Tony Korson, Founder of Koa Sports

Tony Korson is a locally grown, self-made entrepreneur from Bethesda, Maryland. Tony attended Walt Whitman High School where he is a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame and graduated and played college baseball at Florida Gulf Coast University. He was a varsity pitcher on the baseball team and received a B.A. in Finance. After completing his studies, Tony decided to leave the world of suits and ties and enter the world of cleats and uniforms.  

His vision founded Koa Sports (a 501c3) to impact and shape kids’ lives through sports. Koa is one of the largest youth sports organizations in the DMV and features a myriad of offerings. Which includes leagues, private training, camps/clinics, and travel teams; for baseball, basketball, field hockey, flag football, tennis, and a yearlong multi-sport program.

Propelled by 4 core values: positivity, dedication, team-first, and fun; and commitment to athlete's reaching their full potential, is Koa's secret sauce. Tony's passion for sports and business has grown the company from a one-man operation to 300+ part-time employees and a full-time staff of 15! Koa's professional staff ranges from former pro athletes to college students who mentor over 5,000 athletes per year. The culture at Koa pushes athletes to thrive both on and off the field.

Koa Sports is committed to everyone in the community; we want everyone to be active and have an opportunity to play. Koa created the ‘Play it Forward Scholarship Fund,’ which promises no athlete will be sidelined due to financial means. Over the past 5 years, the scholarship fund has awarded over $70,000 in aid for families in need.

Korson, a thought leader in the youth sports community has been featured in several media outlets; including, The Washington Post, The MOCO Show Spotlight, The Washington Examiner, and Bethesda Magazine. Tony was a panelist for the Aspen Institute Project Play Summit as well as the Sports Events Marketing Experience Sports Conference. Tony routinely guest lectures at the University of Maryland and in Georgetown's Sports Industry Management's Master Program and even made a guest appearance on the popular Kojo Nnamdi Show. Koa Sports and his family are the two things Tony is most proud of. He and his wife Nikki currently live in Rockville and have 2 boys.