CYO or Park and Rec

During basketball season you may be confused about what CYO or Park and Rec means. Which one should you pick for your child? Could you pick both? Continue reading to learn about your options and what makes the most sense for your child.

CYO is the Catholic Youth Organization and has teams in its’ league from all over Western Ma. They do a good job of leveling playing abilities of teams, so that the teams that your team faces are similar in skill and experience. Teams in Springfield that have CYO teams include but are not limited to, The Ragin Bulls, Duke Blue, The MIGS, St. Catherine's, MLK, The Celtics, OLSH, Wilshire, The Tigers and many more. Games in this league are typcially played on weekends and occassionally fridays. The divisions are broken up by grade level, for example there are 3/4 grade teams, 5/6 grade teams and 7/8 grade teams.

Park and Rec in Springfield teams play in A and B division at the younger age levels (U10), U12 and U14. You can not turn older than the number after the U after May 1st. The games in Park and Rec are played on the weekday, and the competition can be really good, or weak, depending on the teams that register with the league. Teams that play in park and rec include but are not limited to the Springfield Spurs, Wilshire, MLK, Mass All Stars, ECBO and RBC.

As a dad, I would recommend that you do your due diligence before selecting a team. My wife may disagree with me but I encourage anyone to put their child on both a CYO and Park and Rec team. I personally coach the same age level for Park and Rec and CYO and find that my players grow tremendously, both from the increased number of practices, but also from the number of games that they experience. Click one of the links below for sign up information or visit www.KidsPickupGames.com 

https://www.kidspickupgames.com/product-page/biddy-basketball