National Headquarters Funding Initiative

Youth & Pediatric Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Neurology Project

Every child deserves the chance to move, play, heal, compete, and return to life with confidence. Across the United States, millions of children participate in sports and physical activity each year, yet far too many families struggle to access timely care when a young athlete is injured, recovering from a concussion, living with a neurological condition, or in need of rehabilitation support.

The Martin Legacy Foundation is committed to helping children get Back in the Game — not only back to sports, but back to school, back to movement, back to confidence, back to hope, and back to a full life.

Youth sports can build discipline, teamwork, confidence, physical health, emotional strength, and a sense of belonging. However, the need for safe, affordable, pediatric-focused sports medicine, rehabilitation, and neurological care continues to grow. In 2024, approximately 4.4 million people were treated in emergency departments for injuries involving sports and recreational equipment, and sports and recreational injuries increased by 17% that year.*

For children and teens, the neurological side of sports injury is especially important. The CDC reports that about 7 out of 10 emergency department visits for sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries and concussions are among children ages 17 and younger. Contact sports, including football, basketball, and soccer, are associated with 45% of emergency department visits for sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries and concussions among children ages 17 and younger.*

This need is not limited to competitive athletes. Children may require care after concussions, orthopedic injuries, overuse injuries, developmental delays, neurological symptoms, mobility challenges, or other health conditions that affect movement, learning, recovery, and quality of life. According to national child health data, more than 1 in 4 children in the United States, representing over 19 million children, had a special health care need in 2022–2023.*

At the same time, access to pediatric specialty care remains limited. Children’s hospitals continue to report shortages across pediatric care fields, with some of the most severe shortages in neurological, behavioral, and mental health specialties. Recent reporting from the Children’s Hospital Association notes that children can wait more than 13 weeks for some pediatric specialty appointments, and in certain pediatric subspecialties, wait times can reach 20 weeks or more.*

The Martin Legacy Foundation believes no child should be left on the sidelines because of injury, disability, financial hardship, lack of insurance access, transportation barriers, long specialty wait times, or limited community resources.

Through the Youth and Pediatric Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Neurology Project, the Martin Legacy Foundation is building a national funding platform to support pediatric-centered care, injury recovery, concussion support, rehabilitation services, neurological evaluation, return-to-play guidance, return-to-school support, and family navigation resources.

Why This Project Matters

The need is real. The gap is growing. And children cannot afford to wait.

In communities across the country, families often face difficult choices after a child is injured or begins showing neurological, developmental, or physical limitations. Some families wait months for specialty appointments. Some cannot afford therapy visits, athletic rehabilitation, testing, or follow-up care. Others do not know where to turn after a concussion, sports injury, or diagnosis that affects their child’s ability to participate in school, sports, or daily life.

Youth sports participation also reflects a growing financial divide. In 2024, U.S. youth sports participation rose to 58%, but children from the lowest-income households were the only economic group to experience a decline in participation. Only 36.3% of children from the lowest-income households participated in sports, and the gap between the poorest and wealthiest children widened to 38.5 percentage points.*

Families are also facing rising costs. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play reported that the average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on one child’s primary sport in 2024, a 46% increase since 2019. When additional sports were included, the average family paid nearly $1,500 annually for one child’s sports experience.*

For many children, getting “back in the game” requires more than motivation. It requires access. It requires care. It requires rehabilitation. It requires proper medical guidance. It requires safe return-to-play decisions. It requires support for the family.

That is where the Martin Legacy Foundation seeks to serve.

Our Vision

The Martin Legacy Foundation’s vision is to help create a national support system for children and youth who need access to sports medicine, rehabilitation, neurological care, and recovery resources.

This project is designed to support children who are injured, underserved, uninsured, underinsured, delayed in care, or facing barriers that prevent them from receiving the help they need. Our long-term vision includes supporting pediatric sports rehab services, community-based care partnerships, family assistance programs, and future development of pediatric sports medicine and rehabilitation centers.

The goal is simple:

To help children heal.
To help families find answers.
To help young athletes recover safely.
To help underserved children access care.
To help youth return to school, sports, movement, and life with dignity.

Our Funding Priorities

Program sponsors, donors, grant writers, foundations, healthcare partners, corporate partners, and community supporters can help the Martin Legacy Foundation fund:

Pediatric sports injury recovery and rehabilitation support.

Concussion education, evaluation, and recovery navigation.

Neurology-related care access and referral support.

Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and movement-based recovery programs.

Return-to-play and return-to-school support for children recovering from injury.

Financial assistance for families facing hardship, limited insurance coverage, or delayed access to care.

Community education on injury prevention, overuse injuries, safe training, concussion awareness, and long-term recovery.

Partnerships with schools, youth sports programs, healthcare providers, hospitals, athletic trainers, and community organizations.

Future development of pediatric sports medicine, rehabilitation, and neurology-centered care locations.

Sources for Referenced Statistics

• National Safety Council, Injury Facts: sports and recreational injuries increased 17% in 2024, and 4.4 million people were treated in emergency departments for sports and recreational equipment-related injuries in 2024. 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HEADS UP: about 7 out of 10 emergency department visits for sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries and concussions are among children ages 17 and younger; contact sports are associated with 45% of those emergency department visits among children. 
• CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: an average of 283,000 children sought emergency department care each year for sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries from 2010–2016, with contact sports accounting for approximately 45% of those visits. 
• HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau / National Survey of Children’s Health Data Brief: in 2022–2023, more than 1 in 4 U.S. children, or 26.2%, had a special health care need, representing over 19 million children. 
• Children’s Hospital Association: pediatric workforce shortages persist across children’s hospitals, with severe shortages reported in neurological, behavioral, and mental health specialties. 
• Children’s Hospital Association, “Federal Funding Gaps Leave Children Waiting for Specialty Care”: children can wait more than 13 weeks for some pediatric specialty appointments and 20 weeks or more for certain pediatric subspecialty appointments. 
• Aspen Institute Project Play: U.S. youth sports participation rose to 58% in 2024, while only 36.3% of children from the lowest-income households participated, and the participation gap between the poorest and wealthiest children reached 38.5 percentage points. 
• Aspen Institute Project Play: the average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on one child’s primary sport in 2024, a 46% increase since 2019, and nearly $1,500 annually when additional sports were included.