Manchester School District holds sports information night

MANCHESTER, N.H. – For several years, Manchester’s public high school athletic programs have suffered due to a lack of youth sports options for local elementary school and middle school children. However, that may be changing.

Recently, youth sports programs from across the city gathered at Manchester Memorial High School for a youth sports information night organized by the Manchester School District Athletic Department.

Manchester South Youth Soccer Board Member Jeff Auprey was one representative of the various youth sports organizations in attendance, following up on recent years of Manchester South Soccer’s participation at the event. While youth sports such as soccer face various challenges in the city ranging from a lack of volunteers to expenses to competition from elite private leagues, Auprey feels confident in the future of youth sports in Manchester.

“Overall, it’s tough but we’re getting there,” he said. “I think the funding is starting to come in and people are beginning to realize that youth sports are a necessity for the community and we’re getting more support.”

Andrea Houle came to the event with her son Nicholas, who attends a charter middle school that has no sports of its own. Now in sixth grade, Nicholas is interested in learning more about baseball and football and has played some sports in the past.

Although Andrea doesn’t have time help volunteer for any of the leagues that Nicholas or her other children participate in, she believes there is enough room for local leagues and private leagues and parents she knows feel the same way.

“I know a lot of us are struggling financially, and (sports) can be a big cost to families. It’s hard, but we always make it work for our kids,” she said. “Whatever my kids want to do, if they commit to going to practice, I’ll drive them.”

Manchester School District Athletic Coordinator Kristine Telge says that work still remains to be done, but efforts like this event are proof that youth sports are growing, even if some families might need assistance to get their children to play youth sports.

“What we’re seeing is kids want to participate in sports, we’re seeing kids who have never played before but want to play, but there is a financial barrier for many of the families,” she said. “I think we need to do a better job about letting people know about these youth sports opportunities and do more to try and get more community partners involved, because there are definitely plenty of kids interested in these programs.”

Telge said that there currently is not one source on the school district’s website or elsewhere on the internet to her knowledge where local parents can find out information about all the youth sports opportunities in the city, but information will be send out to parents from the district in the near future.