Dear Fellow Parent,

Twenty-six years ago, I made a decision that changed my life.

My father—God rest his soul—was a 35-year Boeing engineer. He graduated college during a war draft, raised by parents shaped by the Great Depression. For his generation, stability wasn’t optional; it was survival. So when I told him I was leaving a comfortable sales job to pursue a career in youth sports, his response was direct and unforgettable:

“Don’t you dare do this.”

I did it anyway.

In 2001, I jumped into an exciting startup called Eteamz.com—the first youth sports website provider—and stepped onto a road that was anything but safe or predictable. That road has been winding, humbling, and deeply rewarding. It has included building and selling three companies, surviving the Great Recession, reinventing myself during the pandemic, and—through it all—coaching kids.

I’ve completed over 30,000 pitching lessons, run camps for more than two decades, spoken to countless groups, and lived the life of a sports parent right alongside you. I’ve coached youth basketball, Little League and Pony baseball, AYSO soccer, and volunteered in more roles than I can count. I’ve grown, struggled, learned, and celebrated in the same bleachers, gyms, and fields as you.

Project FreePlay is the culmination of that journey.

It represents my belief that I’ve been called to use my experience in service of something bigger than myself—to shine a light on your son or daughter during some of the most formative years of their life. Our goal isn’t to remove fear, challenge, or failure. Life doesn’t work that way. Instead, we teach kids how to move through those moments with resilience, confidence, and joy. To take risks. To work hard. To smile while doing it.

Through sports, we help young people learn how to enjoy effort, embrace progress, and discover what they love—and just as importantly, what they don’t. We believe that growth happens when kids feel supported, encouraged, and safe to be themselves.

Let’s be honest: this is a challenging world to grow up in.

Division feels louder. Disrespect is often normalized. Accountability can feel optional. Project FreePlay isn’t here to rant or point fingers—we lead by example. Quietly. Consistently. We focus on what does work: respect, effort, responsibility, grit, and love for others. We believe sports are a powerful vehicle to teach these values—not through lectures, but through lived experience.

Kids crave connection, yet modern life can push them toward isolation. At Project FreePlay, we intentionally build community. A place where kids can compete, disagree, fail, try again, and still treat one another with respect. Where they see coaches and mentors modeling how to navigate life with character and humility.

This camp exists for my son, your daughter—our young people.

Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for believing that sports can still be joyful, meaningful, and formative. I invite you to join us on the slow, steady road of growth—because together, we are stronger.

It would be an honor to walk this journey with your family.

God bless,

Dan Keller