News

Forest Hill, MD – The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders, designers and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities, has unveiled an all-new philanthropic initiative, the American Sports Builders Foundation.

The American Sports Builders Foundation (ASBF) has a two-fold mission:

• To coordinate and fund the construction and renovation of sports facilities, providing safe and accessible places for youth and adults to enjoy sports;
• To support the next generation of leaders in the sports design and construction industry by providing scholarships for students engaged in industry-related studies and programs.

Funding and Coordinating Sports Facilities for Communities in Need

The first focus of the Foundation is to fund and coordinate the building and renovation of sports facilities in communities that lack adequate resources to pay for them. These facilities can include courts, running tracks, sports fields, indoor gym facilities and more.

The Foundation’s goal is to complete at least one facility per year, and if feasible, increase to two per year. The inaugural facility will be located in Orlando, Florida, the host city of ASBA’s Technical Meeting in 2024. In years to come, facilities in locations outside of Technical Meeting host cities may be considered. ASBA members will be encouraged to nominate facilities in need of assistance.

Supporting Future Leaders

The second goal of the Foundation is the support and development of the next generation of leaders in the sports design and construction industry by providing scholarships for students engaged in secondary programs that promote and support this industry. The Foundation Board’s goal is to award scholarships for the Fall 2024 school year. Students interested in applying for the scholarships will be able to do so through an online form, which will include a field to identify any ASBA members with whom they are connected.

Fundraising for scholarships and project costs will be done through donations by ASBA member companies, who will be presented with a variety of options to contribute.

ASBF Board Announced

The ASBA has announced the names of its inaugural ASB Foundation Board of Directors. They are:

• Kirk Grego, CFB (Mid-America Sports Construction) – Chair
• Meg Buczynski, PE LEED AP (Activitas Inc.) – Vice Chair
• David Burke (NGI Sports) – Treasurer
• Paul Nagle, CTB (AstroTurf Corporation) – Secretary
• David Moxley (Sportsfield Specialties, Inc.) – Director
• Sam Titchener, CFB (Colony Landscape & Maintenance) – Director
• Jon Wright, CTCB (Court One) – Director

The Foundation Board will review all nominations and conduct thorough research on the nominated sites, and to select the facility to be supported. Once a project has been selected, the Board, with assistance from relevant experts, will identify the companies who will contribute to the project. The Foundation Board will strive to support a diverse range of projects to balance the needs of facilities across all divisions.

More information on the work of the ASB Foundation is available on the ASBA website, www.sportsbuilders.org/asbf.

The ASBA is a non-profit association helping designers, builders, owners, operators and users understand quality sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings, publishes books, a quarterly magazine and technical construction guidelines for athletic facilities, and keeps its members aware of the latest developments in the industry. It also offers voluntary certification programs in tennis court, running track and sports field construction, and a certificate program in pickleball court construction.