Partnerships

Get in front of the people who run youth sports, and the people who fund it.

A club director decides for hundreds of families at once. A facility owner has a week of ice or turf to fill. A tournament operator books hundreds of teams. Those are the people who listen to The Faceoff Podcast and read the Monday News Roundup, and the investors backing youth sports read what they read. A partnership puts you in that room, on the record and in your own words, and it stays up for as long as you're building.

Skye EddyRob ThompsonGayle Jones

Recent guests on The Faceoff

The Sideline Project
GamePlanU
FuelBoxx
Tourney Direct

When Partners Come To Us

Most partners arrive with one of these on their desk.

You're raising a round.

Investors who back youth sports companies listen to The Faceoff to find companies before the deck lands. An episode is your pitch, on the record, in your own words: the problem, the traction, what you need next. It stays up for the whole raise.

You're selling, or looking for a strategic partner.

Acquirers and partners do their homework quietly. Put the business, the numbers you're proud of and the decisions behind them where they're already looking, before the first conversation.

Your buyer is a club, not a parent.

Club directors, facility operators, league organizers and athletic directors choose for hundreds of athletes at a time. They're the audience. Forty minutes with them beats a thousand impressions.

You're hiring.

The people you want to hire already follow the operators we feature. An episode shows them who they'd be working for, and why the work matters.

You want proprietary deal flow.

Founders pitch us every week. Put your thesis on the record and the ones who fit come to you with a warm reason to. Investors have already sat in the guest chair.

You're launching, and it has to land.

A full episode, a written edition, clips on five channels and a permanent page, all out in the same week, all approved by you first.

Four Ways To Partner

Pick the one that fits. We'll shape the rest with you.

Founder Partnerships

Raising, launching, or selling into clubs?

Tell the story behind the company on The Faceoff Podcast: the problem you saw, what you got wrong first, where it's going, and what you need next, whether that's customers, hires or capital. The operators who buy are listening. So are the investors who back them.

  • A full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
  • The written edition, sent to every subscriber
  • Clips for every channel, approved by you first
  • Your logo in Featured in The Faceoff, and a permanent episode page
  • Introductions where we can make them

Operator Partnerships

Looking for a strategic partner, an exit, or the next hundred families?

Show how you run it: the model, the numbers you're proud of, the decisions behind them. Acquirers, investors and would-be partners do their homework quietly, and this is where they look.

  • A full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
  • The written edition, sent to every subscriber
  • Clips for every channel, approved by you first
  • Recorded remotely, or in person in New York
  • Introductions where we can make them

Investor Partnerships

Want the right founders to find you first?

Put your thesis on the record: what you back, what you pass on, where you think the money is going. Founders pitch us every week; the ones who fit will come to you with a warm reason to.

  • A full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
  • The written edition, sent to every subscriber
  • Clips for every channel, approved by you first
  • A standing place in front of the founders and operators building what's next

Brand Partnerships

Selling to clubs, not just parents?

Put your brand next to the conversations the people who run youth sports already follow. One club director buys for hundreds of athletes; one facility owner buys for a building.

  • Sponsorship of The Faceoff Podcast
  • Sponsorship of the Monday News Roundup
  • A Coach's Favorites spotlight
  • Something custom, built with you

Who's In The Room

The audience is the buyer.

Coaches

The people leading teams, and the first to try what's new.

Club directors

They choose for hundreds of families at once.

Facility operators

They have a building to fill, and a budget to fill it with.

League & tournament organizers

They book the teams, the venues and the vendors.

Athletic directors

They pick the platforms for whole programs.

Investors & brands

They follow all of the above, and fund it.

They listen to The Faceoff, read the Monday News Roundup, and follow along on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube. We'll share current audience numbers with your quote.

What You Walk Away With

Every partnership leaves you with assets you own and can reuse: in your deck, your outreach, your careers page, your next board meeting.

The prep call

We learn your story and map the conversation with you before anything is recorded.

The episode

A full-length conversation with host Paul Variano, recorded remotely on Riverside or in person in New York. Thirty to forty-five minutes, on the record, in full.

Everywhere people listen

Video on YouTube, audio on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and an episode page on thecoachsboard.com.

The written edition

The conversation, edited into a Q&A, goes out to subscribers as its own edition of the newsletter.

The clips

Short vertical clips for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, X and LinkedIn. You see them before they post.

Launch week

A launch post from The Coach's Board on LinkedIn, a repost from Paul, and a mention in the Monday News Roundup.

A permanent home

Your logo joins Featured in The Faceoff on our homepage, and the episode and the written conversation stay on the site.

Add-on, Coach's Favorites

A product spotlight on Coach's Favorites, timed ahead of your episode.

By The Numbers

30–45

Minutes on the record, in full

3

Platforms every episode runs on: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts

5

Channels for the clips: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, X, LinkedIn

66%

Open rate on the written edition, last 90 days

10

Founders and operators on the record

4

Industry rooms this fall: SBJ Game Changers, JWS Youth Sports Summit, NextUp '26, SBJ Dealmakers

How It Works

  1. 1

    Tell us who you are

    Use the form below. It takes two minutes.

  2. 2

    Intro call

    A short call to see if it's a fit, and what you'd want from it.

  3. 3

    Your quote

    We send a quote for the package that fits.

  4. 4

    Plan it

    For an episode, a prep call to agree the topics and map the conversation. For a sponsorship, the placements and dates.

  5. 5

    Make it

    We record your episode, remote on Riverside or in person in New York, or build your placements.

  6. 6

    Review

    You see the clips and placements before they go out.

  7. 7

    Launch

    Episodes go out with the written edition, then the clips and launch posts through the week. Sponsorships run on the dates we agree.

Pricing

Every partnership is quoted to fit. Tell us who you are and what you want from it, and we'll send a quote.

Who's Sat Down With Us

Skye EddyThe Sideline ProjectRob ThompsonGamePlanUGayle JonesFuelBoxxTourney DirectSublerChat By The PitchACTIQO

Get A Quote

Tell us who you are and what you're after. We reply within two business days with a time for the intro call.

What kind of partnership?

20–2,000 characters.