This Summer the YMCA of Metro North launched an inaugural Inter-Association basketball league.  The Lynn YMCA, Melrose Family YMCA, and Torigian Family YMCA were each able to produce teams that practice at their facilities and compete against each other on Saturday mornings over an 8 week session.

The league is comprised of two separate divisions, based on age, each with four teams.  There is a 7-9 year old division and a 10-12-year old division, each with a team from Melrose and Torigian and two teams from Lynn. The league of 100 children is co-ed and most of the teams are comprised of both boys and girls representing their branch of the YMCA of Metro North.  The response by parents to the league was outstanding, many parents jumped at the chance the volunteer as coaches.

Each Saturday morning the Inter-Association games are played at a different branch. The basketball season kicked off on July 13 and runs for 8 weeks through August 31st.  Over the course of the session each branch will host two Saturdays allowing program participants and members a chance to familiarize themselves with each of the branches that make up the Association.  The season includes a week of playoffs and a championship game that will be held on Saturday, August 31st at the Lynn YMCA.

During the games each week the four teams in the 7-9 year old age group play four 10 minute quarters, while the 10-12 year old age group plays 2-20 minute halves. As part of the program fee to participate, each player receives a reversible YMCA jersey and matching shorts.

The staff at the YMCA of Metro North are thrilled to have so many participants in this first year of the league.  Senior Program Director, Bernadette Farrell, and Sports and Enrichment Director, DJ Fimiani, sat down and mapped out the details of the league just a few months before it was set to launch.  Once the concept was created it didn’t take long for staff across the Association to spread the word to past program participants about this exciting new opportunity. Kids rallied for the chance to battle it out for YMCA Metro North supremacy and the branches were able to register 20 participants at the Torigian branch, 30 at the Lynn YMCA and another 32 from the Melrose and Saugus YMCAs.

Sports Director, DJ Fimiani, who came up with the concept of an Inter-Association basketball league said, “Bernadette is doing a tremendous job in Melrose generating great numbers to help us launch, while CJ Jeanmary in Lynn has taken on the task of running their operation. So far all it has been top notch.”  If you are interested in learning more about this league or about some of the other sports programs at the YMCA of Metro North please contact DJ Fimiani at dfimiani@metronorthymca.org .