Become a Coach!
We're recruiting volunteers to coach kids throughout California. Want to join our team?
Apply Today! »Get Trained!
Action-filled trainings for program leaders tackle tough topics in youth sports.
More info »Help Programs Thrive!
Contribute today to help more kids grow strong bodies, minds and spirits.
Donate »
Team-Up for Youth helped AB2404 mean more.
We work to make California the leader in quality after-school sports for all young people.
Get the Facts
Learn what the research says about how youth sports benefit kids by downloading our fact sheets below.
For more information about Team-Up for Youth's policy work, please contact Susan Wallis at susankw-at-teamupforyouth.org or at 510.663.9200, ext. 112.
Create More Opportunities for Girls
Team-Up for Youth knows that girls who play win!
Challenge: Public sports programs like Parks and Recreation are often the only option low-income girls have to experience the benefits of sports. Yet in California as in other states, girls make up only a small fraction of participants. The few girls' programs that do exist often receive inferior resources.
Fortunately, In 2004, AB 2404 was signed into law to address this inequity. This law, the first of its kind in the nation, prohibits cities, counties, and special districts from discriminating on the basis of gender in community athletics programs or in the allocation of parks and recreation facilities and resources. Cities and counties have until January 2015 to come into compliance with this law.
Take Action!
- Find out what programs and facilities your local parks and recreation department offers for girls. Call and ask what they are doing to comply with AB 2404.
- Sign your daughter up for a sports program, either through your local Parks and Recreation Department or another organization. If you need help finding a sports program in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may want to learn about Team-Up for Youth's program partners.
Help Create Safe Places to Play
Safe parks create healthier kids.
Challenge: Lack of facilities in low-income communities is a major barrier preventing kids from learning life lessons through sports. Low-income communities have fewer parks and facilities than more affluent communities. Also, existing play spaces may not be safe or maintained.
Take Action! Make school facilities available for community sports programs in the evenings and on weekends.
- Find out if your local schoolyard is open for use by community programs in the evenings or on weekends. If not, ask the school's principal to make them available.
- Is your child in an after-school program? Ask the staff what organized sports they offer. Let them know your child needs these opportunities.
