this article has multiple issues . please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . march 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message a major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject . it may require cleanup to comply with wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view . please discuss further on the talk page . march 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message national alliance for youth sports type non profit organization founded 1981 as nysca later renamed national alliance for youth sports in 1993 founder fred engh headquarters west palm beach florida united states area served worldwide key people john engh executive director yolanda williams senior director financial operations emmy martinez senior director member services greg bach senior director communication & content lisa licata senior director professional administrators website www.nays.org the national alliance for youth sports nays is a non profit 501 c 3 organization based in west palm beach florida u.s.a. nays provides a variety of programs and services for everyone involved in youth sports including professional and volunteer administrators volunteer coaches officials parents and young athletes . contents 1 mission 2 history 2.1 timeline 3 membership education 3.1 national youth sports coaches association 3.2 parents association for youth sports 3.3 national youth sports administrators association 3.4 academy for youth sports administrators 3.5 national youth sports officials association 4 youth development 4.1 start smart sports development programs 4.1.1 sports specific skill development programs 4.2 hook a kid on golf 4.2.1 tee level clinic 4.2.2 green level training program 4.2.3 challenge golf leagues 4.3 ready set run 5 international department 5.1 international alliance for youth sports 5.2 global gear drive 5.3 the sammy wilkinson memorial foundation 6 events 6.1 youth sports congress 6.2 traditions of golf 7 awards 7.1 excellence in youth sports award 7.2 nysca coach of the year award 7.3 pays parent of the year award 8 publications 8.1 sportingkid 8.2 why johnny hates sports 8.3 coaching baseball for dummies 8.4 coaching basketball for dummies 8.5 coaching football for dummies 8.6 coaching hockey for dummies 8.7 coaching lacrosse for dummies 8.8 coaching soccer for dummies 8.9 coaching volleyball for dummies 9 partnerships 9.1 corporate supporters 9.2 national organizations 10 media 11 references 12 external links mission edit nays seeks to make the sports experience safe fun and healthy for all children . in addition nays promotes the value and importance of sports and physical activities for the emotional physical social and mental development of youth . nays believes that participation in sports and activities develops important character traits and lifelong values . in addition nays believes that the lives of youngsters can be positively impacted by their participation in sports and physical activities if the adults involved have proper training and information . nays is committed to making sports safe and positive by providing programs and services that add value to these activities . nays believes this happens by providing children with positive instruction and building basic motor skills training administrators both professional and volunteer volunteer coaches and officials on their roles and responsibilities having parents complete an orientation program to understand the important impact sports has on their child s development using the national standards for youth sports 1 as a guide for operating youth sports programs helping organizations understand the importance of conducting their youth sports programs in accordance with the recommendations for communities 2 history edit fred engh the president and ceo of nays founded the organization in 1981 . he has been involved in youth sports for more than 35 years as a coach athletic director sports educator and parent of seven children . in 1999 he wrote why johnny hates sports a book that examines the state of youth sports in america and provides solutions to many of the problems plaguing organized programs . originally named the national youth sports coaches association nysca the organization initially focused on educating volunteer coaches on their wide range of responsibilities and the importance of meeting the needs of every child . nysca is a volunteer coaches training program that has been utilized by more than 3 million volunteer coaches worldwide . with the realization that volunteer coaches are only one aspect of the youth sports equation nysca evolved into the national alliance for youth sports in 1993 . today nays is the nation s leading youth sports educator and advocate with national programs that educate administrators coaches officials and parents about their roles and responsibilities in youth sports in addition to offering youth development programs for children . nays programs are provided at the local level through dynamic partnerships with more than 3 000 community based organizations which include parks and recreation departments 3 boys & girls clubs of america police athletic league ymca ywcas catholic youth organizations and other independent youth service groups throughout the country . nays also has a strong presence on military installations worldwide . 4 timeline edit year event 1981 nysca founded . board of directors formed . 1982 stokely van camp inc. maker of gatorade thirst quenchers sponsors nysca . 1985 dekalb county georgia becomes the first to mandate that its volunteer coaches complete the nysca certification program . 1987 46 experts representing different organizations gather to develop the first ever national standards for youth sports . 1990 hook a kid on golf established with its first introductory clinic . united states golf association announces 90 000 matching grant program and professional golfer bob murphy golfer becomes the national spokesperson . 1993 nysca evolves into the national alliance for youth sports . 1994 start smart sports development program launched and first program held in naples florida . 