Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin today announced the formation of the Birmingham Youth Sports League (BYSL) – a new initiative aimed at enriching 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 launches this summer with football and cheerleading, and will expand to include basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer in future phases. Official launch dates for additional sports will be announced at a later time.

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

This pilot project represents a citywide commitment to investing in Birmingham’s next generation through positive engagement and structured activities. It also 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 highlighted 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.”

The league will be led by a governing team that includes an advisory team, commissioner, assistant commissioner, and operations directors for each sport, with coordination from the Mayor’s Office, Birmingham Park and Recreation, and the Department of Youth Services.

To: CHRIS THEOFIELD

From: Twins KATE and GRACE THEOFIELD, Smithtown West, lacrosse and soccer, Srs.

Dear Dad,

As our high school athletic careers come to an end, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for everything that you’ve done for us.

Your dedication has been unwavering. You have been our coach, mentor, motivator, cheerleader, advocate and greatest supporter. You taught us to work hard, learn from criticism, dig deep and persevere especially in times of adversity.

Your devotion and volunteerism during our days in youth sports instilled many life lessons for us to carry onto the next level. Whether it was soccer, basketball or lacrosse, you were everyone’s favorite coach. Intense but fair, loud but positive. You wanted everyone to be the best player that they could be! And let’s be honest, winning was a plus!

Our favorite moments on the field were when we looked up into the stands and saw you cheering us on as loud as you could. There is nothing more motivating than seeing how passionate you are and wanting us to do our best.

You sacrificed a lot to be there by our sides. Nerve-racking tryouts, endless traveling and your time away from home and work. You have taught all four of us that life is about hard work, consistent effort, supporting one another and being a good leader.

As we take the next step, although not together and far from our Smithtown home, we look forward to seeing you in the stands, loud as ever, cheering everyone on and sharing our love of lacrosse that you passed down to us!

All Our Love, from your favorite twins,

Kate and Grace

To: FRANK MEAK

From: GREYSON MEAK, Cold Spring Harbor, wrestling and football, Sr.

Dear Dad,

Happy Father’s Day! You are an incredible father and I would be nowhere near where I am today without you. You have always been my biggest supporter and my best friend and there is no way I can thank you enough for all you’ve done and all you’ve sacrificed for me.

You have been there for me, lifting me back up when I fall and supporting me in the worst of times. You have been there for me, being my biggest fan and the first to congratulate me during the best of times.

Through everything I do, I hope to make you proud, and I hope that one day I can be as great a father to my kids as you have been to me, and I hope I can help them achieve their goals and their dreams just as you have helped me achieve mine. Everything I’ve done and the man I am today is thanks to you.

I love you.

Greyson

To: JOE VARLACK

From: BRANDON VARLACK, Half Hollow Hills East, basketball, Sr.

Dear Dad,

Happy Father’s Day!

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I appreciate everything you do for me. You’re not just a great dad, you are also genuinely one of the nicest people I know. I think many people agree with me. Your kindness and support don’t go unnoticed, even if I don’t always say it out loud.

Thank you for being there for me. Whether it’s driving me to tournaments hours away or rebounding for me in the backyard, you never complain. You are always making sure I’m working hard. You are always there for me and making sure I have what I need to be great. That means a lot to me.

You’ve shown me what it means to be loving, not just by what you say, but by everything you do for our whole family. You put others first, and you never ask for anything in return. You are always there to help me out with school, give advice, or just sit and talk about basketball. This shows the kind of heart you have.

So today, I just want you to know how much I want to take after you, not just as a dad, but as a man. You’ve taught me more than I can put into words.

Thanks for being you. I’m very proud to call you my dad.

Love, Brandon

To: GARY HENRY

From: ALANA HENRY, Amityville volleyball, basketball, flag football, Sr.

Dear Dad,

Father’s Day gives me a chance to say thank you to someone who’s been there for me in ways that really mattered, my dad, Gary Henry. He hasn’t been my coach, he didn’t run the drills and he wasn’t always on the sidelines. But when it came to showing up in the ways that count, he’s never let me down. Whenever my mom couldn’t be there, whether it was a ride to practice, a tournament across the state, or just making sure I had what I needed, he stepped up without hesitation. He’s covered most of the expenses for my gear, my travel, my training, things I know aren’t easy, but he never once made me feel like a burden. That doesn’t shut down my mom either, she does equally the amount of work as he does. I appreciate them both for how much they’ve helped me.

