NBC Sports Next's SportsEngine Forms Partnership with U.S. Center for SafeSport

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC Sports Next, the sports technology division of NBC Sports and home to youth sports software platform, SportsEngine, announced today it has formed a partnership with the U.S. Center for SafeSport (Center). The new agreement establishes a long-term partnership between the two entities and names SportsEngine a Preferred Membership Platform Provider of the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

The mission of the U.S. Center for SafeSport is making athlete well-being the centerpiece of our nation's sports culture through abuse prevention, education, and accountability. An independent nonprofit, the Center opened in March 2017 and provides sports organizations at all levels with methods, policies, and programs to help prevent abuse. It serves as a professional and confidential place for more than 11 million athletes, coaches, and other participants in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement to report sexual, emotional, and physical abuse and misconduct.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport's Core Trained course is required for millions of adult participants in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, whose 55 national governing bodies encompass over 11 million members. Through this partnership, the Center—the nation's federally designated national safe sport organization—offers all SportsEngine users the ability to complete Core training and many more abuse awareness and prevention online courses within the SportsEngine HQ platform, which can seamlessly track eligibility and credentials for athletes, coaches, and other sport participants. SportsEngine will also publish Center athlete safety guidance and resources to its millions of parents, athletes, coaches and league administrator users.

"Partnering with SportsEngine will greatly expand access to SafeSport abuse awareness and prevention trainings and resources, enabling athletes and allies across America to accelerate positive culture change at every level of sport," said Ju'Riese Colón, CEO of the U.S. Center for SafeSport. "SportsEngine's technology and vast reach in youth sports will help us educate and train more athletes, coaches, parents, and administrators to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse in sport settings."

"We are honored to partner with U.S. Center for SafeSport to serve as a resource as they continue their mission to advocate for safety in youth sports," stated Brett MacKinnon, SVP and General Manager, Youth and Rec Sports, NBC Sports Next. "Helping to provide safe, positive youth sports experiences is a moral imperative and remains at the core of what we do at SportsEngine. We are proud to support the U.S. Center for SafeSport as it works to fulfill its vision of changing the culture of sports, set higher standards for youth and amateur sport organizations and establish training, policies and best practices for protecting athletes."

Helping to ensure athlete safety on and off the field is one of the highest priorities for SportsEngine and is aligned with its focus on increasing access to sports and simplifying the lives of parents, coaches and administrators with its software solutions. More than a million teams, leagues and clubs use SportsEngine software to run their tournaments, leagues, online registration, websites, and mobile apps. Additionally, National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of SportsEngine, is a youth safety advocacy group and leading background screening provider. Through these applications, sports teams, clubs, leagues, and national governing bodies have access to a single source for league management, staff eligibility and safety resources to ensure coaches and volunteers are properly screened, trained and eligible to interact with youth athletes.

About NBC Sports Next
NBC Sports Next is a subdivision of NBC Sports and home to all NBCUniversal digital applications in sports and technology within its three groups: Youth & Recreational Sports, Golf, and Betting & Gaming. NBC Sports Next, known for its sports technology product innovation, equips more than 30MM players, coaches, athletes, sports administrators and fans in 40 countries with more than 25 sports solution products, including SportsEngine, the leading youth sports club, league and team management platform; TeamUnify, swim team management services; GoMotion, sports and fitness business software solutions; GolfNow, the leading online tee time marketplace and provider of golf course operations technology and services; GolfPass the ultimate golf membership that connects golfers to exclusive content, tee time credits, coaching, tips and other benefits; and NBC Sports Edge, (formerly Rotoworld) a leading platform for fantasy sports information and betting-focused tools. NBC Sports Next is fueled by its mission to innovate, create larger-than-life events and connect with sports fans through technology to provide the ultimate in immersive experiences.

About US Center for SafeSport
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) responsible for responding to and preventing emotional, physical, and sexual misconduct and abuse in the U. S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. The Center's mission is to make athlete well-being the centerpiece of our nation's sports culture through abuse prevention, education, and accountability.

The Center also serves as an educational resource for sports organizations at all levels, from grassroots amateur sports organizations to professional leagues. For more information, please visit https://uscenterforsafesport.org/.

SOURCE NBC Sports Next