MOJO Teams Up With the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program to Elevate the Youth Sports Experience for Young Athletes and Families Everywhere

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (September 28, 2021) — In a game-changing initiative to improve youth sports for millions of families around the world, the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society program, home of the Project Play initiative, and MOJO today announced a new strategic alliance as coaching research partners. Amid a relentless pandemic that has jeopardized access to youth sports for millions of families, the collaboration will see both the Aspen Institute and MOJO share resources and research to elevate the quality of volunteer coaching in the United States, to increase participation, and to improve society through youth sports.

The announcement follows close on the heels of the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports, driven by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative, with support from leading organizations including ESPN, US Youth Soccer and US Soccer, USA Baseball, and numerous others (including MOJO). In July, MOJO was named a 2021 Project Play Champion, in recognition of the organization’s commitment to bringing more magic to youth sports by empowering coaches, parents and young athletes with world-class training resources.

“As we reach a critical inflection point in youth sports, we’re excited to work with MOJO,” said Tom Farrey, executive director for Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program. “We’ve watched MOJO’s innovative approach to empowering coaches and families, and together we will drive even more positive change in the youth sports experience. This partnership will accelerate the work we’re doing to support higher quality youth sports experiences and expanded access, and we look forward to helping provide valuable free education to coaches and advancing research that drives better experiences for every player.”

“We’re honored to partner with the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, the national leader in the growing movement to improve youth sports,” said Ben Sherwood, founder and CEO of MOJO. “Our shared goal is to research and identify the most efficient and effective ways to deliver great experiences to young athletes on the field and court. Unfortunately, so few volunteer coaches are given the training and resources they need,” said Sherwood, who has coached both of his sons for 12 years in different sports. “MOJO is bringing the magic back to youth sports by providing coaches, teams and families the best resources, backed by world-class experts.” This group of experts includes Farrey, who serves as an advisor to MOJO.

In the new partnership, the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program and MOJO will collaborate to expand the science of youth sports coaching, from how to deliver and run a practice to communication with kids and other tactical and social and emotional best practices. MOJO and Aspen will expand available data on youth sports coaching topics, as well as develop and distribute the research for every organization’s use.

MOJO is committed to helping families everywhere by providing the MOJO app for free to coaches so that they can deliver expert-backed, age appropriate practices to children across multiple sports. Any coach can download the free MOJO app on their mobile device and access short-form videos customized to age and skill level plus one-touch tools to plan fun and engaging practices. MOJO additionally offers expert-backed at-home training for parents to do with kids outside of practice. Since launching in February 2021, MOJO supports upward of 100,000 families a month who play youth sports.

The Aspen Institute joins MOJO’s fast-growing list of industry-leading partners including: FC Barcelona, NFL FLAG, US Youth Soccer, SAY Soccer and the Positive Coaching Alliance.

The MOJO app is available on iOS and Android platforms. Follow MOJO on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Follow Project Play on social media via Facebook and Twitter.

About Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.AspenInstitute.org.

About Project Play
An initiative of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, Project Play develops, applies, and shares knowledge that helps stakeholders build healthy communities through sports. Since 2015, hundreds of organizations and agencies have shaped strategies and introduced programs aligned with Project Play’s frameworks for engaging youth, driving systems-level progress. For more on the award-winning initiative, visit ProjectPlay.us.

About MOJO
MOJO is on a mission to make youth sports more fun and magical for everyone – one kid, one coach, one team at a time. Launched in February 2021, MOJO is a robust digital platform that empowers parents who coach youth sports to bring world-class training to the largest pool of players in the world – kids aged 13 and under. Winner of the Webby Award for Best Sports App of 2021, MOJO believes that youth sports has the power to transform lives, not just for the kids on the field but the coaches and parents on the sidelines. MOJO is committed to equity, inclusion and helping to level the playing field for kids everywhere. For more information, visit www.mojo.sport.