THE MORNING RUNDOWN 👇
Two companies on the stock market each agreed this month to buy a kids' soccer program in North America. One is owned by a Spanish pro soccer club, and the other runs kids' sports schools in Japan. Neither said what it paid, and both made a smaller move back in May that matches what they did in September.
Starting next season, one company's software will check in the teams, post the scores and sell the tickets at AAU volleyball's national events. Its parent company raised $16.5 million from investors in January. The parent also owns a recruiting tool for college coaches, and the share of college volleyball programs that use it is the number to know.
Adidas just renewed its deal to outfit a basketball league for top teenage players, and the new contract is bigger than the old one. It now covers a girls' basketball showcase and a 7-on-7 high school football competition too. What Adidas gets beyond uniform space comes down to one line in the Forbes report.
When a youth coach buys a new Mazda, the coach gets $250 off and Mazda sends another $250 to the team. The program runs through TeamSnap, a team sports app. TeamSnap says brands have already put more than $20 million into youth sports through it.
“When sponsorship revenue goes toward keeping facility prices down, every kid who walks through the door benefits.”
— Dan Soviero, Founder & CEO, Signature Athletics | Read full post →
THE BIG PLAY
This Week’s Biggest Move
⚽ Two Nasdaq Companies Just Bought Into Youth Soccer. Their First Moves Happened Four Months Earlier.
On September 14, Nomadar signed a final agreement to buy a majority stake in Fox Soccer Academy. Nomadar is a Texas company that trades on the Nasdaq stock exchange, and it is owned by Cádiz CF, a professional soccer club in Spain. Fox Soccer Academy has about 2,100 young players in New York, North Carolina, the United Kingdom and Austria.
Two days later, Leifras agreed to buy A To Sports, a children's soccer school in Victoria, British Columbia. Leifras runs kids' sports schools in Japan and also trades on Nasdaq, and it says the Canadian school will be its first base in North America. Neither company said what it paid, and both deals still have to close. Both buyers also made a smaller, public move back in May. Put May and September side by side, and the two companies look like they followed the same steps.
🎯 WHY THIS MATTERS
Neither buyer started from scratch. Each picked a program that already had kids, coaches and families signed up. That head start shapes how fast a buyer like this can grow from there.
May was the rehearsal. Both companies made their first move four months earlier, one of them with the very academy it has now agreed to buy.
The founders are staying. The co-founders of Fox Soccer Academy, including a former Premier League champion, will stay on as partners after the sale. With no price made public, who stays is one of the few things shareholders can judge the deal by.
These companies are small enough for one school to matter. Leifras was worth about $58 million on the stock market on Sept. 23, and Nomadar about $23 million on Sept. 14. At that size, a single soccer school can be a big piece of the company, which makes the missing price harder to ignore.
The Bottom Line: Two stock-market companies with roots in Spain and Japan agreed to buy kids' soccer programs in North America two days apart. The order of their moves is something other buyers could copy. The full breakdown covers what each company did in May, who stays after the sale, and what shareholders can judge when the price stays private.
MARKET MOVERS
This Week's Deals & Dollars
🏐 A $16.5 Million Startup Just Put Its Software Inside AAU Volleyball's Biggest Events
Starting with the 2026-27 season, one company's software will run AAU volleyball's national events: team registration, schedules, live scores and tickets. That covers more than 100,000 athletes and more than 300,000 spectators. The company is OTTO EVENT, and its parent raised that money from investors in January. The parent also owns a recruiting tool for college coaches, and the share of college volleyball programs that use it is what makes this contract bigger than ticket sales.
👟 What Adidas Sees in a Youth Sports League Built by a Media Company
Adidas just renewed its deal to outfit Overtime Elite, a basketball league for top teenage players. The league was built by Overtime, a youth sports media company, and the new deal is bigger than the old one. It adds Overtime Select, a showcase for top high school girls' basketball players, and OT7, a 7-on-7 high school football competition. Neither side shared how long the deal runs or what it costs. What Adidas gets beyond uniform space comes down to one line in the Forbes report.
🚗 How Mazda's New Sponsorship Shows Why Youth Sports Software Is Becoming More Valuable to Brands
A youth coach who buys a new Mazda can now get $250 off the car. Mazda then puts up a second $250 that goes to the coach's team, to cover team needs and coaching costs. Five coaches are also getting brand-new Mazdas through Good Morning America. The program runs through TeamSnap, a team sports app used by more than 19,000 youth organizations. TeamSnap's own company description includes a $20 million figure, and it hints at who else is paying to reach families there.
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