Kyle Scott and Kyle Pagan talk to the Philadelphia Union’s GM of their $100M Sportsplex, David Pettican. The facility serves the Union’s MLS team, Union II and academy system, while also operating as a massive youth sports business hosting tournaments, camps, clinics and programming across soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and other sports. We get into the massive scale of the Union’s youth operation, which sits at roughly 36,000 kids in 2026, how the Union uses MLS GO to build lifelong fans, and how their academy and on-campus school create a pathway from youth soccer all the way to the professional level. Stick around for the economics behind pay-to-play, why David thinks youth clubs sometimes get a bad rap for rising costs, and some mistakes he thought FIFA made with the World Cup.
0:00 – Three Campuses. One Goal.
4:54 – Youth Structure & Leveraging the Union Brand
10:51 – Scouting, Local Clubs, & Player Development
17:02 – How MLS GO Partnership Builds Lifelong Fans
23:08 – The Impact of the World Cup
34:09 – Breaking Down Pay to Play Economics
43:15 – Community Engagement & Schools
48:45 – Sports Tourism & Complex Expansion
Thanks to EventConnect for sponsoring the episode. Run your entire tournament on one operating system — or connect the tools you already use. Grow room nights, end spreadsheet chaos, and keep every datapoint in one place with live pace for hotels, impact for CVBs, and a smoother path for families. Check out the Operating System of Youth Sports at https://eventconnectsports.com/
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