CITY PARTNERS ON FREE WINTER YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAM FOR HARTFORD KIDS
Published on January 31, 2022
HARTFORD, CONN (January 31, 2022) – Today, Mayor Luke Bronin announced a partnership with Active City to provide a winter youth sports program at no cost to Hartford children between the age of five and 14. Using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the City has committed $900,000 over three years to this partnership, which will allow members of Active City’s Hartford Youth Sports Collaborative (HYSC) to receive free access to school facilities for sports programming. The City and the HYSC will team up to open up and activate school gyms throughout the city to provide a location for these programs.
Administered by the HYSC and sponsored by the City of Hartford’s Department of Families, Children, Youth & Recreation, registration fees, which are normally $25, will be waived for Hartford children between five and 14. Officials estimate more than 1,000 Hartford children will be able to register for these programs free of charge. This winter sports program is a follow-up to last spring’s program, which also utilized ARPA funding to offer free spring sports to 1,041 children. The partnership will continue to provide free sports programming in future seasons.
“Our program last spring was a huge success, and we're thrilled to build on that experience by making these winter youth sports programs free and accessible to Hartford children,” said Mayor Bronin. “We encourage every Hartford parent to get your kids registered so they can stay active and get some exercise in the months ahead. I want to thank our partner, Active City, for administering these programs, and I’m proud that we’re able to use this ARP money to keep our kids active and healthy.”
“With this program, we’re making sure Hartford kids have a way to stay active and engaged even during the winter,” said Councilman Nick Lebron, co-founder of Active City. “I look forward to continuing our partnership over these next three years.”
“This is a great opportunity for our children to play, learn, grow, and reconnect,” said Kim Oliver, Director of the Department of Families, Children, Youth & Recreation. “Our partnership with Active City and the Hartford Youth Sports Collaborative will help more than 1,000 Hartford children engage in positive activities and relationships that lead to positive outcomes.”
“We think it’s really important for Hartford kids to have the chance to play organized sports, for their health and wellness but also to help them build team-building and leadership skills,” said Brian Gallagher, Executive Director of Active City. “We’re proud to be able to assist the City of Hartford in developing this youth sports program, and we’re looking forward to an exciting and fun sports season.”
Programs were scheduled to begin on Saturday, January 29th and include basketball, football, soccer, track & field, and volleyball. All experience levels are welcome. Active City has already begun registration for the winter youth sports program, so families can register for their chosen sports at this link: https://www.activecity.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1216846.
The HYSC is a collective of Hartford based youth-serving sport organizations who have come together to improve the quality and accessibility of organized sports and recreations programs across the city. We hope to build collaborations and partnerships that will have a city-wide impact in advancing and sustaining the sport-based youth development landscape in Hartford.