Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles is taking on a new position: football dad.

His son, Kingston, is playing tackle football for the first time this fall.

“It’s the greatest sport in the world,” Bolles told The Denver Gazette. “It’s the sport where you can come from all different backgrounds and then come together as a brotherhood and a family. There are so many life lessons you learn in tackle football that can make you a better person. … To be able to share that with my son this upcoming year is a blessing.”

Yet not every family in Colorado can afford the rising costs of youth sports.

The average U.S. family spent $1,016 on their child’s primary sport in 2024, according to The Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative, with an increase of 46% since 2019. USA Football also reports that since 2022 the cost for equipment to play youth tackle football has increased by 104% while youth flag football costs have risen by 93%.

The Broncos are doing their part to find a solution.

The Denver Broncos Foundation in late June launched an extension of its “All in, All Covered” helmet donation initiative to reduce the financial barriers for youth tackle and flag football in Colorado.

The Broncos partnered with two nonprofits — Every Kid Sports and Good Sports — with a five-year commitment to help provide funding for registration fees and equipment. The program aims to assist more than 17,000 Colorado youth among the local communities and demographics with the highest level of financial need.

“Over the past few years, we’ve really built a strong relationship with both organizations. We’re all working toward that same goal of getting kids on the field, removing barriers to play and increasing access to sports,” said Bobby Mestas, the Broncos’ director of youth and high school football. “A lot of them we hope are playing football for the first time.”

Every Kid Sports helps cover recreational sports registration fees up to $150 for income-restricted families nationwide. Families seeking help can apply directly on its website.

Eleana Fanaika is executive director of the Oregon-based nonprofit. She said that four weeks of swimming lessons in her community that previously cost $19 are now $95.

“That is the first barrier that’s stopping kids from being able to access youth sports,” said Fanaika. “We want to ensure that every child gets a chance to play and see their full potential in life.”

Every Kids Sports saw an immediate uptick in applications following the Broncos’ partnership announcement. As of last week, there were 108 kids across 16 Colorado cities receiving support. But the real impact will be understood after several years of assisting Colorado youth.

“One of the things we’re tracking is retention and understanding the data behind this five-year commitment together,” Fanaika told The Denver Gazette. “That’s really going to show us data that hasn’t been pulled before, especially with low-income families and how access can make a difference in a community. We know the demand has always been there, and we also know that it’s growing and the gap is widening.”

Good Sports partners with the sporting goods industry to obtain excess athletic gear, apparel and footwear. The Massachusetts-based nonprofit supplies children with sports gear in high-need communities across the nation. Football coaches and league administrators can apply directly on the Good Sports website for support.

“It’s very unusual for teams or brands to think about a five-year partnership. To think about the issue as not something that can be solved in a short period of time, but rather as an investment that needs to be made over multiple years in order to see that kind of incremental improvement,” said Christy Keswick, co-founder of Good Sports. “We’re talking about access barriers in both rural and urban areas. We’re talking about specific demographics that do not have high participation rates. Really using these resources to identify and try to improve those outcomes.”

The Broncos credit the leadership of controlling owner Greg Penner and co-owner Carrie Walton Penner for the vision to extend “All In, All Covered” to help cover registration and equipment fees to participate in youth tackle and flag football.”

“They’ve been instrumental,” Mestas told The Denver Gazette. “This program is a reflection of the Walton-Penner ownership group’s commitment to investing in Colorado’s community and ensuring that more boys and girls have access to sports. We’re incredibly fortunate to have an ownership group that understands the power of sports to positively impact young people.”