THE MORNING RUNDOWN 👇
The company that owns the Nets and Liberty bought 3 converted warehouses in Greenpoint, Bushwick, and Gowanus that rented out basketball courts by the hour. Commercial Observer reported the purchase from The Post BK on October 14, with no price disclosed. The courts open in 2027 as homes for Brooklyn Basketball, the teams' youth program, which already reaches more than 50,000 young people a year. Read more
A shuttered 1950s YMCA in downtown Phoenix is slated to give way to a $60 million youth basketball hub with an NBA-size court. The Suns, the Mercury, and the Valley of the Sun YMCA announced the project on October 19, with about 60 affordable housing units planned above the courts. Whether it starts on time now sits with a city board that met the same night. Read more
Chobani selected 500 youth soccer clubs on October 14 for support packages valued at $10,000 each through its Feed the Dream campaign. The yogurt maker, U.S. Soccer's Official Nutrition Partner, calls it a $5 million commitment and is adding $500,000 in scholarships for 6 clubs in its hometowns. Clubs can spend it on registration fees, travel, field improvements, and other costs that keep kids from playing. Read more
The family that owns the Minnesota Vikings just put money into the software that runs youth sports registration and summer camps for more than 100 park districts and private facilities. WISE Ventures, the Wilfs' investment arm, didn't disclose the size of its October 28 strategic investment in Rec Technologies. WISE says the software goes first to the family's mixed-use developments, with the Vikings' youth camps later. Read more
“The goal is a place to land at every level, one that’s affordable to start and welcoming enough that kids want to stay.”
Dan Soviero, Founder & CEO, Signature Athletics | Read full post →
THE BIG PLAY
This Week’s Biggest Move
🏀 The Nets and Liberty Are Turning 3 Brooklyn Rental Gyms Into Year-Round Youth Courts
On October 14, Commercial Observer reported that Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the holding company for the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, had acquired 3 training facilities in Greenpoint, Bushwick, and Gowanus from The Post BK, a network of indoor sports venues. The converted warehouses rented out basketball courts by the hour. BSE says they open in 2027 as homes for Brooklyn Basketball, the official youth program of both teams. No price was disclosed.
By BSE's count, Brooklyn Basketball already reaches more than 50,000 young people a year through free clinics and programming in more than 250 New York City schools. Outside one downtown training center, that reach has run through school gyms the program doesn't own. The 3 buildings give it courts of its own in 3 more neighborhoods.
🎯 WHY THIS MATTERS
More Neighborhoods Get a Team-Run Gym BSE calls the new locations "additional entry points for young people and families." Its Downtown Brooklyn Training Center has welcomed more than 16,000 people since opening in September 2025, and the new sites will host the After-School Club, camps, clinics, and community programming in Greenpoint, Bushwick, and Gowanus.
The Seller Handed Over Its Whole Operation The Post BK operated all 3 buildings, which are owned by separate entities, and Commercial Observer reported they made up its entire portfolio. One source told the outlet the deal resembled an M&A transaction for that reason. What The Post BK does next, and whether its staff or court customers carry over, hasn't been said.
A Free Start That Runs Up to League Play BSE describes Brooklyn Basketball as "a connected pathway" that starts with free school clinics and moves players through a Skills Track for fundamentals into a Performance Track built around league play. NetsDaily reports those tracks are fee-based, so the free piece is the school clinics. Selected local organizations also join through a new Community Partner Program, receiving equipment, coaching education, and an annual grant.
The Bottom Line: Neither side has disclosed a price, and BSE hasn't named the renovation spend, how many players the 3 sites are built to hold, or what families will pay once registration opens. The 2027 openings will start to answer those, and whether other team owners follow with neighborhood buildings of their own is the next thing to watch.
MARKET MOVERS
This Week's Deals & Dollars
☀️ Suns and Mercury Join a $60 Million Downtown Phoenix YMCA Project
On October 19, the Phoenix Suns, the Phoenix Mercury, and the Valley of the Sun YMCA announced plans for a 3-story downtown Phoenix YMCA with 3 courts for youth camps, clinics, and tournaments, set to open in 2029. The $60 million is the total cost of the project, and the partners haven't said how it divides among them. Before any of it goes up, the 74-year-old building on the site has to come down, and the city's Historic Preservation Commission could weigh in at its November meeting.
⚽ Chobani Selects 500 Local Soccer Clubs for $10,000 Packages
On October 14, Chobani, the yogurt maker that serves as U.S. Soccer's Official Nutrition Partner, selected 500 youth soccer clubs for support packages valued at $10,000 each, part of a $5 million Feed the Dream commitment. Families and neighbors voted for clubs from April through July, and the winners can put the support toward registration fees and travel. Chobani says winners are still being verified.
🏈 The Vikings' Owners Just Backed the Software Behind Youth Sign-Ups
On October 28, WISE Ventures, the investment arm of the Wilf family that owns the Minnesota Vikings and Orlando City SC, made a strategic investment in Rec Technologies. Rec sells the software that runs youth sports registration, summer camps, and facility reservations for more than 100 park districts and private facilities. Neither side disclosed the amount, and WISE's principal said the software goes first to the mixed-use developments the family runs through Garden Homes and Garden Commercial, with the Vikings' youth camps later.
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