Every sports facility is looking for programming that fills the calendar, drives repeat visits, and delivers something families can’t find anywhere else. GuardNIL is making the case that the most valuable programming you can offer young athletes isn’t another tournament or training clinic — it’s preparation for what comes after the game ends.

GuardNIL is a professional development partner built for the reality that fewer than 2% of student-athletes turn pro. While young athletes are investing years of their lives — and their families are investing thousands of dollars — into athletic development, almost none of them are receiving structured preparation for the careers, financial decisions, and life transitions that follow. GuardNIL fills that gap with career readiness, financial literacy, and mental performance programming designed specifically for the athletic environment.

For sports facilities, that creates a programming opportunity that is genuinely differentiated. Parents who are already spending $2,000 or more annually on youth athletics are acutely aware that the odds of a professional career are slim. A facility that offers their child not just elite competition and training, but structured life skills development alongside it, is delivering something with real, lasting value — and giving families a compelling reason to come back.

This session features GuardNIL leaders in conversation with facility operators and city officials who are exploring how professional development programming can strengthen their facilities’ community impact, deepen family engagement, and create a more complete athletic experience for the young people they serve.

Speakers:

Jonathan Botros – Deputy Athletic Director & COO, Texas Tech Athletic

Mike Waters – Owner, Phase 1 Sports Management & Recruit Vegas

Bennie Reed – Founder, This will be good

Josh Woods – Founder, GuardNIL

Moderator: Wes Hall – Senior Vice President of Operations, The Sports Facilities Companies