He came to games when he could, sometimes calling out of work just to drive me to my weekend tournaments. And even when he couldn’t be there physically, I knew he was in my corner. He’s always supported me quietly, but fully. Never loud or overbearing, just steady. Solid. Reliable. As an athlete, it’s easy to get caught up in the spotlight or the stats. But the real foundation of everything I’ve achieved is the support behind the scenes. My dad may not have drawn up plays or shouted from the bench, but he gave me the opportunity to chase my dreams and that means everything.

So on this Father’s Day, I just want to say thank you, Dad. Thank you for all the sacrifices, the quiet support, and the unconditional belief in me. I hope every time I compete, you know I carry your love and effort with me.

Love, Alana

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It was the best of debuts for Jacob Misiorowski … until it ended early. Plus: The Angels call up (another) prospect, the Rangers offense is maybe not dead and Ken tells us why Ryan Yarbrough’s a Yankee. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!

Intros: Jacob Misiorowski’s mostly stellar debut

The news broke Tuesday: Milwaukee was calling up 23-year-old flame thrower Jacob Misiorowski to start against the Cardinals.

In 63 1/3 innings at Triple-A Nashville, Misiorowski — No. 87 on Keith Law’s top 100 prospects list and No. 5 on his Brewers list — had an ERA of 2.13, with 80 strikeouts and 31 walks. Here’s how the debut went:

First inning: 1-2-3

Second inning: 1-2-3 with a strikeout

Third inning: 1-2-3, sorta: a walk, a double play and a strikeout

Fourth inning: two walks, but still no hits

Fifth inning: 1-2-3, with two strikeouts

Three pitches into the sixth inning: a minor disaster. After Misiorowski threw ball three to Victor Scott II, this happened (watch the right ankle).

MUST SEE: Jacob Misiorowski’s first three pitches to start his Major League career:

100 MPH
102 MPH
101 MPH pic.twitter.com/gObMMacPDT

— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2025

Misiorowski left the game — right calf and quad cramping, of all things — and while reliever Nick Mears kept the no-hitter intact for the rest of the sixth inning, Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras singled off Aaron Ashby to start the seventh inning.

(Not to get too sidetracked, but Contreras then attempted to steal and was thrown out by his brother William, who catches for the Brewers. I await Jayson Stark’s confirmation on how often this has happened in history.)

Anyway, what a debut for Misiorowski, huh?

Oh, by the way, the 37-33 Brewers won 6-0 to leapfrog the Cardinals for second place in the NL Central. All it took was for me to go and declare St. Louis this year’s Plot Twist, and now they’re mired in a five-game losing streak. Sorry ‘bout it, Cardinals fans.

More Brewers: Yesterday morning, the Brewers started their day on social media by wishing pitcher Aaron Civale happy birthday. Hours later, news broke that Civale — relegated to the bullpen for the first time in his career — had requested a trade.

Ken’s Notebook: Yarbrough thriving after leaving Blue Jays

From my latest column:

Right-hander Jacob Barnes and lefty Richard Lovelady are best described as journeymen. Most baseball fans would not even recognize their names. Yet, those are the two pitchers the Blue Jays chose over left-hander Ryan Yarbrough for their Opening Day roster, only to designate both for assignment less than a month later.

Yarbrough, after declining a revised offer from the Jays, opted out of his minor-league contract, became a free agent and signed with the New York Yankees. He started out in the Yankees’ bullpen, then joined their injury-depleted rotation in early May and produced a stunning 2.08 ERA in his first five starts before faltering last Saturday against the Boston Red Sox.

As the Jays await the return of righty Max Scherzer and ponder the regression of righty Bowden Francis, they can only wonder how Yarbrough, a pitcher who was firmly under their control, might have fit.

The Jays, winners of 12 of their last 14 games and holding the top wild-card position in the American League, are not exactly suffering. Lefty Eric Lauer, signed to a minor-league deal in December, is proving a reasonable facsimile of Yarbrough. If Scherzer makes a successful return from his right thumb injury by the end of June, the team’s decision on Yarbrough at the end of March might prove little more than a footnote.

Yarbrough is the kind of pitcher who is easy to overlook. His fastball is among the slowest in the majors, averaging just 87.5 mph. Yet Erik Neander, his former president of baseball operations with the Tampa Bay Rays, describes him as “absolutely fearless, incredibly savvy and somebody who gets the absolute most out of their abilities.”

“How do you know someone has special makeup?” Neander asked with a chuckle. “They’re getting guys out in the big leagues throwing 86 mph.”

The Blue Jays, after acquiring Yarbrough last July 30 from the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Kevin Kiermaier and cash, came to understand what makes the pitcher unique. They re-signed him on Feb. 21, and after he triggered his opt-out clause in late March, they had the ability to keep him by adding him to their major-league roster.

