The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) led local partners through a Community Health Assessment (CHA) process in 2022 that resulted in the community identifying chronic disease prevalence as one of four priority health issues for Lincoln and Lancaster County. To help address the strategic focus areas of diabetes, heart disease, and healthy lifestyles in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a workgroup was formed to improve youth fitness by addressing barriers to youth sports.
Participation in organized sports increases physical fitness, improves mental well-being, and strengthens social connections for youth. This can lead to lower risk of chronic diseases, avoidance of substance use, and building of long-term social and emotional skills. The CHIP Youth Sports Accessibility workgroup identified community barriers to youth sports participation, including affordability of programs and equipment, knowledge of program registration deadlines, language, time restrictions, and transportation. To begin addressing these issues, LLCHD partnered with the Lincoln Community Learning Centers to develop a new resource for our community: Youth Sports Sign-Up events.
The Youth Sports Sign-Up events are a one-stop shop for families to learn about a variety of sports options. They are designed to connect families with youth sports programs that have affordable registration fees and/or financial aid and scholarship opportunities. A variety of sports programs host booths for families to speak with program representatives and learn about cost, registration deadlines, and participation expectations, as well as register for upcoming sports seasons and apply for financial aid on-site. These public events have also featured interpreters, free gently-used sports equipment, and booths hosted by community organizations that grant sports scholarships, support food access, and provide activities for youth beyond organized sports. Three Youth Sports Sign-Up events have been hosted so far, starting in 2025. Thirty-nine different sports programs have attended, featuring a variety of sports such as swimming, track and field, martial arts, archery, and roller derby. Over 170 local students have registered for youth sports through these events.
Around the same time, the Community Health Endowment of Lincoln’s Youth Fitness, Sports, and Opportunities Task Force recently released a report of high-priority recommendations aimed at improving youth fitness and addressing systemic barriers for our community. One of the key recommendations from the task force was to increase fitness-related community events, including opportunities for families to register for youth sports through public events. The Youth Sports Sign-Up events are a novel and impactful resource for local families, aligning with our community’s priorities for youth fitness and sports accessibility.
On Saturday, October 18, the fourth Youth Sports Sign-Up event will be held in partnership with the Lincoln Track Club (LTC) Woods Park Twilight Running Festival. Sports programs will be hosting booths starting at 4:30 p.m. at Woods Park (33rd & “O” Streets), with LTC’s Wild Things youth 1 mile race starting at 5:30 p.m., followed by an All Comers 5k race at 6 p.m. Food trucks, free gently-used youth sports equipment (while supplies last), and other activities will be available for families attending.
By reducing barriers to physical activity and empowering families to get their children involved in organized sports, LLCHD supports active lifestyles for all ages, preventing chronic diseases in our community. For more information about the Youth Sports Sign-Up events, contact the Health Department at 402-441-8071 or visit lincoln.ne.gov/SportsSignUp
