BASE Sports Group is the first US based sponsorship agency to partner with PLAY Hockey, the global leader in organized youth hockey events.
St. Louis Park, MN – January x, 2025 – PLAY Hockey, the global leader in organized youth hockey events, announced a partnership today with BASE Sports Group (BASE), the leading national amateur sports partnerships and media agency. As PLAY Hockey’s first US based sponsorship agency partner, BASE will drive engagement between brands and close to 225,000 youth hockey athletes and their families across North America.
PLAY Hockey is the worlds largest international hockey event company, hosting over 110 premier youth events in seven countries, five provinces and fifteen states over the 2025 season. Over 100,000 athletes experienced the unparalleled Play Hockey events in 2024. PLAY Hockey participation in 2024 saw unprecedented growth; a trend expected to continue in 2025. PLAY Hockey’s digital reach will surpass three million, which they are harnessing in 2025 through a dedicated app (coming in 2025), PlayHockey.com, social media accounts, and marketable email contacts.
Due to PLAY’s innovative approach to youth events, BASE will tap into assets not often available to brands in the amateur sports industry, such as professionally produced digital content, digital speaker series promoted to all families, unique/custom branded awards, and BASE will be building custom activations with forward thinking brands. BASE and PLAY will also offer brands the ability to activate, sell, sample, coupon, email, offer sweepstakes etc.
All brand partnerships BASE secures with PLAY Hockey will benefit from BASE’s industry-leading measurement techniques. BASE’s data driven approach to sponsorships in youth sports has proven to deliver a higher ROI for brands and operators. This approach is paramount to why brands such as YETI, Coca-Cola, GEICO and PRIME have signed deals with BASE. It uniquely positions the agency to engage the exploding 210-million-plus amateur sports marketplace of athletes and their families.
“We are thrilled to partner with BASE Sports Group and deliver incomparable brand experiences for our players and their families. A turnkey partner, BASE’s mission aligns with PLAY Hockey’s goal to provide best-in-class experiences that give athletes and their families memories for today and years to come,” said Andrew Wilkinson, PLAY Hockey’s Vice President of Marketing
and Partnerships.
“Youth hockey athletes and their families are an incredibly valuable demographic. PLAY Hockey offers brands unique, unfiltered access to the most valuable consumer profiles, teenagers and moms. Layer in that PLAY Hockey is led by a forward-thinking, data driven, and passionate team – and the opportunities we can build for brands are endless. We are excited to help PLAY
Hockey offer even more signature experiences through strategic brand partners at their tournaments,” said Mark Dvoroznak BASE Sports Group co-founder and CEO.
About PLAY Hockey
PLAY Hockey is a global leader in youth hockey events, teams, tours and development programs. Headquartered in Winnipeg, MB with regional operations across North America and Europe, the company is growing the game for male and female players of all skill levels at over 110 annual events in seven countries. PLAY Hockey is focused on providing best-in-class experiences for players, families, and community partners. The organization provides opportunities for young players to build friendships, have fun, and create family memories that last a lifetime. Learn more at www.playhockey.com.
About BASE Sports Group
BASE Sports Group is a tech-enabled, data-backed, sponsorship sales agency dedicated to youth and community sports. BASE was founded in 2021 to bring a sophisticated and measured approach to commercial partnerships in this sports sector. BASE’s leadership team touts 30 years of experience in the youth sports and partnership industry. BASE has secured partnerships with brands like: Papa John's, PRIME Hydration, US Army, DUDE Wipes, College Ave Student Loans, Floyd's Barbershop, Hard Rock Cafe, and many more. These brands have trusted BASE to engage the families of youth athletes across 20+ sports and in more than 40
states - a total network of more than 25 million consumers.