1996 national youth sports officials association certifies 1 040 officials during its first year . the alliance website launches . bob king director of the bradley county parks & recreation department in cleveland tennessee certifies nysca s one millionth coach . king receives a special letter of recognition from president bill clinton . 1997 228 recreation professionals from 44 states and 12 countries attend the first academy for youth sports administrators in mobile alabama . 1998 start smart unveils sport specific soccer and baseball programs to prepare children for a smooth transition into those sports . the doors to hook a kid on golf s first ever state office open in illinois thanks to the passionate efforts of jerry rich . 1999 more than 100 youngsters from 16 cities nationwide arrive in peoria illinois for the first hook a kid on golf traditions of golf challenge . why johnny hates sports written by alliance president fred engh hits bookshelves nationwide . 2000 the jupiter tequesta athletic association becomes the first organization in the country to make the recently launched parents association for youth sports program mandatory . more than 2 000 parents file into roger dean stadium for the first mandatory pays session which is covered by the nbc nightly news abc world news tonight cbs evening news espn sports illustrated and cnn among others . the national youth sports administrators association program is launched for league presidents board members and other volunteer administrators . athletic business magazine and nays introduce the excellence in youth sports award . 2002 recommendations for communities which were established from the national summit on raising community standards in children s sports are released . more than 300 delegates convene in san antonio texas for the first ever youth sports congress . award winning writer lester munson of sports illustrated delivers the keynote address . 2003 parents have the opportunity to go through the parents association for youth sports program from the comfort of home thanks to unveiling of the on line program . the international alliance for youth sports formed . first international summit held in atlanta georgia . 2004 after thousands of nysca clinics that have been held in big cities small towns and on various continents the 2 millionth coach is trained . the global gear drive initiative is created to distributing sporting goods equipment to children in developing countries . 2005 high ranking sports officials from more than a dozen countries throughout the caribbean as well as mexico and zambia gather in roseau dominica for the first ever caribbean conference on children s sports . sportingkid magazine becomes the official member publication of nays . the full color magazine delivered to volunteer coaches parents administrators and officials six times a year is packed with information to enhance the youth sports experience for everyone involved . game on youth sports a first of its kind approach that creates opportunities for children to participate in healthy physical activities that otherwise wouldn t have the opportunity to do so is launched in dominica . coaching soccer for dummies the first in a series is released in partnership with wiley publishing . the sammy wilkinson memorial foundation is established to support nays international efforts . 2006 nysca clinics are made available online for the first time . alliance celebrates its 25th anniversary as the leading advocate for positive and safe sports for children . alliance releases background check guidelines to assist leagues based on findings from a special session on background screening held during the youth sports congress in denver . 2007 the youth sports congress is held in conjunction with the athletic business conference in orlando fl . 2008 the national standards for youth sports are reviewed and updated by over 200 youth sports professionals in san antonio texas . the first ever nays youth sports study was conducted with the results featured in sportingkid magazine . 2009 nysca members are given access to a personalized online page . nysca unveils its coach ratings tool . the nays chapter management system is created allowing chapters instant access to training background check and evaluation information on their members . 2010 the accountability policies and procedures for nysca members is released to track coach incidents through nays chapters . the nysca coach training program is re released that includes pete carroll mike krzyzewski vivian stringer john harbaugh and many others . 2011 the ready set run program was created . iays and the peace corps formed a new partnership . 2012 a new nysca online area was unveiled to volunteer coaches . alliance releases updated background check guidelines to assist leagues based on findings from screening session held during the youth sports congress in orlando . a new nysaa online area was unveiled to volunteer administrators . 2013 the nysca select program was created for elite and traveling coaches . alliance unveils a new concussion and bullying prevention training programs for volunteer coaches and parents . both programs are offered at no cost . a new pays online area was unveiled for parents . 2014 free concussion and bullying prevention training programs were created for non members . a new nysoa online area was unveiled to volunteer officials and referees . in addition a new cysa online area was unveiled to professional administrators . the sports parent pledge was created to promote positivity and have parents advocate for good sportsmanship in youth sports . alliance unveils a new prevention against abuse training program for coaches and parents . nays launches a new video web series called game changers featuring current and former professional coaches and players . 2015 alliance unveils a new mental health challenges training program for volunteer coaches . nays created sportingkid live an online resource for youth sports related news to replace its sportingkid magazine . membership education edit nays membership education programs are designed to properly train and prepare adults for