Northwestern Football head coach David Braun delivered the keynote address at the inaugural Evanston Youth Sports Summit on Tuesday, July 14, making the case for multi-sport participation to leaders from 20 local youth athletics organizations.

The summit, held at Northwestern's Walter Athletic Center, brought together representatives from ETHS Athletics, Evanston Parks & Recreation, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, and Northwestern Athletics under the #AllSports4AllKids banner. The event linked the city's major youth sports stakeholders with the Big Ten program in their backyard under a single organizing framework for the first time.

Braun's keynote focused on the benefits of playing multiple sports, according to ETHS Athletics, which organized the event alongside its partners.

@ETHSports: "BIG THANKS to @NUFBFamily Coach David Braun for kicking the day off with a great keynote speech about the benefits of playing multiple sports!!! Extremely grateful for the partnership of @ParkRecEvanston @District65 @NU_Sports to make this event happen!!!"

Beyond the keynote, the day's sessions tackled three priorities: creating more opportunities for kids to play multiple sports, increasing access to athletic facilities, and breaking down participation barriers for children of color and low-income families, ETHS Athletics reported.

Braun's Evanston Connection

Braun lives in Evanston with his wife Kristin and their three children. He was named the Wildcats' 30th head coach in November 2023 after leading the program to a Las Vegas Bowl victory over Utah on December 23, 2023. His own David Braun Youth Camp ran separately earlier this summer, promoted by the Northwestern Football account in early June.

The summit drew leaders from 20 organizations to one table. No follow-up date has been announced.