Detroit Police Athletic League Incorporated

DETROIT POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE, INCORPORATED ("DETROIT PAL") IS A CHARACTER-BUILDING YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATION THAT OFFERS SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COACH AND MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS AND PEER-TO-PEER ENGAGEMENT. DETROIT PAL OPERATES CITY-WIDE, YEAR-ROUND YOUTH LEAGUES, CAMPS, AND ACADEMIES IN 12 DIFFERENT SPORTS THAT FOCUS ON CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES. DETROIT PAL'S CUSTOM VOLUNTEER TRAINING ENSURES THAT VOLUNTEER COACHES AND MENTORS ARE EFFECTIVELY USING THE VEHICLE OF YOUTH SPORTS TO CREATE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN. EACH YEAR, DETROIT PAL STRENGTHENS THE BODIES, MINDS, AND SPIRITS OF OVER 12,000 DETROIT YOUTHS, AGES 4 THROUGH 19, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OVER 2,000 VOLUNTEERS.

BOYS SCHOOL BASKETBALL IS A PROGRAM PAL HAS RUN FOR OVER 20 YEARS. WE WORK DIRECTLY WITH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE DETROIT AND GREATER DETROIT AREA TO ORGANIZE, ADMINISTER, AND OPERATE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY BASKETBALL LEAGUES FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES AT A VARIETY OF CHARTER, PUBLIC, AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS.DURING OUR 2021 SEASON, WE HAD 31 TEAMS REPRESENTING 457 YOUTH AND 75 VOLUNTEERS. MOST PROGRAMMING PARTICIPATION HAS RETURNED TO PRE-COVID LEVELS IN THE 2022 SEASON. TEAMS WERE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM AN AVERAGE OF 10 HOURS PER WEEK FOR A 12-WEEK PROGRAM THAT TEACHES LIFE LESSONS THROUGH SPORTS INCLUDING GOALSETTING, RESILIENCE, EMBRACING HEALTH, AND ACCOUNTABILITY. OUR LEAGUE IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE WE BRING TOGETHER A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS FROM VARIOUS REGIONS OF THE CITY TO WORK TOGETHER IN ONE LEAGUE FOCUSED ON COMPETING, BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN OTHERS, AND DEVELOPING ON THE COURT AND OFF THE COURT DEVELOPMENT.

DETROIT PAL HAS BEEN RUNNING DIAMOND SPORTS LEAGUES FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS. DIAMOND SPORTS INVOLVE BASEBALL, SOFTBALL, T-BALL AND RBI PROGRAM. OUR FALL 2021 BASEBALL LEAGUE, NOW CALLED FALL BALL, WAS CREATED TO DEVELOP OUTDOOR PLAY DURING THE PANDEMIC AND HAD 8 TEAMS REPRESENTING 150 YOUTH AND 28 VOLUNTEERS. THE COMBINED NUMBER FOR ALL DIAMOND SPORTS WAS 73 TEAMS REPRESENTING 1151 YOUTH AND 278 VOLUNTEERS. THE DIAMOND SPORTS LEAGUE SURPASSED THE PRE-PANDEMIC NUMBERS IN 2021 AND 2022 DUE TO THE INCREASE IN OUTDOOR PLAY. THE TEAMS WERE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM AN AVERAGE OF 8 HOURS PER WEEK FOR A 10-WEEK PROGRAM THAT TAUGHT LIFE LESSONS THROUGH SPORTS INCLUDING GOALSETTING, RESILIENCE, EMBRACING HEALTH, AND ACCOUNTABILITY. OUR LEAGUE IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO BRING BACK SPORT IN A SAFE, POSITIVE WAY FOR SOME YOUTH NEW TO THE SPORT AND MANY THAT WERE LOOKING TO CONTINUE THEIR PASSION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT. WE WERE ABLE TO HOST MOST OF OUR GAMES AT THE CORNER BALLPARK, PRESENTED BY ADIENT, WHICH WAS THE LOCATION OF THE OLD TIGER STADIUM OFF OF MICHIGAN NEAR TRUMBULL.

SCHOOL CHEER IS A PROGRAM PAL HAS RUN FOR MANY YEARS IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR FOOTBALL PROGRAM. OUR FOOTBALL AND CHEER PROGRAMS HAVE EXISTED FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS AND CONTINUE TO BE A FEEDER SYSTEM FOR SPORTS INTO OUR SCHOOL PROGRAMS. WE WORK DIRECTLY WITH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE DETROIT AND GREATER DETROIT AREA TO ORGANIZE, ADMINISTER, AND OPERATE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY CHEER PROGRAMS FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES AT A VARIETY OF CHARTER, PUBLIC, AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS. WE HAD 12 FOOTBALL AND CHEER ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE 2021 SEASON. EACH ORGANIZATION PROVIDING 5 FOOTBALL AND CHEER TEAMS AT SEVERAL AGE LEVELS. THAT'S 60 FOOTBALL AND CHEER TEAMS WITH NEARLY 720 YOUTH AND 115 VOLUNTEERS. TEAMS WERE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM AN AVERAGE OF 8 HOURS PER WEEK FOR A 12-WEEK PROGRAM THAT TAUGHT LIFE LESSONS THROUGH SPORTS INCLUDING GOALSETTING, RESILIENCE, EMBRACING HEALTH, AND ACCOUNTABILITY.