Yorkville Youth Athletic Association5521

As the Executive Director of this organization I am very proud of our 16+ years providing quality sports programs to children in the Yorkville and surrounding areas. I think you can see by all the comments below we are committed to having everyone have an enjoyable experience. Our motto "Comnpetition, Camaraderie Community tells you a great deal about us. We hope Parents Connect can see that we are a 5 star program and elevate our stautus from 4 stars to 5. We feel the positive comments warrants this stautus change. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Fall for some great Yorkville activities.

Yorkville has got to be the best youth organization in NYC. These people really care about the kids and their families and know how to make it both fun and competitive at the same time. I have two children â?? a boy and a girl â?? who have been participating and loving it for years! Every week the kids and parents really look forward to the weekend games. Win or lose, everyone goes home having a good time. No matter how many travel teams my 11 year old son plays for, his first preference is always playing at Yorkville on the weekends because its always the most fun and where he gets to see and hang out with all the friends heâ??s made at Yorkville over the years since he was 7 years old. My daughter participated in the Yorkville Theater program when she was younger and loved it. She also started playing basketball at Yorkville when she was in elementary school and continued to play every year all the way through High School. It definitely helped prepare her for playing on her High School varsity basketball team. From a parentâ??s point of view, this is a wonderful, safe, instructive and enjoyable environment for your child. The games are competitive but always fun, the coaches are great at both instruction and making all team (and family) members feel inclusive. Its a wonderful community, where kids and parents all befriend one another. Yorkville Parent & Coach

Yorkville has got to be the best youth organization in NYC. These people really care about the kids and their families and know how to make it both fun and competitive at the same time. I have two children â?? a boy and a girl â?? who have been participating and loving it for years! Every week the kids and parents really look forward to the weekend games. Win or lose, everyone goes home having a good time. No matter how many travel teams my 11 year old son plays for, his first preference is always playing at Yorkville on the weekends because itâ??s always the most fun and where he gets to see and hang out with all the friends heâ??s made at Yorkville over the years since he was 7 years old. My daughter participated in the Yorkville â??Theaterâ?? program when she was younger and loved it. She also started playing basketball at Yorkville when she was in elementary school and continued to play every year all the way through High School. It definitely helped prepare her for playing on her High School varsity basketball team. From a parentâ??s point of view, this is a wonderful, safe, instructive and enjoyable environment for your child. The games are competitive but always fun, the coaches are great at both instruction and making all team (and family) members feel inclusive. Itâ??s a wonderful community, where kids and parents all befriend one another. Yorkville Parent & Coach

Yorkville is an organization which has its priorities in order. First order of business: teach the kids. Second order: ensure the kids have a positive group/team experience. This starts at the top and works its way throughout the organization, including the selection of coaches. Which probably explains why so many parents “reup” year after year, as well as enroll their kids in a wide variety of Yorkville activities.

Manhattan is very fortunate to have YYAA running the only true community league (in all sports) that caters to children (boys & girls) of all abilities and backgrounds. We have 2 boys, ages 14 and 11 -- both have played baseball, hoops, and football with YYAA since they were 5 years old. My sons have met many of their good friends through playing YYAA sports and I have met many of my friends through coaching in YYAA. The philosophy is perfect for all levels as every child plays but the leagues are still competitive. The long-time Executive Director (Arlene Virga), the referees and league directors are very professional and are willing to listen to parents suggestions regarding ways to improve their leagues. Also importantly, most of the parents who choose YYAA understand that the purpose of the league is for the boys & girls to be able to play as a team with children from all different schools. Of course, like with any parent coached league, the quality of the child's experience is impacted by the quality of the coaching but YYAA coaches are generally dads who set good examples by working with their team to play together, be good sports, and to try to win. I would encourage all parents of boys & girls who like to play sports to do it with YYAA.

I have been affiliated with YYAA for a few years now, and can honestly say it is a wonderful program. The staff, coaches, and parents are fantastic. The kids have a great time learning the games. I'm especially impressed with the variety and quality of the programs. Where else in the city can you sign up for both Roller Hockey and Tackle Football? I look forward to not only working with YYAA in the future, but also recommending it to friends with school-age children. It is a great program that truly cares about the kids.

For years, YYAA has been a great experience for both my 10-year old son and 16-year old daughter. Whether your child is an all-star athlete or a beginner, this program cares about and works for everyone. The competition is great, the coaching is strong and the experience is pure fun for everyone â?? not only for the kids, but also for the parents. Yorkville is extremely well run and organized and caters to kids of all ages and backgrounds. If your child is interested in sports and having fun, YYAA is for them. I rate them an â??A+â??. Active Yorkville parent

My child has had a wonderful experience at Yorkville. He has been part of the travel team as well as the house league. He has made friends that will last a lifetime. We are new to the league and find everyone to be very welcoming and accommodating. If anyone is looking for a place to send your child to excel this is the place to go!

WE have done this league for both kids. It is OK but the travel team is quite closed unless you are part of a specific group of parents. CYO and Westside both have better coaching and fairer access to the travel team.

