Community sports for kids

America has a long tradition of community sports activities. Whether it's football, baseball, soccer, or the swim meet at your local 'Y', community sports have been helping kids stay active for over a century.

Community sports offer a great way for your kids to be involved in organized activities at a minimum cost. They get all the benefits of regular exercise, plus the learning that is a part of organized team sports. Winning and losing, making friends, being part of a team, these are all essential learning experiences. Two of America's longest running and most popular community sports activities are Little League baseball and Pop Warner football, both of which have become American institutions, a part of growing up for millions of kids for over fifty years.

Pop Warner is a non-profit organization founded in 1929 that provides youth football and cheer and dance programs in 41 states and several countries around the world. Each year almost 360,000 kids from ages 5 to 16 years old participate. What makes Pop Warner unique is that it requires its participants to maintain academic standards in order to participate.

Little League Baseball has been a part of America's cultural fabric for more than six decades, and today is played in more than 70 countries and all 50 U.S. states. At its heart is a commitment to provide a safe, fun, wholesome combination of recreation and competition for kids aged 5-18 through regular play in local leagues.

And for those teams whose are up to it, the Little League International Tournament provides the largest sports tournament in the world, with more than 40,000 games worldwide leading to the various World Series tournaments.