Warren Central High School’s head girls flag football coach Meckenzie Brown sees the youth sports disparities first hand in Indianapolis.
“All schools don't even have fields,” Brown said. “Sometimes they have to use Indy parks.”
And it’s not just field access. Costs for uniforms, equipment and staff quickly add up.
At her school, it took grant money to start the girls flag football team.
Increased accessibility for underserved youth in sports is a priority according to Trump administration officials. Several federal leaders traveled to Indiana Tuesday to sign a cross-agency agreement that aligns with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative.
The Memorandum of Understanding is between the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services.
The purpose of the collaboration is to identify locations near public housing for youth sports activities that then tie educational engagement and workforce pathways into the program.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner said his department can help strengthen communities through youth sports.
“HUD will work with fellow agencies to connect young people with mentorship, education opportunities, healthy lifestyles, pathways to good jobs,” Turner said. “It’s about providing our next generation with the tools that they need to succeed.”
The Aspen Institute’s Project Play research found that youth ages six to 18 from low-income households quit sports six times more than youth from high-income households due to financial constraints.
The new initiative doesn’t allocate any specific funds for schools and organizations to expand access to sports. No locations have been announced for where it will launch. The non-binding one-year agreement is voluntary and does not detail metrics to gauge success.
HUD Regional Director Duey Stroebel said leveling the playing field is not all about a financial investment.
“I mean, equity doesn’t really matter in sports. It’s about achievement, and it’s about what can you accomplish, and it’s about teamwork,” said Stroebel.
Attending the announcement, Meckenzie Brown said she hopes the federal agencies and organizations in attendance, including the NFL, may provide funding to help make sports accessible to all.
"There are certain things that parents are going through at home,” Brown said. “You have some parents who work in two or three jobs, and, you know, you get lost in that, and you can’t. Mama has to make sure she got food on the table. She can’t pay for Johnny to go play football.”
She said youth sports can have a positive impact on a child’s grades and life skills.
Increased after-school opportunities for sports is one of the goals of the new initiative.
U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Kirsten Baesler said creating opportunities for all youth to have access to after-school fitness programs gives children another chance to engage their brains.
“When they can have healthy options and be part of a community, they do better in school. And so that’s why we're part of this initiative,” Baesler said
At a time when school districts are cutting back due to budget shortfalls, not all schools have the resources to achieve goals.
Baesler said the department does have grant funding it provides to states for out-of-school programming through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Indiana received $19,456,482 for fiscal year 2026 that went to schools and organizations across the state.
President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget proposal fully eliminates funding for the CCLC program.
Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05
