand the reach and impact of both organizations, creating a national force that works to ensure every young person can benefit from a positive youth sports experience with a coach who inspires them to become their best selves, in the game and in life.”

Youth sports is at a critical inflection point in our country. The ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic have driven an explosion in the number and severity of traumas experienced by young people throughout the U.S., but especially for Black and Brown families whose communities were hit particularly hard by the brunt of COVID-related losses. Fusing the resources, strengths and reputations of these organizations will enable PCA to provide schools and youth-serving organizations with the tools necessary to foster the social, emotional, academic, and physical health of our next generation.

“A positive youth sports experience can play an integral role in meeting the increasingly complex needs of our young people and developing and preparing our future leaders,” adds Laura Hazlett, chair of the PCA board of directors. “The work being done to support all youth in all communities through sports is more important than it’s ever been, and I look forward to tapping the extensive skills and expertise of folks across these two organizations to advance this critical work.”

The combined entity will leverage its collective programming talent and expertise to create the strongest youth sports development solution. This solution will meet the increasingly complex needs of young people throughout our country by changing the culture of youth sports so that it can help young people become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the field. With this enhanced strength, the new PCA will work to greatly expand the national pool of high-quality youth sports coaches by training them to incorporate positive youth development and social emotional learning principles into their coaching practices. The new organization will work to ensure that the largest youth sports organizations in the country embrace a positive culture and facilitate a movement to change the youth sports culture in the U.S. to one that encourages high quality coaches and environments that support positive youth development and social emotional learning. Finally, PCA will utilize the power of its brand and network to drive sports equity in low-income communities of color through direct community-level work.

“Coaching Corps is doing important work with underserved youth. I am thrilled that Positive Coaching Alliance, the organization I founded and devoted more than two decades to help build, and Coaching Corps are joining forces to become stronger and even better positioned to help youth thrive,” added Jim Thompson, founder of PCA.

“For years, Jim and I have talked about the shared aspirations of these organizations,” added Wally Haas, founder of Coaching Corps, who will serve as co-chair of the merged PCA with Hazlett. “I’m thrilled that we can now leverage the collective strength, expertise and passion within these teams for the benefit of young people across the U.S.”

About Positive Coaching Alliance
As a catalyst for a positive youth sports culture, Positive Coaching Alliance provides research-based training and resources for coaches, parents, athletes, and leaders to ensure a positive youth development experience for ALL kids, in all communities across the U.S., through sports. PCA ensures sports are ‘done right’ with programming that is research-based and designed to have impact at three levels in a youth sports organization or school:

• YOUTH experience improved life skills and character development.
• COACHES become more positive and increase their focus on using sports to teach life lessons. YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS see their cultures become more positive and everyone involved has more fun.

PCA believes that all youth can benefit from a positive, inclusive sports culture that develops social and emotional skills, molds character, and prepares them for competition and life. In more than two decades of work, PCA expanded from a small local nonprofit to a strong, nationwide organization that provides programming in all 50 states, reaching thousands of organizations around the country and positively impacting millions of youth athletes every year. PCA has now partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver more than 20,000 live group workshops, reaching over 20 million youth. More information about PCA can be found at www.positivecoach.org.

About Coaching Corps
Since 2012, Coaching Corps has been fueling a movement of skilled coaches to give kids of color in low-income communities the sports mentors they want and deserve. By partnering with over 600 afterschool programs across the country, Coaching Corps has provided more than 200,000 youth in communities of color with the opportunity to play sports under the guidance of a caring, well-trained coach. Informed by the latest research on youth development, Coaching Corps trains coaches to foster persistence, optimism, self-regulation and empathy in kids, providing coaches with the ongoing support they need to ensure girls and boys in low-income communities learn skills that last lifetimes. Based in Oakland, California, Coaching Corps is a 501(c)(3) organization. More information about Coaching Corps can be found at www.coachingcorps.org.

Media contact:
Michelle Musburger
michelle@musburger.com 
773.230.0629

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