Helping Youth Sports Organizations Scale Without Losing Their Culture

Ryder Sports Advisory partners with founders, operators, and stakeholders navigating growth, complexity, and scale.

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Ryder Sports Advisory partners with founders, operators, and investors in youth and participation-based sports who are navigating growth.

ABOUT RSA

Led by longtime youth sports operator Mike Ryder, RSA brings real operating experience from scaling multi-brand sports platforms, leading portfolio growth, and working directly with founder-led clubs and event organizations.

Many organizations reach a point where demand is strong, but the internal structure hasn’t evolved to support the next phase of scale. Systems depend on people instead of processes. Leadership roles become unclear. Growth starts to create friction.

RSA helps organizations move through that stage.

Through advisory work, fractional leadership, and operational strategy, Ryder Sports Advisory helps organizations strengthen operations, develop leadership, and build the structure needed to scale responsibly, without losing the culture and community that made them successful in the first place.

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Our Services

  • Drawing of a tactical play diagram with Xs and Os connected by arrows, representing a strategic movement or plan.

    Operational & Growth Advisory

    We work directly with founders, leadership teams, and stakeholders to identify friction, clarify structure, and build the systems needed to support sustainable growth.

    This often includes aligning operations with revenue strategy and improving visibility into performance across programs and locations.

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    Fractional COO / Operating Partner

    For organizations navigating rapid growth or leadership gaps, RSA steps in as an embedded operator.

    This is not advisory from a distance; it’s ownership of the systems, structure, and cadence required to run the business effectively. The focus is building an operating model that can scale beyond the founder.

  • Diagram of a sports strategy with two X's and one O, and an arrow showing movement from the O towards a goal.

    Organizational Readiness (Growth, Investment, or Partnership)

    For organizations considering expansion, investment, or acquisition, we ensure the business is operationally prepared.

    This includes strengthening structure, clarifying roles and accountability, and improving consistency across locations to position the organization for the right opportunity and execute successfully when it happens.

How We Work

  • A structured assessment of the organization’s leadership structure, operations, and growth opportunities.

    Deliverables include:

    • Organizational assessment

    • Leadership and structure recommendations

    • Operational improvement roadmap

    • Growth priorities for the next phase

  • Monthly advisory engagement supporting founders and leadership teams as they scale.

    Includes:

    • Leadership strategy sessions

    • Operational planning support

    • Organizational structure guidance

    • Ongoing strategic advisory

  • Hands-on leadership support during growth or transition phases.

    Typically includes:

    • Weekly leadership meetings

    • Operational system implementation

    • Staff leadership and accountability frameworks

    • Growth and expansion planning

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About Coach Ryder

Mike Ryder is a sports industry operator with more than a decade of experience helping youth sports organizations grow and professionalize.

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Most recently, Mike served as a Vice President at 3STEP Sports, a private equity backed youth sports platform. In that role he led growth, operational performance, and post-acquisition integration across a portfolio of more than 20 sports brands representing over $60M in revenue.

Prior to that, Mike was one of the founding leaders behind 3d Lacrosse’s expansion, helping build and operate regional club businesses while developing programming, events, and coaching infrastructure across multiple markets.

Across those roles, Mike’s work has consistently focused on helping founder-led sports organizations scale into aligned and sustainable platforms through leadership development, operational systems, and strategic growth initiatives.

He currently coaches varsity lacrosse at Berkeley Prep in Tampa and remains connected to the athlete and family experience that sits at the center of youth sports.

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Experience Highlights

  • Vice President, Portfolio Operations

    Regional General Manager

    Senior Director, Club Operations

  • Founder & Director, 3d Florida
    Director, Colorado
    National Director, Camps and Individual Products

    • IMG Academy

    • The University of Tampa

    • University of Colorado-Boulder

    • Kent Denver School

    • Berkeley Preparatory School

    • 20+ Youth Sports Brands Supported

    • $60M+ Platform Revenue

    • Founder-Led Club Operations

    • Private Equity Platform Leadership

    • Leadership Development & Organizational Design

Let’s Connect

If you’re building, scaling, or navigating growth in youth sports, I’d welcome the conversation.

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