Game-Day Fuel — FuelBoxx
FuelBoxx Pregame and Recovery Pouches
A game-day fuel kit for youth athletes: two pouches, five items in each. Pregame is an energy bar, pretzels, applesauce, a hydration stick and dried fruit, meant for 60 to 90 minutes before the whistle. Recovery is built the same way with protein added, for the 30-to-60-minute window after. Built for ages 8 to 18 with sports dietitian Jessica Isaacs, MS, RD, CSSD: no artificial sweeteners, no synthetic dyes, no caffeine, and a gluten-free option. Gayle Jones, a four-time Emmy-winning sports television producer, founded the company in Los Angeles and launched it in July. The pitch to clubs, tournaments and schools is that the pouches arrive ready to hand out, so nobody on staff assembles anything.
$15 for Pregame or Recovery — Regular or Gluten-Free, 5% off on a monthly subscription
Try FuelBoxx → Gayle Jones was our first guest on THE FACEOFF podcast — listen to Episode 1. Read the issue →
Images: FuelBoxx.
Hydration — CUGGO
CUGGO Crisp Apple Hydration Sticks
A kids' hydration stick: 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. One stick in 12 to 16 ounces of water. Diyana G is building the company with her husband, and their two kids are actively involved in the marketing. The brand's mission is to be sweet smart and more intentional with kids' sugar intake.
$29.99 for 15 sticks — about $1.20 a stick on subscription
Try CUGGO → Diyana G joins us for a founder interview on The Coach's Board podcast in the coming weeks. Read the issue →
Images: CUGGO.
Spray — Vapor Fresh
Vapor Fresh Sports Equipment Cleaner & Deodorizer
If you've ever driven home with the windows down after practice, this one's for you. Vapor Fresh is made specifically for the helmets, gloves, pads and bags that can't go in the washing machine — spray the gear, let it air-dry and pack it away without the sticky residue or harsh scent of a household cleaner. It earns the pick because it solves a problem nearly every sports family knows: the plant-powered formula is designed to neutralize odor without damaging equipment, and one bottle works across sports and seasons.
Shop Vapor Fresh → The idea started in 2008, when University of Maryland hockey player Stephen Steinberg needed a way to keep his pads from making his dorm smell like a locker room — his story is coming to THE FACEOFF.
Listen — Chat By The Pitch
Chat By The Pitch
Ian Babcock has published 180-plus episodes since December 2022 — most of them 40 to 60 minutes with a club director, a coach, a sport psychologist or a parent who has been through it. What earns the pick isn't just the interviews. It's the infrastructure around them: chatbythepitch.com runs an open tryout listing board and a camps and clinics board, plus a written companion, The Sideline Read. For a club director, that's a free distribution channel you can post into — not just another thing to listen to.
Start here: "Why Pay-to-Play Youth Soccer Is Failing American Players" with Alex Lubyansky, the XbotGo AI-camera episode, and The Cappis Family on raising a pro without pushing. Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify · chatbythepitch.com. Ian was the subject of this week's FACEOFF — read it here.
Chat By The Pitch isn't paying us and we take no commission. Ian reviewed our Q&A with him before publication.
Coaching — LeadTheGame
LeadTheGame
Sam Powell is the founder of LeadtheGame and believes the real ROI of youth sports isn't measured by scoreboards or scholarships — it's measured by who athletes become. After nearly 20 years helping people develop leadership in high-pressure environments, she now helps parents, coaches, and organizations recognize what athlete behavior is really communicating so they can intentionally develop the performance behaviors that improve performance today and build stronger leaders for tomorrow.
leadthegame.org · LeadtheGame's Locker Room on Substack · the parent-and-coach track opens with a free 20-minute Next Move Assessment.
Gear — Training
TaloViz Training Basketball
A weighted training basketball built for ball-handling work — heavier than regulation so dribbling reps carry over to game speed.
The honest part: A focused tool for one job: handle work. It will not fix your jump shot.
$34.99 — code CoachBoard5 takes $5 off
TaloViz provided a sample ball for review.
Tech — Video
Trace
An AI camera that auto-films youth soccer matches and cuts them into player and team clips without a parent on the sideline holding a phone.
The honest part: Subscription on top of hardware — budget for the full cost, not the sticker.
Hardware plus an annual subscription; pricing varies by team plan.
