I want to tell you why we’re here because we’re actually very, very excited to be here to share some great news with you. Um, and there’s no mistake, um, and we all know that this city, we are committed to investing in our youth. This is represented through *** Continued support and advocacy for programs such as Birmingham Promise. Early childhood investments such as small magic, conflict resolution, financial literacy curriculum in our schools, safe havens, um, who were led by Shana Bennett, who leads our park and rec, and her board members are present as well. As well as continued investments in recreations and youth. Youth sports We’re here today to talk more about youth sports. You sports are an important part of our lives. It’s an important part for our children. And as *** city, many people devote their time as well as their energy to operate youth sports programs. Please recall that the Birmingham Crime Commission recognized the importance of the role of youth sports in our community and its recommendations. The commission advised, and I want to share to reiterate the point that we must reinvest in mentorships, education. And diversion programs to reduce juvenile crime as well as foster positive relationships. But also reimplement the police athletic teams and other youth engagement and mentorship programs. Earlier this year, Park and Recreation partnered with BPD. To launch, relaunch, that is, the police athletic teams. Um, led by an infusion of offered dollars from JT Moore, councilor JT Moore. The program has been very successful and I want to thank you. I want to thank Shana Bennett as well as Park and Rec, as well as Chief Michael Pickett for their leadership in relaunching. Um, PAT But today all of us here. We’re gathered to announce with our colleagues *** pilot project. *** pilot project establishing the Birmingham Youth Sports League. Again The Birmingham Youth Sports League. This is *** chance for Birmingham to support and enhance the youth sports teams in our city and community. The Birmingham Youth Sports League will focus on training for the sport. And enhancing academic support through the relationships established for the teams. In addition to that, the Birmingham Youth Sports League will serve as the official organization to streamline. Organize and elevate youth sports across the Magic City. The league plans This year, to start with football and cheerleading. And then the league plans to expand into basketball, softball, baseball, as well as soccer. Dates for additional sports will be announced at *** later time. But I also wanna talk to you about why this is important. We talk about mission, so it’s very, very important that we share the mission. Of the Birmingham Youth Sports League. The mission of the Birmingham Youth Sports League is to ensure that all young people. That all young people and their families experience *** CEA certified approach to youth athletics. Well you may be asking what does Sita stand for that means character. Excellence, equity, teamwork, and accountability. The league will be governed by an advisory team. Some of those members are here. *** commissioner, an assistant commissioner. An operations director for each sport with support from the mayor’s office, parking recreation, and the Department of Youth Services. I do want to share with you that you can gather and learn more information at BirminghamAL.gov/ youth sports. Before I pass the mic to my colleague Councilor Clinton Woods, who is *** youth sports advocate. *** youth coach himself. I want to publicly acknowledge Cedric Sparks. Sosa Sparks is my chief of staff for the city of Birmingham, but he’s also *** father and an avid advocate for youth sports. And the youth has been *** youth coach himself. He has led this effort and I want to publicly acknowledge him for his hard work and all the other team members who have been at the table with him. With that said, I wanna give the mic to counselor Clinton Woods. Thank you. Uh, good morning. Excited to be here. I think this is *** very special day. Uh, we’ve talked about the importance of youth sports for *** long time and excited to see us have the opportunity to really wrap our arms around it, um, you know, at the end of the day to make real impact, to make real change, you have to be willing to do hard things and so today I wanna thank Mayor Randall Woodin for being willing to do hard things and so, um, this has the ability to potentially impact. Our city, when we talk about what we want to see going forward and solving the problems that we see in Birmingham, the the battle for the future of our city begins with our youngest members, and so being willing to invest in them uh through something like the BYSL is incredibly special, uh, it’s something that that makes me come alive. I think he he mentioned Chief Sparks, um, you know, you Sports, you could tell it made him come alive, it made me come alive because like I said I I grew up at the ballpark. I I know what. It can mean for young people in our community. I know what it can mean for uh young people being on *** track, young people staying out of trouble, young people uh building confidence, understanding how to overcome adversity. I know what it can mean for our community as *** whole and so I am incredibly excited to be able to walk this out and. Uh, just have the opportunity to, to be *** part of this and and bring this to Birmingham because, um, you know, for *** long time the city has needed to do more in youth sports and the, the potential that we have before us is very special. I think it’s gonna become more and more apparent, uh, in the weeks, the months and years to come just how special, uh, this day is. I think we’ll look back and and have *** great appreciation for it, uh. Uh, just thankful for so many partners. There’s so many people that have have worked on this, so many organizations that have come together to solve this issue, and so I am, um, I’m ecstatic, like I said, I think this is just *** very special day. I’m excited to be *** part of it, but, uh, the BYSL is gonna be *** major, major, major, uh, forward momentum piece for Birmingham. Thank you. Excuse me. Excuse me. Alright, so *** couple of things. One, before we go into Q&A, which we’re about to do in probably less than *** minute, I want to acknowledge that we are