For years, school districts have wrestled with a frustrating paradox: while thousands of children fill youth league roster spots, far fewer stick with sports once they reach middle and high school. Oklahoma City Public Schools is no exception. In a district where athletics are a powerful driver of attendance, graduation rates, and community pride, that drop-off represents a missed opportunity waiting to be reclaimed.
Fields & Futures has answered that challenge with an ambitious goal to raise OKCPS sports participation to 50% by 2030. Hitting that target requires close collaboration with OKCPS and a network of community partners to identify innovative ways to put—and keep—more kids on more teams.
Recently, OKCPS District Athletic Director Eddie Wright devised a bold, yet surprisingly simple solution: schedule more district junior varsity competitions and hold All-City Athletic Conference JV tournaments to crown ACAC JV champions. By multiplying meaningful game reps for every rostered athlete, Wright believes OKCPS can open the door for hundreds of students who might be buried on the depth chart or, worse, give up sports entirely.
“When every athlete gets more physical, mental, and social reps, the whole culture wins,” said Wright. “JV games aren’t just extra dates on a calendar; they’re the matchups that keep students engaged, growing, and hungry to stay part of something bigger than themselves. The more JV opportunities we can create, the higher our participation rates will climb.”
Why JV Matters
Junior varsity competition might seem less exciting to fans, but for the majority of student-athletes, it’s the gateway to everything that makes school sports powerful. Here’s why doubling down on JV programming is a game-changer for students, coaches, and entire campuses.
Bridging the Participation Gap
When students move from expansive youth leagues to limited school rosters, supply shrinks while demand stays high. Adding JV schedules across sports would allow middle schoolers to ease into new sports and acclimate to a higher level of competition, while high school athletes who are still developing would have real game days to circle on their calendars.
Building Confidence & Culture
Games under the lights aren’t just for varsity stars. Every student-athlete deserves the experience of taking the field in school colors and being cheered on by their community. Those moments are culture-builders that forge identity and loyalty and transfer to the classroom.
Keeping the Mission in Sight
At Fields & Futures, our purpose is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to play, grow, and thrive, not just the standout athletes. Together with OKCPS, we have set a collective goal to increase district sports participation to 50% by 2030. Expanding JV schedules is an ingenious strategy to get there.
“Our job is to make sure no child is left on the sidelines because they can’t afford to buy cleats or register for a league,” said David Crynes, Executive Director of Fields & Futures. “By making sports participation free and championing inclusive competition like new JV opportunities, we’re removing the resource barriers that keep kids from joining teams and the competitive barriers that push them away when they need sports the most.”
A Championship Debut
Evidence that the idea works has been in motion for the past few years. OKCPS Athletics has responded to participation growth by developing JV schedules for several core team sports. Now, the focus is on elevating and expanding those opportunities to reach even more student-athletes.
In 2024, OKCPS Athletics debuted its first JV golf tournament and followed that up this spring with the inaugural ACAC JV Soccer Championships. Both finals matches at the JV soccer tournament ended in penalty kicks, validating the premise that meaningful competition breeds buy-in. For many students, those championship minutes were their first taste of competing in the spotlight, with the game on the line and their families and team cheering them on.
More Sports, More Stories
If you ask Eddie Wright why he believes JV competition can be a game-changer, he won’t talk about the additional championship banners. He’ll say every student-athlete deserves to be seen and supported. He’ll point to more opportunities to learn teamwork, leadership, and a sense of belonging. Those are the currencies that matter. And when every athlete understands the value of joining a team, their self-worth soars.
With JV sports now etched into the landscape of OKCPS athletics, the spotlight just got a whole lot bigger—and there’s room for every athlete to stand in it.