KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Playing youth sports usually comes with a cost. If a family has multiple athletes, the cost to participate adds up.
While it's easy to find sports teams and programs in Kansas City, it can be difficult to afford those opportunities.
Hoop Nation is a 501(c)(3) organization with multiple, free youth basketball teams playing in Kansas City.
According to its founder, Pierre De Clue, it's the number one 11-and-under basketball team in the nation.
"This is probably the best team I've ever been with," said Kameron Craig, a point guard for the team. "They really help me improve my game a lot."
The organization teaches discipline and invests in their players in the classroom and on the court.
Langston Jennings, said his coaches help them become role models for their peers.
"It helps with school because some people might struggle," Jennings said. "We are all here to help someone if they need help...If one person messes up, we all mess up."
Researchers at the Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit, found that parents spent an average of $1,016 on their child's primary sport in 2024.
Finances can be a barrier for kids who want to play sports. That's where Hoop Nation and Athvantage come in.
"Whether you want to be a community engagement liaison, police officer, firefighter, doctor, it opens the horizon to what you can become," De Clue said.
The Hoop Nation founder said he remembers what he could count on as a child and wants to fill that need for youth in Kansas City, Missouri.
De Clue said: "The main resource we had was the gym and opportunity to play basketball. There wasn’t big AAU opportunities then from the area we came in, but one thing we were allowed was to be in the gym, and that was a safe haven."
LaNee Bridewell founded Athvantage, a nonprofit that seeks funding opportunities and helps eliminate financial barriers for youth athletic programs.
"That eliminates families that are on the margins, the families that need mental health resources, the families that need academic support," Bridewell said. "Ensure cost is not a barrier, sports physicals are not a barrier, but also inspire and instill hope and get the message out there that this is a great way to invest in the next generation of scholars."
Bridewell believes youth sports is a pathway to other opportunities for kids.
"I want to preserve joy in under resourced communities," she said.
On Sept. 20, the organizations are joining forces with Dick's Sporting Goods House of Sport store in Leawood.
From noon to 4pm, all kids are able to get free sports physicals and a 20% off discount storewide.
You can register here, but the event is open to anyone who attends.
Professional athletes will also host a meet and greet.
De Clue said: "Initially, you think basketball, but as you come into leadership you quickly realized it’s bigger than basketball."
At 10 years old, Craig already has aspirations to be a Division I college athlete and make it to the NBA.
"They push us to our limit," he said. "They always know I can do better than what I do."