The Jays were willing to do that — with a catch. They asked Yarbrough to sign an advance-consent clause, allowing them to release him within the first 45 days of the regular season and terminate the rest of his $2 million guarantee. The Yankees, Yarbrough said, made him the same offer, but with a different incentive structure.

Yarbrough was willing to accept that deal from the Yankees, a team he admired from afar for its ability to get the most out of pitchers. He wasn’t willing to accept it from the Jays, for whom he had a 2.01 ERA in 31 1/3 innings after the trade, pitching in a variety of roles out of the bullpen.

More here.

Movements: Angels call up Christian Moore

There’s quite the youth movement happening in Anaheim. This year, no fewer than 14 players age 25 or younger have suited up for the Halos. Six are currently on the active roster, and here are the numbers of minor-league games they’ve played:

There are some “normal” ones there, but that chart doesn’t include Caden Dana (21 years old, 52 minor-league games), Ben Joyce (24, 47 minor-league games, currently on 60-day IL) or Ryan Johnson (22, five minor-league games) — all of whom have appeared in at least one game for the Angels this year.

There’s about to be another one. Twenty-two-year-old infielder Christian Moore, the No. 8 pick in last year’s draft, is being called up to join the team in Baltimore. Moore was Law’s No. 2 Angels prospect. After struggling in 34 Double-A games this year (.665 OPS), he was promoted to Triple A, where he hit .350/.424/.575 (.999 OPS) with four home runs in 20 games.

Interestingly, while Moore has only played in 79 minor-league games, the call-up is actually later than expected — he was set to debut last September before a knee injury.

The Angels aren’t the only organization to do this sometimes — Wyatt Langford made the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day roster in 2024 after just 44 minor-league games, for example — but they seem to have a more aggressive promotion philosophy than most.

Resurrections: Has the Rangers’ offense risen from the dead?  

The story of the 2025 Rangers has been simple: great pitching; the offense stinks.

We’ll need a bigger sample size than six games against the Nationals and a struggling Twins rotation, but any time a team scores 16 runs twice in one series, it’s worth raising an eyebrow and side-eyeing them a little bit.

Emblematic of both the struggle and the renaissance: second baseman Marcus Semien.

Opening Day through May 28 (223 plate appearances): .173/.260/.224 (.485 OPS), three home runs

May 29 through yesterday: (48 PAs) .429/.500/.786 (1.286), four home runs

Semien isn’t alone. Evan Carter has hit home runs in three out of four games. Josh Smith has been red-hot, and Jake Burger has looked like a different player since his short stay in the minor leagues. Six Rangers homered yesterday.

Is it a flash in the pan? Maybe, but their next 18 games should give them a chance to lock in. They face the White Sox, Royals, Pirates, Orioles, Mariners and Orioles again. Every one of those teams is (like the 33-36 Rangers) below .500, save for the Royals (34-34).

Handshakes and High Fives

This is kind of a big deal: While MLB has previously refused to acknowledge any changes to the baseballs, this year, the league admits there’s a difference in how the baseballs are behaving. MLB insists there have been no changes and it’s just as confused as the rest of us.

My favorite read of the day: Matt Gelb has a brilliant profile on the Phillies’ one-of-a-kind starter Zack Wheeler, who does things his own way.

Tyler Kepner’s “Sliders” column starts with MacKenzie Gore and ends with umpire impersonations.

These days, we get heartwarming videos when a prospect is called up. Steve Buckley talked to a few guys whose call-ups happened in the pre-MySpace days.

Mets starter Kodai Senga is headed to the IL with a strained hamstring.

Welcome our new intern Dhani Joseph, who asks: What happens when the pope wears your hat?

Last year’s Tigers surprised people. This year, it’s just who they are, says Britt Ghiroli.

With a month and a half til the trade deadline, who needs what, and how urgently? It’s the Trade Deadline Urgency Index 1.0.

Meanwhile, Jim Bowden gives us 20 deadline-related things he’s hearing.

And lastly, a correction. In yesterday’s Windup, I mentioned a story in the Boston Globe. It was, in fact, the Boston Herald. Apologies. (At least I got the link right?)

On the pods: The “Rates and Barrels” crew asks if the Rangers might consider offers on Jacob deGrom, and highlights some overlooked hitters from this year.

Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Keith Law’s 2025 Mock Draft 2.0, with Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette at No. 1.

Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.

(Photo: Jeff Hanisch / Imagn Images)

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.