Weekly breakdowns on youth athletics operations, sports tech, player development, and the business behind the game. Every week. Free.
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What landed in inboxes this week.
Issue #11 — September 15, 2026
CUGGO's Crisp Apple sticks: electrolytes, B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc and a day's vitamin D in 12 to 16 ounces of water — five calories, zero sugar, monk fruit only. And what they cost.
Read the issue →The founders and operators who have sat down with us.
Interactive field guides and custom infographics. Built to be used, not just read.
AUGUST 12, 2026
Ten sports, 25 aggregators, grouped by how they actually rank — team power ratings, event and circuit hubs, and individual performance indexes. Who computes the rankings your parents are already refreshing on a Sunday night. Every platform name is a live link.
What we're posting between issues.
Instagram · September 14, 2026
57 youth sports jobs went out to subscribers this afternoon. Every one opened and verified by hand, all posted in the last two weeks. 🕵️♂️ The list isn't published anywhere.…
X · September 14, 2026
A youth sports scorekeeping app will pay up to $125K OTE to sell it. Coaches on the same board: $16–$28 an hour. One of 57 roles in today's HIRING HUDDLE — subscribers only,…
Instagram · September 10, 2026
Youth sports in 60 seconds — today from Ralph Field in White Plains, NY. South Korea’s proposed 2027 budget raises youth sports spending by more than 50%, roughly $137 million,…
Instagram · September 9, 2026
Every coach has this kid. The easy reaction is “pay attention.” The better question is: how do I make it easier to follow? Keep it short, show don’t tell, one thing at a time,…
LinkedIn · September 8, 2026
Attention all college graduates!! Incredible opportunities for the next generation of youth sports leaders!! Will be including in this Sunday's #HIRINGHUDDLE newsletter too.
LinkedIn · September 3, 2026
The chair turned around this week. Sam Powell put our founder in the guest seat on Locker Talk 🪑🎙️ and the result is today's FACEOFF 🤼 piece (VOL V). Thank you LeadtheGame for…
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Where the rest of the reporting lives.
Every issue, every source, so you can check our work.
One founder at a time, on the record.
One drill you can run this week.
Coming soon — the newsletter, out loud.
Who's hiring across the business of youth sports.
The numbers, drawn out. Every figure sourced.
One thing we'd actually use. The honest part included.
What The Coach's Board is, and how we work.
The Coach's Board is a weekly executive briefing for the people running youth sports — coaches, club directors, facility operators, athletic directors, board members, and the investors circling all of it. Every week: what happened, what it costs, and what to do about it.
It's written by Paul Variano — someone who has run a program and also reads the business section.
The Promise
Every claim carries a source link, in the sentence where we make it — so you can check our work. Numbers before adjectives. The unflattering part stated up front. No clickbait, no fake urgency.
The Game Plan
The week in one read.
Number of the Week
One figure that explains where the money is moving.
The Faceoff
The analysis piece: don't oversell it → what's real → the takeaway, always ending with something you can do Monday.
The Hiring Huddle
Open roles across the business of youth sports — its own Sunday edition.
The Scoreboard
Last week's news, categorized, sourced.
What We're Watching
The week ahead.
Coach's Favorites
One thing we'd actually use, honest part included.
The Locker Room
One thing that made us laugh.
The Coach's Board is editorially independent. We are not paid for coverage — where a product was provided to us or a link earns us a commission, we say so in the item. Nothing here is financial, legal or medical advice.
