Bag's Buddies Partners with Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation to Remove Every Barrier to Youth Sports

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- February 2026 -- Bag's Buddies, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit honoring Captain John "Bag" Hefti, USN, today announced a partnership with the City of Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation department to provide full, no-cost access to youth sports for families in underserved communities across Virginia Beach.

The partnership covers 100% of costs. No partial assistance. No copays. No applications that require families to prove they're struggling enough to qualify. If cost is the reason a kid isn't playing, that reason is gone.

"It's time to get our kids off the sidelines and into the game," said Trey Faulkner, CEO of Bag's Buddies.

What the Partnership Covers

This isn't a discount program. It's a complete removal of financial barriers, built on four pillars:

Access -- Full memberships to Virginia Beach Recreation Centers, giving families year-round access to gyms, pools, weight rooms, and community facilities across the city's seven rec centers

Action -- Enrollment in all city sports programs, from basketball and soccer leagues to swimming, track, and everything in between. Every season. Every sport.

Travel -- Reliable transportation to and from practices and games. Because a free registration doesn't help if a kid can't get to the field.

Gear -- All necessary equipment and uniforms. Cleats, gloves, pads, jerseys -- whatever the sport requires. No kid shows up without what they need.

Each pillar addresses a specific barrier that keeps young athletes on the sidelines. Together, they eliminate the gap between wanting to play and actually playing.

Why This Matters Right Now

Youth sports costs have risen 46% since 2019. The average American family now spends over $1,000 per child on a single sport each year. For families facing financial barriers, those numbers aren't just inconvenient. They're impossible.

The data tells a hard story. Children from the wealthiest families are nearly twice as likely to play organized sports as children from the poorest. One in five parents has reduced or stopped their child's sports participation because of cost.

Those numbers represent real kids in real Virginia Beach neighborhoods who want to play but can't. Kids who watch their classmates head to practice while they head home.

This partnership changes that. Not with a voucher or a sliding scale, but with a simple promise: if your family needs help, we've got you. All of it.

A Natural Extension of What Bag Built

Captain John "Bag" Hefti never waited for a formal program to help a kid play sports. He'd cover registration fees out of his own pocket. He'd show up with equipment that "happened" to be the right size. He understood that talent doesn't care about tax brackets.

Bag's Buddies already supports Virginia Beach youth through college scholarships for graduating student-athletes and youth sports grants that help families cover registration, equipment, and camp costs. This partnership with Parks & Recreation is the next step -- moving from helping individual families to building a system where no family in an underserved community has to choose between paying bills and letting their kid play.

"Bag would have loved this," Faulkner said. "He spent his life making sure every kid felt like they belonged on the team. This partnership makes that real at a scale he would have been proud of."

Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation operates seven community recreation centers and hundreds of sports programs across the city. Partnering with them gives Bag's Buddies the infrastructure to reach the families who need support most.

How You Can Help

This partnership is funded entirely by donations to Bag's Buddies. Every dollar goes directly to keeping kids in the game. No overhead games. No administrative bloat. Memberships, enrollments, rides, and gear -- that's where your money goes.

Here's how to get involved:

Donate -- Fund a membership, a season of sports, or a set of equipment for a young athlete
Learn about our programs -- See how Bag's Buddies supports Virginia Beach families
Contact us -- If your family could benefit from this partnership, reach out. We're here to help.
Run with Team Bag -- Join our charity running team and fundraise while you train

About Bag's Buddies

Bag's Buddies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation honoring the legacy of Captain John "Bag" Hefti, USN -- a Navy Captain, TOPGUN graduate, youth sports coach, and beloved Virginia Beach community member who passed away in 2021. The foundation supports Virginia Beach student-athletes through college scholarships and youth sports grants, guided by Bag's motto: Play Hard, Have Fun, Same Team.

To date, Bag's Buddies has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to Virginia Beach student-athletes and provided youth sports grants to families facing financial barriers across the city. The foundation also operates Bag's Buddies Racing, a charity running team, and hosts the annual Bag's Big Bash fundraiser.

Learn more at bagsbuddies.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact: info@bagsbuddies.org

Play Hard, Have Fun, Same Team.