Building Tomorrow’s Sports Fans: Strategic Initiatives in Youth Engagement

National Hockey League fans in the United States are aging, presenting a challenge for the League’s future growth. The Toronto Maple Leafs (the Leafs), the National Hockey League’s most valuable franchise, recognize that younger generations engage with sports differently than traditional fans and often perceive hockey as less appealing compared to other major sports. Despite their loyal and historic fan base, the Leafs understand that sustaining long-term growth and cultural relevance requires attracting and engaging younger audiences. To address this, the Leafs launched the Next Gen initiative, transforming select home games into youth-focused experiences and leveraging digital strategies tailored to Gen Z. This case presents a critical question: How can National Hockey League teams—and other sports leagues and teams more broadly—build sustainable, younger fan bases essential for their future? Through this case study, students will analyze demographic trends in sports fandom, identify the challenges teams face in expanding their fan base, evaluate targeted marketing strategies, and propose innovative solutions to help marketing managers effectively engage and retain younger audiences.