MUSCATINE, Iowa— As spring approaches and young athletes itch to get outside, the Youth Sports Foundation (YSF) looks forward to introducing a coed seven on seven passing league for the first time. This month, the YSF will open its registration for this new league as well as its customary spring and fall offerings, providing outstanding opportunities for area children to get involved in sports.

According YSF Co-founder Jim Miller, seven on seven passing leagues have become increasingly common across Iowa. With an already strong local interest in football, he believes introducing a new seven on seven league in Muscatine will excite many local players and help them keep up their game in the off season. “We just felt like there were a lot of kids that love football, and spring and summer passing leagues are becoming more and more popular,” he said.

Open to students in fifth and sixth grade, the coed passing league will have weekend games in April and May. Muscatine’s team will travel to other nearby towns to play teams forming there.

Along with this new opportunity, the YSF will continue to offer a variety of programs that have proved popular in the past. For spring athletes looking to try something other than football, YSF has co-ed track and field for students in fifth and sixth grade. In the fall, the YSF has girls volleyball and cheer leading for fifth and sixth graders, as well as flag football for first and second graders, tackle bar football for third and fourth graders, and tackle football for fifth and sixth graders.

Regardless of their season, the YSF will begin taking registrations for all of its sports soon. Anyone interested in registering their children for the coed seven on seven passing league will need to do so by March 20. Those looking to register for track and field need to do so by March 16th. Though fall may seem a long way off, YSF football, cheerleading, and volleyball registration will also begin soon with forms accepted before March 18th.

According to Miller, parents have several options to register. Parents may register in person by coming to the YSF office at 2923 Cedar Street, Muscatine. Alternately, parents who prefer to register online can do so by visiting http://youthsportsfoundation.org/.

As the weather warms up and thoughts of spring break and summer vacation just begin to enter peoples’ minds, Miller strongly encourages all parents to consider signing their children up for a YSF sport. “I think all kids would love these programs,” he emphasized. “They’re fun, safe, and keeping kids active is our goal,” he added.

Over the past 25 years, the YSF has created many new programs to interest and educate young athletes in Muscatine and beyond. By adding their new coed seven on seven passing league, the YSF hopes to positively impact the lives of even more young people. In the future, Miller hopes to introduce additional new sports, such as summer archery, to appeal to an even broader audience.