Lawton Youth Sports Trust Authority meets Thursday

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The Lawton Youth Sports Trust Authority met today just as Eastern Sports Management hits its one-year anniversary since taking over youth sports.

The trust’s chairman, Brian Henry, says overall, participation in youth sports is up from all-time highs hit before the pandemic saying there are currently 2,500 kids participating in sports overall.

Henry also says they’re not only seeing an increase in kids participating in normal sports, but new sports, or sports offered multiple times a year.

Another area of improvement is adult sports, which ESM also manages, adding sports like hardcourt soccer called Futsal and volleyball.

“I would tell you that, from the results that we’re seeing in the hiring of Eastern Sports Management, we’re seeing the growth in the youth participation that we were hoping for,” said Henry. “The projections we were running from a capacity standpoint and a needs standpoint, we are at what we thought would be year three. Technically they just passed their first year.”

Next week, Henry says the Trust Authority will meet to discuss the planned indoor sports facility, totaling $1.4 million, which could begin construction as early as this fiscal year.

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