Rich McGuinness was awestruck the first time he visited the Little League World Series. He became enamored with the international competition, the field built for 12-year-olds and the atmosphere in Williamsport.
The former Division II college football player immediately thought: “Why doesn’t football have something like this?”
“The Little League World Series is maybe the greatest commercial baseball could ever have,” McGuinness said. “It’s a celebration of the game. We need the same thing for football, something that would stimulate participation rates and recharge the interest in football.”
McGuinness, who oversees football and basketball for New Hampshire-based Legacy Global Sports, came up with the concept for the National Youth Football Championship, which played its inaugural event in December for ages 7-14.
Rich McGuinness (right), director of football and basketball for Legacy Global Sports, has pushed the company to create a youth football version of the Little League World Series.legacy global sports
It started with more than 1,000 teams — across 32 regions — and eventually the top-70 teams in age groups 7-14 earned their way to Canton to play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s youth sports complex, which is part of the hall’s new $500 million development.
Legacy Global Sports is the HOF’s agency partner responsible for bringing events to the new campus.
All of the games in Canton were streamed and the championship highlights were broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
“This gives teams a chance to play other teams from outside their region, and that’s something you don’t usually get in football. It really is a national championship,” McGuinness said. “It was cool to watch Georgia play Hawaii for the 12U championship, and to see teams from Mexico competing.”
Company Watch:
Legacy Global Sports
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Launched: 2003
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No. of employees: 450 located around the world. Legacy operates events in North America and Europe, engaging close to 1 million athletes in more than 300 events annually
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Headquarters: Portsmouth, N.H.
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What they do: Conduct youth sports camps, clinics, academies and tournaments in hockey, lacrosse, football, basketball, softball and other sports.
Key executives
Key events
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National Youth Football Championship, Canton, Ohio
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Bauer Motown Classic, Detroit
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National Lacrosse Classic, Frederica, Del.
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Impact Basketball summer training camp, multiple sites
It was close to three years ago that McGuinness ran into John St. Pierre at a Hall of Fame function. St. Pierre is one of three Legacy Global Sports co-founders and serves as the agency’s president and CEO.
Legacy had won the HOF’s business to program events for the new complex, and McGuinness was there as an expert on football academies, clinics and camps, the type of events the HOF needs to keep it busy and make money. McGuinness’ claim to fame at that point was starting the U.S. Army All-American Bowl for high school all-stars.
St. Pierre brought McGuinness on board once they understood they shared a vision for how to program the new space.
“We figured out that we could do it better together and it’s been a phenomenal partnership,” McGuinness said.
The football youth championships are a natural extension of what Legacy does best, which is running youth sports. That ranges from staging the event to managing the travel, team hotels, uniforms and apparel, and arranging tours for the families.
St. Pierre and two co-founders started the agency 15 years ago when it helped a youth hockey team arrange a trip to play in Stockholm. St. Pierre and his two hockey-enthusiast friends managed all of the logistics for the trip, including ice time, lodging, travel, food and things to do between games.
The trip went so well that it triggered an idea. Maybe they could turn this into a business.
legacy global sports
“It really started as a one-event experience and ballooned into ‘Let’s go again next year,’” St. Pierre said. “From there, we started our own camps and combines. Here we are 15 years later with a pretty sizable global enterprise.”
Legacy over the years expanded from hockey into lacrosse, soccer, basketball, softball and, now, football. Youth sports, ages 8-16, is the sweet spot for the agency, which has found the youth segment to be like an eternal spring that keeps producing opportunities in what is still a highly fragmented space.
That was the case in 2016 when Legacy acquired Global Premier Soccer, perhaps the largest soccer club in North America with programs in 22 states. That transaction doubled Legacy’s size, and the agency projects top-line revenue in 2018 approaching $100 million. As recently as 2015, revenue was just under $30 million.
legacy global sports
Much of the revenue increase has come via acquisitions, such as Global Premier Soccer and last year’s purchase of MCC Sports, an elite youth lacrosse organization, as well as organic growth.
Legacy will run close to 350 events this year, ranging from tournaments to camps, combines and academies.
“We look at the people and the businesses spending billions on their kids and we believe those elite-level athletes are looking for world-class experiences,” St. Pierre said.
Legacy’s style traditionally has been to stay behind the scenes. When St. Pierre and his team make acquisitions, the club team or the event typically keeps its old name, while Legacy operates from off the radar.
“I’d like to think that we’re the fastest-growing company no one’s ever heard of,” St. Pierre said. “That’s a little by design — most people don’t know who we are.”
But as the youth sports boom continues and Legacy sits at the forefront of it, the agency’s stealth approach will likely be more difficult to maintain.
