Youth volleyball and basketball players in Leyden Township communities, Norridge and Rosemont can now enjoy a wider variety of competition via the Leyden League, entering its first fall/winter season since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Registration for volleyball beginning Oct. 26 and basketball Jan. 25 is being taken at park districts and community centers for Franklin Park, Schiller Park, Norridge, Rosemont and Leyden Township. The latter’s community center and field is located at 2501 Mannheim Road, Franklin Park. Three grade-school age levels of competition are available for basketball and one for volleyball.
By combining resources, more athletes and teams will come into play with participants not limited to basically their neighbors in their own communities.
“This started before COVID with a basketball league,” said Cody Nelson, the director of athletics and facilities for the Park District of Franklin Park. “All the areas that feed into the Leyden school district were involved. It made sense to combine (for better competition) because all the park districts and recreational leagues in the area were smaller.”
The more the merrier became the new standard when Norridge, which was not part of the Leyden League before the pandemic, requested to join recently.
“We are very excited,” said Karyn Roth, superintendent of recreation for the Norridge Park District. “I reached out to Franklin Park because I knew there was (an) inter-cooperative league. We asked if we could still get in. This would stimulate popularity with additional leagues in other towns. For us, volleyball is really popular among the middle-school age group.”
Leyden League volleyball matches will be for fifth through eighth graders, and will be held at the majority of local gyms.
Meanwhile, basketball will have three levels: first and second grade, third through fifth grade, and sixth through eighth grade.
The Leyden League originally offered flag football competition for third through eighth grades for the fall program. However, not enough participants had signed up for cross-community competition. Franklin Park is considering a flag football seven-week instructional course and a few games following just within the Park District, Nelson said.
Parents, under the supervision of park officials, would handle the majority of coaching.
“We will try to have parents volunteer to coach and help,” Nelson said. “The staff will help. How many coaches are needed will depend on how many teams are formed.”
At the grade-school level, the Leyden League will discourage any overzealous parents from over-emphasizing winning at the expense of allowing all participants to play.
“I would meet with parents beforehand, and of course watch practices,” Nelson said. “If anything (negative) happens, I will talk to them. This is more of a beginners’ league, where we teach basic skills. There will be rules to require playing time, not just the best players playing all the time.”
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Interested coaching candidates can contact Nelson at 847-451-8134. Other participating park districts also will talk to parents, he said.
Safety protocols will be followed as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Illinois Department of Public Health. Masks will be required for participating in the Leyden League.