Importance of Youth Sports in Local Communities

The benefits kids gain from playing sports are well documented. Playing sports helps kids grow healthy and strong, sets them up for an active lifestyle in later years, benefits them mentally and physically, teaches them teamwork and sportsmanship, and gives them a fun outlet for their energy. But have you ever thought that youth sports benefit more than just the athlete? When kids play sports, they learn life skills that will help them grow into well-adjusted adults, and that’s a boon to their community. However, there are many other ways in which youth sports positively impact their communities. 

• The health benefits of sports for kids are important to their overall well-being and improve academic potential. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 17 should engage in a minimum of one hour of moderate to vigorous physical exercise every day for good health. The more kids exercise, the better it is for their bodies. In fact, regular physical exercise is vital to a child’s well-being. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counts strong bones and muscles, healthy weight, cardiorespiratory fitness, and a reduction in anxiety and depression, heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and obesity among the benefits of regular exercise for children. Kids who play sports get the exercise they need, whether practicing or playing in a game, and they have fun doing it! Healthy kids who get plenty of exercise sleep better, and have better school attendance, which is important for academic success. Additionally, students who play sports tend to be goal-oriented and have a strong self-concept. These traits could explain why a large percentage of student athletes have an “A” average in school. Student athletes are more likely to have strong educational and career goals. Childhood health sets the stage for lifelong health and success, so active children are vital to a community. The well-being of the children affects the entire character of the community. Further, healthy children grow into healthy adults who give back to their community and raise healthy children of their own
• Kids who play sports are less likely to get into trouble. Two factors that come into play when people are researching youth crime are boredom and a lack of supervision. These aren’t the only risk factors, obviously, but when kids are bored and unsupervised it’s easy for them to fall into bad company or make poor choices. Involving kids in sports can help occupy their time, so that they have less free time in which to get into trouble. It occupies their minds and bodies, too, as they practice, play games, and connect with teammates. Being part of a team gives them a place to belong and helps reduce antisocial behavior, while playing a game gives them a positive healthy outlet for their excess energy. Student athletes learn to make quick decisions and face adversity, and in the process, they become resilient. As mentioned earlier, when kids are enrolled in sports, they tend to do better in school. Guidance from role models in their community, like their coaches, can help them make healthy choices that pave the way for a positive lifestyle. Lower crime makes a community safer, so helping children grow into law-abiding team players is an important part of growing a healthy community. 
• Youth sports provide a place for the community to connect. Communities with youth sports teams have something to rally behind, and the sports events bring people together, as families and neighbors cheer on each other’s kids. Civic engagement increases when people have kids who participate in sports, especially when the sports are connected to municipal resources. People build bonds with other people in their community, forming meaningful relationships. Kids find mentors and mentorship benefits everyone involved, as positive examples are modeled, and connections are formed. Parents meet other parents at sporting events, increasing their networks and strengthening the community.       
• Youth sports give others the opportunity to make a difference in kids’ lives. Whether you’re a coach or a volunteer, getting involved in youth sports can be just as beneficial to you as it is to the kids you’re helping. It can be challenging, but that helps you learn and grow as a person. Working in youth sports is an empowering experience, because it allows you to be a part of something that helps kids grow and develop into self-confident people. You get to be a role model to young people, pass along your love of the game, and feel good about making a difference in the kids’ lives as they learn to believe in themselves and work as a team. What’s more, you’ll build relationships within your community, as you meet parents, officials, and other coaches. You’ll be part of something that’s vital to the community as a whole.

At i9 Sports^®, we care about our communities. That’s why our focus is on high-quality, community-based kids’ sports leagues. We believe that by teaching kids to become better athletes, we’re also helping them to become better people, and good people are the foundation of a good community. Our program is built on a belief that youth sports are about more than just skills and scores, and we take sportsmanship very seriously. 

Why? Because playing a sport is more than just helping a child develop physically. Kids who participate in sports learn life lessons that will stay with them throughout their adult lives. When our coaches teach kids about respect or teamwork, the kids carry those lessons into their classrooms and their homes. When they learn from us about enthusiasm and integrity, our players aren’t just learning how to play a sport. They’re learning that encouraging others and doing the right thing is just as important as excelling in a sport or winning a championship. 

i9 Sports^® cares about families, too. You can’t have a strong community without strong families, and that’s why we’ve designed a program that honors family time as well as allowing kids to learn the ins and outs of multiple sports. We don’t require players to travel, nor do we fundraise or ask parents to sell concessions. We want to help parents enjoy the experience as much as their children do, making memories with their children while the young athletes learn, make friends, and have fun playing games. We know that youth sports are beneficial to the community, but we also believe that sports shouldn’t require the family to put everything else in their lives second. We offer convenient youth sports schedules that give families time to be together, live balanced lives, and have the opportunity to be productive members of their communities. 

If you’re looking for a fun experience for your kids in which they can develop athletic skills, build self-confidence, and learn good sportsmanship, i9 Sports^® has the program for you. FIND A PROGRAM NEAR YOU HERE!