SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Springfield Ballers held their second annual Ballers Ball on Saturday to raise money so they can continue to provide affordable opportunities for youth athletes in the Greater Springfield Area. The Ballers provide programming to help mold well rounded athletes on and off the court.
“They really have the same mission and goal in kind; to really give back to our community and give back to our youth, knowing that’s our tomorrow,” said Springfield Ballers CEO James Gee.
Accessible, affordable, and approachable. The Mission of the Springfield Ballers program as they work to provide little to no cost sports programs for low income families.
Michael Anderson, the Vice President of Springfield Ballers told 22News, “That’s what we want to do; give access to kids and families that normally wouldn’t be able to afford these things.”
Baller’s provides youth sports programs that promote and foster an enriching environment for athletes to succeed, and receive high quality coaching at an affordable price, not only in the area or state, but in the region. They have very versatile programming from volleyball, to golf, to basketball.
“It’s really important to give. With sports being so high priced nowadays, we really want to cut that price margin down so are families can all play sports and hopefully one day we can have sports at no cost,” explained Gee.
Gee says they promote overall health and wellness for all their athletes, so that school aged youth are able to develop their intellectual and social skills through sports in a challenging and safe environment.
“It’s so important to expose our kids, to show their talents, and get them involved in many different things. When we keep them involved and keep them engaged, we see a direct correlation between their education and their grades going up, as well as keeping them off the streets and out of trouble,” added Michael Anderson.
Anderson believes that having access to programs like this is important for local youth. It’s important because it gives them opportunities to receive support from mentors in their community as well as have access to a variety of different outlets through sports.