here at the historic Legion Field. And so again, *** major shout out to Shanae Bennett, her team, um, the men and women on the ground every day in park and recreation throughout our entire city. We advocate for investing and lead our youth through program programs, sports, etc. Also want to acknowledge um the park board they’re present as well we’re so grateful for these community members, um, stepping up and being um vocal advocates as it relates to our parks and our recreation system um they don’t have to do what they choose to lead, so I’m grateful for them as as councilor Woods said, there are other partners here as well, um, and so we’re grateful for the commission and others. With that said, here’s what’s gonna happen. Um, counselor JT Moore’s daughters are gonna answer all your questions, OK? All of them. No, on *** serious note, um, we’re gonna open it up for questions. I would like to though for you wanna get into questions about the program. I wanna yield the mic to, uh, Cedric Sparks, uh, to answer your questions because he’s been leading this effort. So with that, who’s first? Can you talk about the budget for this program? Alright, good morning everyone. So the mayor has made *** recommendation to the council of seed money of $50 million so $500,000 has been budgeted. It’s part of the reason why we are, um, in terms of timeline because we don’t want to spend before obviously the mayor and the council have the opportunity to approve, but we also, um, have *** significant amount of public private partners that are ready to come to the table to assist, um, but the mayor and the council has done *** seed of $500,000 to get us started. Really, really good. So for all of the folks who are here who have ever done any work with youth sports, it’s *** challenge. You have *** significant number of volunteers who give up their time, um, and they look to raise money to help support both uniforms or training or spirit packs. And so the great part about the BYSL is the mayor of the council, park board, members of the staff, the goal is to reduce costs, so uniforms in the pilot year will be free. The goal is for it to be free going. Obviously going on, but uniforms, training, security, um, all of the things that we’ve seen that are really challenging for youth sports programs, we’re taking those costs away. Now it’s not meant for people to think that it’s to be devalued because there’s no cost to them, so there will be sweat equity that they have to put in to make sure the accountability piece is firm, but the stress that comes with um, with trying to raise revenues for those programs, those. Be eliminated and one of the great recommendations that came from um from the advisory team is that we’re gonna look to also pay youth coaches as well. So they’ll be going through significant background checks and training, but again, we wanna elevate the level of training and preparation and very few sports programs that are facilitated by cities pay their youth coaches we’re gonna pay ours. So really great question. So we can start with our commissioner. So Judge Fred Boling will serve as the commissioner for the BYSL. He’s *** judge. He’s been in youth sports for decades. The park programs in our city do *** phenomenal job. They have the infrastructure already in place. Many of these are fathers, they’re mothers, they’re teachers, um, and so these are young people who are coming in contact with folks that they see every day. That’s the real plus. The challenge though is that it. any youth sports programs, there’s not adequate training because resources are challenged. Well, if we take away that burden, provide the training, support those coaches who are quality mentors in our community, then that’s the best of both worlds for all of our kids and for the folks in the community who patronize these programs. Great question. So actually now, so two things the mayor noted that uh councilor JT Moore, um, really provided seed money for our PAT program. We actually started the process then in terms of collaboration. Football and cheerleading are next. We actually met last night virtually with all of the youth football programs in the city. Uh, they’re very excited that we finally as *** city get to come up under an umbrella, but there’s *** pilot. This year because we don’t want to overwhelm the system without knowing, OK, how does this benefit everybody? So two things happen operationally, um, things will kick off this month just in terms of recruiting the 6 pilot teams, but again, we can’t spend ahead of the budget being approved by the council, um, so practices will begin in July 1st games, especially for football and cheerleading, are scheduled to start in August. OK. So, thank you again. So, as young as 6, as old as 12, we really want to catch them before they start going into middle school programs, um, but we also want to make sure that there’s *** developmental period for the younger kids, especially in football. *** lot of them play flag, don’t want to really do *** lot of contact, but also remember too, it’s not just football and cheerleading. We’re gonna be moving into basketball, um, softball, baseball, and, uh, soccer. So, but football is the first one and the youngest will be 6 years old. Yes, look, we’ve already seen, uh, *** major reduction in crime this year. Uh, so just shout out to Park and Rec for. What they’ve already been doing, right? The, the safe haven programs have been extremely successful. Again, shout out to Shanae Bennett, who leads Park and Rec and her team for the programs they already offer at our recreation centers throughout our city. I think this element of stream streamlining if you would, uh, being under one umbrella um provides more of uh *** process for our youth for their parents and families without *** doubt, let me just simply answer your question. Yes, uh, we believe this, um, not just the recommendation of the crime commission, um, but how we activate more programmatic things for our youth and there’s probably nothing more better than sports. Um, that teaches teamwork, that teaches trust, teaches communication, teaches all these other things we want, um, for *** well rounded. Not just individual but our child and our children and so yes, uh we look forward to this program. We want to thank everybody again for being here.

