Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway and health care organization Twin Cities Orthopedics have partnered with high school sports communications platform VNN Sports to make the company’s software available for free to high school athletic departments in Minnesota.
The initiative, Project Five, is being done through investments from Greenway and Twin Cities Orthopedics, which is the official sports medicine provider for 21 high schools in Minnesota. VNN’s technology package includes a team coordination mobile app for players, coaches, and parents, a custom-branded website, an online ticketing platform, and a crowdsourced fundraising software. The total offer is valued at $2,500 per school.
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“We envision a future where every student has access and opportunity to the benefits of athletic participation, no matter the sport,” Greenway said in a press release. “State-of- the-art digital tools can support high school sports management tasks which, in turn, drives more people to games, makes it easier to sign up, and builds community involvement.”
Greenway played 11 NFL seasons, all with the Vikings, and was selected to two Pro Bowls before retiring in 2017. He is a native of South Dakota and now lives in the Minneapolis area, where he has four daughters and is president of the Wayzata Girls Basketball Association.
VNN’s platform is currently used by 10% of all high schools in the U.S. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, participation in U.S. high school sports declined in the 2018-19 school year for the first time in 30 years. “I couldn’t be more excited about this partnership and hope schools across the State of MN take advantage of the generosity of these organizations,” added Rick Ehrman, CEO of VNN.
