US Sports Camps is Helping Girls Hold Onto What Makes Sports Fun
'I Just Want to Play' Launches in Honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day
San Rafael, CA (February 3, 2026) – For millions of girls, sports start with excitement and end with pressure. By the time they reach their early teens, many walk away, not because they’ve lost interest, but because the joy is gone. In honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, US Sports Camps (USSC) is launching 'I Just Want to Play,' a campaign designed to help girls hold onto what made them fall in love with sports in the first place.
The campaign centers on a simple truth many young athletes feel but rarely say out loud: girls often quit sports because they feel judged, self-conscious, or unsupported. By age 14, girls leave sports at nearly twice the rate of boys. I Just Want to Play reframes success in sports around belonging, confidence, and love of the game, rather than pressure, performance, or perfection.
Beginning February 4, USSC will share authentic stories from athletes, coaches, and camp directors across its programs on social media, highlighting the critical role positive coaching environments play in keeping girls engaged. Today, USSC offers over 400 all-girls camps with over 1,400 all-girls sessions across eight sports, including some of the most popular girls' sports like volleyball, soccer, flag football, basketball, and more, providing nationwide access to spaces where girls can build skills and a lasting love of the game.
“As we celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day, this campaign is about protecting the joy that brings girls into sports in the first place,” said Siera Love, COO at US Sports Camps. “Sports should be a place where girls feel supported, encouraged, and free to be themselves. When that happens, sports can help girls develop confidence, resilience, and leadership skills which translate to important benefits and opportunities throughout their lives.”
I Just Want to Play reflects USSC’s mission to foster a lifelong enjoyment of sports by prioritizing positive coaching and developmentally appropriate environments. By focusing on confidence, belonging, and skill development, USSC programs support retention among girls while helping young athletes build leadership, resilience, and teamwork skills that extend beyond sports.
For more information about US Sports Camps or to follow along with the “I Just Want to Play” campaign, visit their Instagram @ussportscamps or to explore girls’ camps nationwide, visit ussportscamps.com.
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About US Sports Camps
US Sports Camps (USSC), headquartered in San Rafael, Calif., is America's largest sports camp network and the licensed provider of Nike Sports Camps for the past 30 years. The company has offered sports camps since 1975 with the same mission that defines it today: to shape a lifelong enjoyment of athletics through high-quality sports education and skills enhancement. USSC is part of the Youth Enrichment Brands (YEB) network, which aims to enrich, empower, and inspire kids by delivering best-in-class sports, academic, and creative experiences. Other brands in the YEB network include i9 Sports, the nation's largest multi-sport provider of youth sports leagues, SafeSplash Swim School, the world's largest operator and franchisor of swim schools, and School of Rock, the leader in performance-based music education.
Brynna Schroeder