Youth Sport Trust

Giving young athletes the competitive edge

Youth Sport Trust partnered with Atomic to transform their digital education offering for parents and guardians of young athletes. Their goal: to evolve an outdated web-based e-learning platform into a streamlined, engaging, and mobile-first experience. The result was the Performance Parent App, a native mobile application designed to deliver high-impact content in a format that suits the fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle of elite youth sports families.

A long jumper wearing a navy blue uniform and a SCO bib is mid-air above a sandpit, arms spread out and legs extended forward, about to land during a track and field event.

“

It’s been a pleasure working with Atomic on our Performance Parent app project. They took on our challenging brief and even more challenging schedule without blinking and they delivered on time and on budget.

Youth Sport Trust

The challenge

Creating a mobile-first learning platform to support parents of young athletes

Youth Sport Trust identified the need to upgrade its legacy e-learning platform, which was no longer meeting the needs of parents and guardians of aspiring young athletes.

The web-based solution lacked accessibility, user engagement, and mobile optimisation, critical factors for families managing demanding sports schedules. They approached Atomic with a clear objective: to create a bespoke mobile app that would make educational content more accessible, relevant, and user-friendly.

A crowd of people, including adults and a young boy, sit outdoors in bright sunlight, watching an event. Most are wearing sunglasses and casual clothing, and they appear focused on what they are viewing.

Two smartphone screens display educational content about adolescent brain development. The left screen discusses the frontal lobe and has an Action point. The right screen shows a Final summary with a Reflective thought and a completion button.

Three smartphones display educational app screens: the first shows text about strength and weight gain with a dumbbell icon, the second features a flowchart graphic, and the third depicts a tent and mountain with a guided path, all on a yellow background.

The solution

A mobile-first experience tailored to performance parenting

Atomic led an in-depth discovery and design process, working closely with stakeholders to refine and repackage existing educational content.

The goal was to improve content engagement by delivering it in a mobile-native environment. The result was the Performance Parent App, developed natively for both iOS and Android. The app featured videos, animations, and infographics to enhance learning and was carefully designed for intuitive use.

Special consideration was given to offline access, allowing users to download content, an essential feature for stadiums and training facilities with poor connectivity. Additional functionality included personalised push notifications and the ability to add notes to articles, ensuring that users could tailor the experience to their needs.

A hand holds a smartphone displaying a support app with Competition Support at the top. The screen shows options to Start First Topic and Topics, plus a video section with Watch and a brief synopsis below.

A person in a black tank top drinks from a black water bottle while holding a smartphone, standing against a bright yellow background.

The outcome

Launching at speed to deliver long-term impact across national sports bodies

The Performance Parent App launched successfully ahead of a major British Cycling event, meeting tight delivery timelines and receiving strong initial uptake.

Since its debut, the app has expanded beyond its initial audience, with other national sporting bodies adopting the platform. It now serves as a vital tool in supporting the holistic development of young elite athletes and their families.

With mobile-first design, offline functionality, and personalised features, the app continues to deliver long-term value by making expert advice and resources available anytime, anywhere.