New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Youth sports leagues: They are taken for granted when you are younger and playing in them, but sorely missed as your get older and your waistline expands. The South Coast area has all sorts of these leagues, like Mariner Youth Soccer, Little League, and M.Y.A.A. basketball. Those are the leagues I am familiar with from growing up in Rochester. Kids today are a bit luckier than I was in that they now have more choice: namely, i9 Sports.
i9 Sports is a sports provider that offers a variety of sports to kids from the ages of 4 to 14. The leagues are open to anyone, and everyone is welcome. There are absolutely no tryouts or drafts in i9 Sports leagues, and each child receives 50% or more of playing time every game. With i9, every child gets the benefit of playing on a team, regardless of size, gender, or ability. By providing an outlet where kids can have a great time, make new friends, and get some exercise in a safe environment, it will ultimately help them throughout their life.
Peter Pacheco is the Program Director for i9 Sports New Bedford/Dartmouth. He was born and raised in the New Bedford area, and had always felt that the community could use a different type of sports league, and that’s where i9 Sports fits in. Peter and his wife Rachel are on the field every week that the leagues are running, so you can always find them and talk to them. The leagues are run in New Bedford, but children from any town are always welcome!
The first league started locally was Flag Football in October of 2009, and it had a great turnout. Since the beginning, i9 has offered Flag Football and Soccer in the Spring and Fall at Buttonwood Park, and Basketball in the Winter. They will be offering a variety of more sports in the coming months, starting this July with their Summer Camp (see below), which includes sports like Kickball, Wiffle Ball, and Ultimate Frisbee!
You may have thought about registering your child to play in a sports league, but why should you choose i9? What makes them different?
There are many things that make i9 stand out above the rest: Mainly their focus being on fun, safety, and convenience. i9’s primary goal is making sure that every child is having a great time when participating in their leagues, and that they are building confidence, making new friends, and learning what good sportsmanship is all about!
Of course, they haven’t forgotten about the parents and their very busy schedules! One of i9’s main goals is to make their leagues as easy and convenient as possible! They do this by holding practices and games all on the same day; same time, same place. You will only have to give an hour and ½ to two hours of your time once a week! And if for any reason you cannot make it for practice, your child will still be able to participate in the game with absolutely no penalties.
Though they appreciate help from parents that want to volunteer and participate by coaching or being a team helper, volunteering is never mandatory. Best of all – you will never be asked to raise any money: you pay the registration fee, and will never be asked to do any fundraisers. We all know that half the time you end up buying the entire box of chocolates yourself anyway!!!
One other benefit of being a part of the i9 experience is that every week of the entire season there is always on-site staff. There is a canopy setup at each location where if you have a question or an issue, you can simply walk up to the desk and ask!
i9 strives to provide the best possible youth sports leagues: Fun for the kids, and convenience for the parents – and a whole lot of memories for all!
If you haven’t already registered as a member for FREE, do so today and get up to date information on all of our upcoming leagues, and any discounts that they may be offering.
Please contact Rachel or Peter at 508-998-2868, or ppacheco@i9sports.com, with any questions or comments.
Upcoming Sports
Summer Camp: $55.00
i9’s Summer Camp will be running every Saturday from July 16th – August 6th from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (2 hours for each division). They’ll be playing sports like KICKBALL! WIFFLE BALL! SPUD! and ULTIMATE FRISBEE! For our last day of camp they will be having a fun day filled with exciting games like Sack Races, Three-Legged Races, Wheel Barrow Races, and more!
Flag Football and Soccer: $115.00 by 7/11; $125.00 by 8/8; $140 after 8/8
Offering Flag Football and Soccer this Fall in the West End of New Bedford at ButtonWood Park, running every Saturday from September 10th through October 29th (Flag Football times will range from 9a.m. – 1p.m, and Soccer from 2pm – 6pm). Your start time depends on your child’s age; the younger children start earlier, and the older children finish up the day
Basketball: $100 by 9/12; $115.00 by 10/10; $125.00 by 11/7; $140.00 by 11/7
i9 will be offering Basketball this Winter in the North End of New Bedford at Normandin Junior High School, running every Saturday from December 3rd through Febuary 4th, with times ranging from 9a.m. – 1p.m.