YYAA has been a great experience for my son. He has played three seasons of baseball, flag football and basketball. He has learned the basics of each of these sports (and lately the finer points), but more importantly he's learned to be a team player. All chilren get equal playing time and there is zero tolerance for poor sportsmanship. The league directors, umpires and parent coaches are dedicated and patient. Arlene, the association director is omnipresent and she brings to each activity the good energy and spirit of competition and fair play that resonates through YYAA. No matter what your child's skill level, he or she will be welcomed and their ability and appreciation of the sport will be heightened.There's a friendly vibe at the games which is attested to by excellent attendance by parents and relatives.

We were involved with a few other baseball and basketball league until we found the YYAA. This league provides the sports environment we expected for our children and we have been involved ever since. I highly recommend this league for both basketball and baseball as your children will benefit from playing with children from all walks of life in NYC. They will come into contact with experienced and dedicated coaches, program directors, professional umpires and referees. I am heavily involved in the WSSL (West Side Soccer League) because I feel that I need to be involved if I want to help create the environment that I expect for my children. With the YYAA I never felt this need because of the wonderful job that is been done by my fellow parents and the program director and her professional staff.

Yorkville was recommended to me by a close friend whose children had participated in the program for years and who was a coach and active supporter himself. My son has played 3 seasons of baseball now and just loves it. The league is all about the kids and it shows as the children really enjoy it. It also happens to be one of the best bargains in town with an extremely low fee. Yorkville is not about training your son or daughter to be the next A-Rod. It's about teaching your child the game and what it is to be part of a team, how to be a good sport and to play fair and have fun. It does all this and more.

My 3 children have been invoved in Yorkville Sports every season for the bast 9 years. They have played Baseball, Basketball, Flag Football and Theater. YYAA is incredibly well organized and inclusive. YYAA is responsive to input from children and parents. YYAA is an absolute must for any child who wants to stay active and make fiends on the East Side. The relatively inexpensive programs are also a great value.

My son has been participating in Yorkville Youth sports' programs for the last 5 years. He has played baseball, flag football, and roller hockey. I coached baseball his first year and continue to coach flag football. The league is run extremely well with an emphasis on sportsmanship and teamwork. While each team strives to win each game, the philosophy is that everyone on the team plays above winning. To that end, Yorkville Youth - and in particular Arlene Virga - work tremendously hard to ensure that teams are fair, even-balanced, and competitive. The league strikes the perfect balance between competition and ensuring every kid has a chance to play and learn during the season. Another aspect of the management of the league that is very impressive is that it self-evaluates its programs after each season and looks to improve the programs every season.

Yorkville is perhaps the most sane, wonderful sports program in NYC. They have tons to offer, are completely organized and inclusive.

Yorkville has been a great experience for me and I'm sure all others who have participated. I have been a player and/or official for the past 9 years and will really miss my weekends at Asphalt Green, St. Joe's and various other Upper East Side locations while I am away at college. It's been a great ride and with Arlene Virga running the show there's no doubt in my mind that the program will only improve from here on out.

I have had at least one of my 4 children in Yorkville sports for the past 6 years. My kids have really loved it. There have been times when my child was a one of the better players and times when my child was not. In every situation they had fun, learned sportsmanship, enjoyed camaraderie, improved their play, gained confidence, and got some exercise. Coaches are given good guidance, but not micromanaged. The Director, Arlene Virga, asks the coaches to treat every kid as they treat their own kid. Coaches really have to face the parents so they end up respecting that guideline. This makes for a good experience for the skilled players as well as the beginners. The fields, courts, and facilities are usually very good. Great effort is put into placing kids on teams with some of their friends while also encouraging a mix so that they meet other kids from the neighborhood. My kids now have friends at seemingly every school in NYC. Yorkville tries hard to balance the skill level on the teams to encourage fair competition. Finally, the fees are very reasonable in every sport. I encourage parents with children at all ages to join this league. I have coached very athletic kids who have loved it. I have coached kids with special needs who have loved it. As a parent, it is so much fun to watch them play and Yorkville provides a very healthy environment for the kids and parents. -Bryan Rozencwaig

There no other game in town that compares to the Yorkville Youth Athletic Association. Arlene Virga is gem at organizing the programs and keeping them together for a healthy experience for the kids and families. I have coached in the baseball league for 7 years and my kids and my teams have always appreciatd the effort that Yorkville and it's families have given to all of the programs. Kids in NYC need programs like Yorkville, other cities and towns should be so fortunate to have such an organized and fun program.

My son has played Youth Baseball for three years at Yorkville, after trying two other Little League programs in NYC. This is by far the best run, most organized program in which we have been involved. Administration and parents all work together to make the competition both challenging and fun. Two thumbs up!

I've been coaching and participating in Yorkville for several years now. It's been a terrific experience. The program is well run and the emphasis is on teamwork and learning skills. It is driven by parent coaches so your experience can vary, although the high involvement of parents in teaching their children sports is one of the real positives. I would recommend the league to any parent and encourage them to become involved in teaching their kids teamwork and sport and life skills. Investing in Yorkville is what they mean by "quality time" with your kids.

We were late to the party -- my boys were teenagers when I finally let them join a team -- and YYAA is where we went. (I had avoided the whole competitive sports scene believing it was just too hard to break into in the City, and a time eater as well.) In spite of their inexperience, Yorkville welcomed them and they have now played two great seasons. The program is well run and the other kids are great. Volunteer coaches are dedicated and involved. Arlene leaves no question unanswered and runs a crackerjack operation. Our experience with Yorkville has been very positive and we will continue to participate in until the boys age out!