As 2025 comes to a close, it’s very evident that we've had an impactful year because participation soared, experiences were elevated, and the moments created for Minnesota athletes and families will last a lifetime through our programs and services.

Let's take a look at some of the highlights:

• Over 2,000 teams (winter travel and rec combined) competed in the 35th annual Grade State Basketball Championships. Uniting and connecting Minnesota youth basketball through MYAS social media channels with over a million views from selection shows, collaboration of coverage, and content.
• The Gopher State HS Basketball League (formerly Rising Stars), provided nearly 500 players not currently in a high school program with a valuable opportunity to continue developing, training, and competing.
• Expanded Off-Field/Court Recognition experiences for baseball and basketball athletes through partnerships with the Twins, Timberwolves, Lynx, and St. Paul Saints.
• The 26th annual Gopher State Baseball League had over 540 teams from nearly 70 communities. 
• The Gopher State Spring Basketball Series recorded nearly 2,500 team registrations across its 14-week tournament season from March through June.
• The Gopher State Tournament of Champions featured 612 baseball teams representing all areas of the state of Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and eastern North Dakota.
• The inaugural Gopher State Football League launched with 183 teams representing 32 associations and featured 792 games. In total, nearly 400 youth football teams participated across MYAS-affiliated football leagues, marking a significant step forward in building a unified, community-based football experience.
• The Gopher State Fall Baseball League had 240 teams with 700+ individual registrants placed on teams.
• Successfully launched the new FlexPlay concept within the 2025 Gopher State Fall Basketball Series. This innovative model expanded access by giving more individuals and small groups the chance to get meaningful runs throughout the fall season.
• The Midwest Wrestling Tour continues to explode, with events selling out a month early. During the 2024-2025 four event tour, 2,600 youth grapplers competed for the belt!
• The Midwest Regional Swim Meet made a strong comeback in 2025. After several years of declining participation following COVID—and with the event nearly being removed from our annual offerings—strategic outreach and hard work paid off. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Bobby Strickland and David Bentz, the meet was revitalized, drawing over 500 swimmers to compete at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. This resurgence not only preserved a long-standing MYAS event but also reaffirmed our commitment to delivering high-quality competitive opportunities across all sports.
• In partnership with the Minnesota State High School League, MYAS trained and screened 1,500 baseball, basketball and football officials.
• 3rd Annual Youth Sports Night at Running Aces (August 12): Our most successful fundraising event yet, generating nearly $7,000 for the MYAS Community Impact Fund- directly supporting youth participation, access, and Community-based programming across Minnesota.
• In October, MYAS was honored to be selected as one of four charitable beneficiaries of Thrivent’s annual giving initiative. This generous contribution will help reduce barriers to participation through association, team, and individual scholarships administered by the MYAS Community Impact Fund, while also supporting the launch of new organizational initiatives designed to positively impact the MYAS network.
• MYAS Community Impact Fund: A total of 35 youth baseball, basketball, and football associations across Minnesota were selected to receive a 2025 Fall Association Scholarship through the MYAS Community Impact Fund. In all, more than $70,000 was awarded to support these organizations in strengthening access, enhancing programming, and reducing financial barriers for the youth they serve.

We aimed to “amplify and elevate,” and I believe we accomplished that goal. That included providing smoother communication for parents to ensure and improve their child's sporting experiences. To that end, a new website is coming in early 2026, Trusted Coaches modules are being refreshed, and several exciting new initiatives are on the whiteboard — the energy inside our building has never been higher!

For the most part, the launch of the Gopher State Football League was relatively smooth, especially considering we were bringing three legacy leagues together. There were some hiccups, but we appreciated the commitment from associations, officials, and managing directors John Swanson and Kevin Johnston. Regional postseason meetings are already underway to make 2026 even stronger!

The Minnesota Youth Basketball Alliance (MYBA) reached new heights with over 90% of tournaments now on the RegisterPlay platform, which gives us real-time access to data to improve competitive balance. Adding A, B, and C classifications and empowering a competition task force reviews will push our already strong 82% “games within 15 points at Grade State” metric even higher.

So we are thankful to every association, coach, official, parent, and athlete who chose to work with MYAS this year. Because of you, more Minnesota kids played, competed, developed and smiled than ever before. We look forward to serving the Minnesota youth sports community in 2026, as we celebrate our 35th anniversary as an organization.