Our Programs

We provide the opportunity for children to play baseball and basketball at two levels of competition (intra-mural/recreational and travel) and Flag Football.

BASEBALL

We charter and founding members of two of the largest and best baseball leagues in the nation:

PROSPECT PARK BASEBALL ASS'N (PPBA)

SBBL is a member of Cal Ripken &

Babe Ruth Baseball

SOUTH BROOKLYN BASEBALL LEAGUE (SBBL)

Intra-mural/Recreational Baseball is played mostly in Prospect Park, mostly on Saturdays, between April and June.  Each team plays about 12 games.  The games are usually scheduled in two hours slots with the first game starting at 9 am; the last game (for the players 9 years and older) normally starting at 5 pm.   All players are evaluated in February and then drafted onto teams by the coaches.  Everyone who registers on time is placed on a team.  Late registrants usually end up on a team, but not always.  Practices are arranged by, and at the discretion of, the coaches beginning in March.  There are two forms of intra-mural baseball: co-ed hardball and girls' softball.  Co-ed hardball is played by teams of boys and girls ages 5 through 16 (although most girls move to softball by the age of 8).  Teams of co-ed players who are 9 years and older play within the Prospect Park Baseball Alliance (PPBA) against teams not only from our organization but also from other local community youth organizations.  The co-ed teams of players ages 5 through 8 play only within our organization.  The softball teams are for girls ages 8-15 only and also play against other organizations that are part of the PPBA.  Their games tend to be on Sundays starting at 1 pm.  Click on the Baseball link at the top of the page to learn more about the program.

Travel Baseball  is played under our Bulldog umbrella in a more competitive environment.  We usually have six Bulldog teams starting at 8 years old and running through 15 years old.  Players must try out to make a Bulldog team.  Players who don't make a Bulldog team are eligible to play on an intra-mural team.  Playing travel baseball is a significant commitment.  Practices can be twice a week and as many as 35 games can be played in the season, which runs through July.  The teams usually enter tournaments, which require additional financial contributions by the parents.  Many of the Bulldog teams play in summer leagues and tournaments.  The league games are in different locations in Brooklyn, including the SBBL, of which we are a founding member.  The SBBL is affiliated with the Cal Ripken (ages 9-12) and Babe Ruth (ages 13-14) organizations which entitles winning teams to participate in the Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth regional and national tournaments.  The tournaments can be out of state.  Traditionally, our 12 year old Bulldog team, for example, plays in a week long summer Cooperstown tournament against teams from all over the country.  Click on the Bulldogs link at the top of the page to learn more about the program.

In 2009, more that 1,300 boys and girls played baseball or softball for our organization.  Each year there are hybrid situations based on the enrollment and field availability that results in the possibility of unique playing opportunities.

BASKETBALL

Intra-mural Basketball is played in public school gyms in the Park Slope area on weekends between November and mid-March.  Players are usually evaluated in late September.  Then they are drafted onto teams by the coaches.  Everyone who registers on time is placed on a team - as long as they have been evaluated.  Limited gym space and smaller team sizes make it more difficult for us to place late registrants.  Each weekend a two hour time slot is allocated to two teams: the first hour is for a half-court practice for each team, the second hour is for a game between the two teams.  There are three forms of intra-mural basketball: clinics (for 5-7 year old boys and girls  7-9 year olds), co-ed divisions (ages 8-15) and girls' basketball (ages 10-15).  Clinics are instructional that have intra-clinic scrimmages.   Girls can choose to play either co-ed or girls' basketball.  All teams in the league are from our organization.  The registration fee is higher than intra-mural baseball because of the substantial gym rental fees and related security costs.  Click on the Basketball link at the top of the page to learn more about the program.

Travel Basketball   is played under our Brooklyn Kings umbrella and has generally been composed of  teams from ages 11-14, but it varies from year to year.  As with all travel leagues, a significant commitment is required due to the number of practices and games.

