Matt Belson | Founder, Scoops Lacrosse
When Matt Belson set out to share the sport he loved with his five-year-old son, Archer, he expected a father–son highlight reel. Instead, he got a hard “no.”
“I used to be the guy saying, ‘You’re doing it wrong, I know what I’m teaching you,’” Matt recalls. “He’d drop the stick and walk off, and I couldn’t figure out why.”
Then came the rainbow cones.
“I told him, ‘Find the white ball under the red cone—one point. Yellow ball under the orange—two points.’ Two minutes later he asked, ‘How did I do?’ I said, ‘21 points.’ He looked at me and said the magic words every coach and dad yearn to hear: ‘I think I can do better. Can I try again?’”
That tiny pivot—from pressure to play—lit the fuse. Matt rented a field house. Thirteen kids showed up (eleven were Archer’s preschool buddies). They cranked 80s rock and 90s rap. And for one hour, lacrosse wasn’t a checklist—it was a party.
They called it Scoops.
From Elite Culture to ‘Kids Being Kids’
Matt had grown up outside Boston, played Division I lacrosse, and coached at a high level. He loved everything about the game. But the youth sports world he saw around him felt… different.
“Parents driving 30 minutes, three times a week. Checks with commas. It was insanity,” he says. “So we flipped it. What if we built the Chuck E. Cheese of lacrosse—where kids can be kids?”
Word spread. Thirteen kids became forty-five. Forty-five became a hundred. Last spring, a Sunday session in Cohasset hit 145 three- to six-year-olds—tiny sticks, big smiles, dance party finish.
The Scoops Experience: A Play in Motion`
Scoops runs once a week, one hour at a time, in six-week sessions — simple by design. Each gathering feels like a performance, equal parts sport and theater:
- The opening scene: kids connect, names are shouted, energy rises, music fills the field.
- The middle act: drills are dressed up as adventures. Mr. Knuckles shows up to teach ground balls, relay races, spark competition and character.
- The finale: joy takes over. Boys face girls in a dance-off, big kids go against little ones, and an EDM remix of “Jump Around” sends everyone into chaos and laughter.
Retention sits around 74%. Kids come back because it’s fun. Parents come back because the vibe is welcoming—sunny Sunday mornings, neighbors connecting, kids sprinting off the field saying, “We love lacrosse” (even if they can’t spell it yet and most of them can’t :) Skills, Then Character—Or Maybe Both at Once
“Make it fun and challenging,” Matt says. “You’ll get better because you love being there.”
Scoops bakes life lessons into the party:
- Grace in losing, humility in winning. Relays create teachable moments either way.
- Gratitude as a habit. Every session ends with three thank-yous—parents, coaches, and each other—out loud, eye contact and all.
- Confidence on purpose. The barometer isn’t trophies; it’s high-fives and smiles. “Collecting smiles” is the unofficial KPI.
And yes, there’s a signature closing bit: the “Scooby-Doo move,” where Coach Matt flips from kind mentor to mock-curmudgeon and playfully shoos kids off the field. The giggles are undefeated.
From Fieldhouse to 55 Towns (and Counting)
What started as a reluctant five-year-old and a set of cones has grown into a movement:
- 18,000+ kids through the program so far
- 55 towns across Massachusetts
- A franchise model launched last year—Scoops sessions now run as far as California
The culture travels well because the core never changes: leave them smiling, build them up, and let lacrosse be a joyful proxy for movement, teamwork, and growth.
The Next Five Years: A Brand That Feels Like “Life Is Good”
Matt is a self-described “happy dude,” and his north star is simple: when people see “Scoops,” they should smile.
“I went from chasing salaries and titles to chasing kids with pool noodles—and I’ve never felt more fulfilled.”
“I want parents to think, ‘Sixty minutes of movement and joy. Zero pressure. Let’s go.’ If we can spread that across the country with leaders who believe in leaving kids more confident than they found them—that’s the dream.”
There’s product energy, too. Scoops recently launched the “Scoopah”—yes, with an “A-H,” a wink to Massachusetts—wrapped in a nostalgic 90s “Saved by the Bell” vibe. It’s equal parts function and fun, just like the program.
Mic-Drop Advice for Any Youth Sport
Matt’s closing note is as uncomplicated as it is powerful:
“Bring Back the Fun in Youth Sports”. Forget everything else. Throw a party. Let them have a good time.”
Because when joy shows up first, everything else—skills, character, community—has room to grow.
