Story & Photos by Marianne Salza
Chelsea Recreation & Cultural Affairs hosted the inaugural Chelsea Sports Day on August 9, at the Morris H. Seigal Clark Avenue School. Chelse Sports Day is as an opportunity for youth and teens to discover local sports programs and make league registration more accessible to parents.
“We’re definitely going to be keeping the kids busy,” smiled Jack Grigorian, President, Chelsea Pride Youth Sports. Chelsea Sports Day was organized by a sub-committee of independent youth leagues, and planned by Alex Delvalle-Montoya, of Chelsea Recreation & Cultural Affairs, John Montes, of the Jordan Boys & Girls Club, and Jack Grigorian and Yahya Noor, of Chelsea Pride Youth Sports, who hope to hold the informational session for families twice a year in the late-summer and early spring. Kayem Foods, Inc., donated hot dogs, and Chelsea Police Department officers provided frozen treats from their Copsicle 1 truck, while parents and children spoke with league organizers about soccer, baseball, American football, and basketball.
Chelsea Youth Soccer League, Liga Master, and Matias Soccer School are co-educational soccer leagues for children ages 5-17. Chelsea Pride Youth Sports offers fall cheerleading, tackle football, and flag football, as well as spring baseball for boys and girls ages 6-13. Although American tackle football is traditionally associated with the fall, Chelsea Bears is a co-educational, spring league for youth ages 6-15. “It’s a league dedicated to a man named James ‘Bear’ Burke. He was like a Kodiak bear. He was a big man in soul and stature,” said Michelangelo Recupero, of Chelsea Bears.
“The hope is to continue to build this league and leave it to the city. It’s been dormant for so long. Chelsea Recreation was the most helpful when we first started.” Recupero feels that soccer is the leading sport in Chelsea because it is known world-wide and can be played all year long. He hopes that Chelsea Bears will expose more city youth to American football. Basketball programs include Chelsea Youth Basketball League, for boy and girls ages 5-13, and Mass Warriors for boys and girls ages 9-17.
Additionally, the City of Chelsea supports youth sports leagues through scholarship funds to aid in membership fees and defray the cost of athletic expenses. A list of youth sports can be viewed at https://recreation.chelseama.gov/.