For both baseball and basketball, all coaches are parent volunteers and all umpires or referees are paid and trained either independently or, in the case of our 5-8 year old co-ed baseball divisions, by our organization.  Click on the Kings link at the top of the page to learn more about the program.

FLAG FOOTBALL

Our first year was in 2009.   Our league is registered with the NFL, which is therefore the source of the rules, jerseys, flag belts and flags.  We have modified the rules to suit our needs.   

There are two divisions (the age cutoff date is August 31):  NFC-9 to 11 year olds (co-ed) and AFC 12-14 year olds (boys). 

All games are about 1 hour and are played on the weekend.  The first weekend will be mid-September, the last weekend will be just before Thanksgiving in November.  Schedules and Field Locations are posted on this site.

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Our Mission Statement

The 78th Precinct Youth Council is a non-profit youth sports organization that provides Brooklyn children from kindergarten through high school with the opportunity to develop leadership abilities, team skills, and personal discipline.  Our players gain emotional and social maturity, while having fun, through participation in a variety of athletic programs.  We provide a full menu of options for players at every level, ranging from balanced intramural activities to our highly competitive and well-respected travel programs.  We focus on providing our volunteer coaches with the tools and training to ensure their success in accomplishing the dual goals of developing the athletic skills and the characters of their players.  We use technology wherever possible to optimize our administrative interactions with parents, while always ready to provide personal assistance if the need arises.  We provide our players with safe, clean facilities, and certified coaches who help them achieve their athletic potential and their personal goals.

Our Vision Statement

We envision the establishment of a cohesive youth sports environment in Brooklyn, supported by government and private business, and operated by community organizations, where character development is recognized as the primary goal of athletic participation and the policies, procedures, and processes of all involved groups support that priority.

As one of the largest independent youth sports organizations in Brooklyn, the 78^th Precinct Youth Council is uniquely positioned to lead the way to this vision for Brooklyn athletics; this leadership will take place by having our parents, players, and coaches consistently set an example of good sportsmanship in all situations.

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Our Approach to Sports: Have Fun, Learn and Succeed.

Over the years much research has been devoted to developing the youth athlete.  Much of it leads to a few consistent conclusions: 75% drop out after the age of 13 because  it is no longer fun for them and most adults who coach fail to understand the importance of measured physical and mental training that balances learning, repetition and competition.  This applies equally to both recreational and "travel" youth sports. 

Developing the youth athlete is a gradual process that requires patience and understanding that winning is a by-product.  While winning is obviously a fundamental ingredient in any sporting activity, to overemphasize it is to reward results over effort - which is a prescription for failure.  We would rather think of winning as a house build of hundreds of bricks of success.  It is in doing of little things that great things can occur. 

We have adopted this view and wish to share one example of the research that supports this viewpoint.  Click here.

We are a non-profit organization.

Yes, the 78th Precinct Youth Council is a 501c(3) N.Y. Not For Profit corporation, incorporated in 1988.

Where does our money come from?

Approximately 80% of our income comes from the fees our players’ families pay at registration.  Our fees have stayed relatively the same for the past six years .  When late registration is permitted, a nonrefundable late fee is charged any player who has played with us before, but who registers after the last evaluation date.  The late fee is meant to encourage timely registration in order to reduce the burden of administering late registrants.

The balance of our income comes from the fees our team sponsors, individual supporters, team and individual pictures, and other donations and fund raising efforts.

Where does our money go?

Approximately 75% of our income is spent directly on program expenses.  This includes league fees we pay for field permits and maintenance and umpires fees to the Prospect Park Baseball Association and outside leagues, uniforms, equipment, including consumables like baseballs and non-consumables like catchers' equipment , gymnasium rental, trophies and basketball referees and security guards.

The balance of our income covers administrative expenses including liability and officers and directors insurance, computer software, website, and hardware costs, the rental of our store in which we house our baseball equipment, postage, phone services, and mailing costs, office supplies and bank fees.

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