As a young and eager participant in recreation sports leagues, Dylan DeClerck quickly became aware of a troubling disparity that would leave a lasting impact on him. At practices in the local park, he was often joined by neighborhood friends, many of them refugees and immigrants who, despite their passion for sports, were unable to afford the costs associated with organized play.

“Being in those leagues did so much for me growing up,” DeClerck said. “I learned how to win, how to lose, and how to work together to achieve your goals. There was so much I learned through sports, and I wanted to make that accessible to everybody. “

As a 16-year-old high school student, DeClerck established Opportunity on Deck, a baseball league that provided free sports experiences to elementary-aged children in low-income areas. Over the years, he expanded the organization, creating numerous sports-based youth development programs that now serve thousands of at-risk youth, all without charging a single participant.

Opportunity on Deck merged with Courage League Sports to form Can Play in 2021, which continues to make sports accessible to kids who wouldn’t otherwise have those opportunities.

DeClerck, who earned an MBA with a leadership certificate from the University of Iowa in 2020, has been named Young Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year by the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC). He will be recognized at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Honors event Oct. 11.

A native of Clive, Iowa, DeClerck attended West Des Moines Valley High School, where as a “smaller guy,” his sports career was limited to junior varsity tennis and the ultimate frisbee club. (Ultimate frisbee is still his passion and DeClerck plays professionally for the Minnesota Wind Chill and will represent our country on Team USA at the World Ultimate Championships this summer). His lack of varsity athletic letters didn’t deter his spirit of social entrepreneurship and founding a nonprofit.

“I’m not running a multimillion-dollar business, but I am running an organization that impacts thousands of kids every year,” DeClerck said. “I hope that I can demonstrate that there's many different ways to be an entrepreneur, and hopefully some Iowa students or people in the community might be able to see that, too.”

DeClerck earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Drake University before attending graduate school at the University of Iowa’s Pappajohn Education Center in Des Moines. Many of the classes he took for the leadership concentration dealt with managing staff and making strategic decisions.

“That was a huge benefit to me,” he said. “I could implement those immediately with my team.”

While attending graduate school in 2019, he also participated in Iowa JPEC’s Innovation Challenge where he pitched his venture, Iowa Community Investment, an accelerator idea where nonprofits are provided education, funding, and community connections to get up and running.

DeClerck is the fifth recipient of the Young Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year award that debuted in 2020. 

“It’s cool to have the recognition,” DeClerck said. “It is a great honor to be recognized as a young entrepreneur. I am always trying to advocate for social entrepreneurship.”