Mayor Randall Woodfin announces The Birmingham Youth Sports League

Updated: 9:58 AM CDT Jun 13, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Mayor Randall Woodfin and members of the Birmingham City Council are announcing the Birmingham Youth Sports League Pilot Project on Friday.”We are committed to investing in our youth,” Woodfin said.Creating safe havens that encourage conflict resolutions and recreation are vital in the community. He noted that Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett mentioned that the Police Athletic Teams (PAT) would be returning this spring in his 8-point crime reduction plan.This is a way for the youth to build rapport with officers in hopes of a long-term crime reduction tactic. He believes it’s time for more youth to put down their video games and get outside to become more active. The Birmingham Youth Sports League will be governed by an advisory team, so that every child has the ability to enjoy an excellent and equitable chance at recreation. To learn more about the sports league, the registration process and register, click here.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

Mayor Randall Woodfin and members of the Birmingham City Council are announcing the Birmingham Youth Sports League Pilot Project on Friday.

“We are committed to investing in our youth,” Woodfin said.

Creating safe havens that encourage conflict resolutions and recreation are vital in the community.

He noted that Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett mentioned that the Police Athletic Teams (PAT) would be returning this spring in his 8-point crime reduction plan.

This is a way for the youth to build rapport with officers in hopes of a long-term crime reduction tactic. He believes it’s time for more youth to put down their video games and get outside to become more active.

The Birmingham Youth Sports League will be governed by an advisory team, so that every child has the ability to enjoy an excellent and equitable chance at recreation.

To learn more about the sports league, the registration process and register, click here.

The 20-page report, covering activities through the Iranian year 1402 (March 2023 – February 2024), was published on Thursday, June 6, 2025, and includes detailed updates on religious life, community services, property management, youth education, and relations with the government. The report opens with praise for the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, and pledges of loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian constitution.

MANAMA (Bahrain) – On the occasion of the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony in Bahrain, a Basketball For Good Clinic was hosted with local children and the inductees.

Organized at the Khalifa Bin Salman Sports City Arena by the FIBA Foundation with the support of the Bahrain Basketball Association, this event brought together 70 boys and girls aged 8 to 12 years old for a unique experience combining basketball fundamentals with health and well-being education.

The clinic, led by local coaches alongside FIBA Foundation Youth Leaders Bayan Moamen and Aya Salman, comprised different stations focusing on basketball skills enriched with an educational component to promote the importance of health and well-being.

In addition, the participants were also offered the chance to meet the FIBA Hall of Famers who joined the coaches and Youth Leaders to run the clinic. Alphonse Bilé, Andrew Bogut, Leonor Borrell, Pau Gasol, Ticha Penicheiro and Dawn Staley led the stations, played 3×3 basketball games, and interacted with the children in a fun and stimulating atmosphere.

Pau Gasol expressed on how basketball can impact lives, “Basketball contributes to children’s lives in a big way, it is such a great educator. It instills a lot of values in any kid or any person that plays the sport.”

Towards the end of the clinic, the Hall of Famers took the time to motivate the next generation of healthy and active basketball citizens by sharing inspiring stories, responding to questions, taking photos, and signing autographs.

The event wrapped up with a group photo, capturing a moment that will remain unforgettable for the kids as they continue their journey in Bahrain’s youth basketball programs.

The clinic marks another step forward for the Basketball For Good programs as the FIBA Foundation seeks to bring more Hall of Famers into its activities to inspire the new generations, setting the stage for future events engaging legends with local communities around the world.

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The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.

The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate, and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.

BIRMINGHAM – On Friday Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin announced the formation of the Birmingham Youth Sports League (BYSL), a new initiative designed to enrich the lives of young people through athletic training, mentorship, and academic support.

“This is a chance for Birmingham to support and enhance the youth sports experience across our city,” said Mayor Woodfin. “We’re not just building athletes, we’re building character, community, and opportunity.”

The league will launch this summer with football and cheerleading, with plans to expand to basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer in future phases. Official launch dates for these additional sports will be announced at a later date.

The program will be funded through $500,0000 of seed money from the Birmingham City Council. That money is apart of the city’s yearly budget and is expected to be approved by early July. The money will go towards team uniforms, equipment, coaches pay, and registration fees to help take the financial load off of parents.

“In many youth programs there’s not adequate training because resources are a challenge if we take away that burden provide the training support those coaches who are quality mentors in our community then that’s the best of both worlds for all of our kids and the folks in the community who patronize these programs,” said Cedric Sparks with the City of Birmingham.

City leaders say the mission of BYSL is rooted in the CEETA standard: character, excellence, equity, teamwork, and accountability. Beyond athletic training, the league will focus on providing life skills, conflict resolution strategies, and academic mentorship to participating youth.

This pilot project builds on recent efforts to revive city-run youth engagement programs like the Police Athletic Teams (P.A.T.) by the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board and Birmingham Police Department.

The independent Birmingham Crime Commission emphasized the importance of such programs in its January 6, 2025 report, recommending “reinvest in mentorship, education, and diversion programs to reduce juvenile crime and foster positive relationships. Re-implement the Police Athletic Teams (P.A.T.) and other proven youth engagement and mentorship partnerships.”