Email of Each Baseball Division Director

Travel Teams - Bulldogs

Coed Divisions

Girls' Divisions

Our Programs

We provide the opportunity for children to play baseball and basketball at two levels of competition: intra-mural and travel.

BASEBALL

We charter and founding members of two of the largest and best baseball leagues in the nation:

PROSPECT PARK BASEBALL ASS'N (PPBA)

SOUTH BROOKLYN BASEBALL LEAGUE (SBBL)

SBBL is a member of Cal Ripken &

Babe Ruth Baseball

Intra-mural baseball is played mostly in Prospect Park, mostly on Saturdays, between April and June.  Each team plays about 12 games.  The games are usually scheduled in two hours slots with the first game starting at 9 am; the last game (for the players 9 years and older) normally starting at 5 pm.   All players are evaluated in February and then drafted onto teams by the coaches.  Everyone who registers on time is placed on a team.  Late registrants usually end up on a team, but not always.  Practices are arranged by, and at the discretion of, the coaches beginning in March.  There are two forms of intra-mural baseball: co-ed hardball and girls' softball.  Co-ed hardball is played by teams of boys and girls ages 5 through 16 (although most girls move to softball by the age of 8).  Teams of co-ed players who are 9 years and older play within the Prospect Park Baseball Alliance (PPBA) against teams not only from our organization but also from other local community youth organizations.  The co-ed teams of players ages 5 through 8 play only within our organization.  The softball teams are for girls ages 8-15 only and also play against other organizations that are part of the PPBA.  Their games tend to be on Sundays starting at 1 pm.

Travel Baseball is played under our Bulldog umbrella in a more competitive environment.  We usually have six Bulldog teams starting at 8 years old and running through 15 years old.  Players must try out to make a Bulldog team.  Players who don't make a Bulldog team are eligible to play on an intra-mural team.  Playing travel baseball is a significant commitment.  Practices can be twice a week and as many as 35 games can be played in the season, which runs through July.  The teams usually enter tournaments, which require additional financial contributions by the parents.  Many of the Bulldog teams play in summer leagues and tournaments.  The league games are in different locations in Brooklyn, including the SBBL, of which we are a founding member.  The SBBL is affiliated with the Cal Ripken (ages 9-12) and Babe Ruth (ages 13-14) organizations which entitles winning teams to participate in the Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth regional and national tournaments.  The tournaments can be out of state.  Traditionally, our 12 year old Bulldog team, for example, plays in a week long summer Cooperstown tournament against teams from all over the country.

In 2007, more that 1,000 boys and girls played baseball or softball for our organization.  Each year there are hybrid situations based on the enrollment and field availability that results in the possibility of unique playing opportunities.

BASKETBALL

Intra-mural Basketball is played in public school gyms in the Park Slope area on weekends between November and mid-March.  Players are usually evaluated in late September.  Then they are drafted onto teams by the coaches.  Everyone who registers on time is placed on a team - as long as they have been evaluated.  Limited gym space and smaller team sizes make it more difficult for us to place late registrants.  Each weekend a two hour time slot is allocated to two teams: the first hour is for a half-court practice for each team, the second hour is for a game between the two teams.  There are three forms of intra-mural basketball: clinics (for 5-7 year old boys and girls and 8 and 9 year old girls), co-ed divisions (ages 8-15) and girls' basketball (ages 10-15).  Clinics are instructional that have intra-clinic scrimmages.   Girls can choose to play either co-ed or girls' basketball.  All teams in the league are from our organization.  The registration fee is higher than intra-mural baseball because of the substantial gym rental fees and related security costs.

Travel Basketball has generally been composed of  teams from ages 11-14, but it varies from year to year.  As with all travel leagues, a significant commitment is required due to the number of practices and games.

For both baseball and basketball, all coaches are parent volunteers and all umpires or referees are paid and trained either independently or, in the case of our 5-8 year old co-ed baseball divisions, by our organization.

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Our Mission Statement

The 78th Precinct Youth Council is a non profit all volunteer organization that manages baseball and basketball activities for boys and girls from kindergarten through High School. Most of our participants live in neighborhoods surrounding Prospect Park, Brooklyn. We promote the emotional and social development of youngsters through athletics. We teach and develop skills, foster teamwork and emphasize sportsmanship in a supervised, competitive league structure. Our Board is committed to our youngsters' development and to encouraging parent involvement. The Council prides itself on being an active member of our community. Fees are charged to help defray costs and public fundraising is conducted to insure that all interested children, regardless of their financial resources or athletic ability are eligible to participate.

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We are  a a non-profit organization.

Yes, the 78th Precinct Youth Council is a 501c(3) N.Y. Not For Profit corporation.

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Where does our money come from?

Approximately 80% of our income comes from the fees our players’ families pay at registration.  Our fees have stayed relatively the same for the past six years .  When late registration is permitted, a nonrefundable $20 late fee is charged any player who has played with us before, but who registers after the last evaluation date.  The late fee is meant to encourage timely registration in order to reduce the burden of administering late registrants.

The balance of our income comes from the fees our team sponsors, individual supporters, team and individual pictures, and other donations and fund raising efforts.

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Where does our money go?

Approximately 75% of our income is spent directly on program expenses.  This includes league fees we pay for field permits and maintenance and umpires fees to the Prospect Park Baseball Association and outside leagues, uniforms, equipment, including consumables like baseballs and non-consumables like catchers' equipment , gymnasium rental, trophies and basketball referees and security guards.

The balance of our income covers administrative expenses including liability and officers and directors insurance, computer software and hardware costs, the rental of our store in which we house our baseball equipment, postage and mailing costs, office supplies and bank fees.