Playworks Silicon Valley League Updates

  1. Updates

Co-ed Soccer Jamboree
More than 12 dozen boys and girls from Playworks schools played in a round-robin tournament at Hughes Elementary school on a fall day in October. We had parents, teachers, and friends come out and support all the players while our 19 AmeriCorps members refereed and helped coach all of our great players. Although no score was kept, every participant came out a winner!

Girls Flag Football Jamboree 
More than a dozen schools and over 150 players participated in our fun-petitive Flag- Football scrimmages held at Dorsa Elementary earlier this fall. It was quite a site to see, girls shouting plays, players diving to pull flags off there opponent, and good sporting behavior as both teams lined up to congratulate each other with Hi- Fives!

Girls Basketball Extravaganza 
Fourth and fifth grade girls from all 32 schools participated in a skill building event where 19 AmeriCorps members led them in basketball drills for the afternoon at Hoover Middle School Gymnasium. The 150 plus participants left with dribbling, shooting, passing, and team concept skills to prepare them for there up and coming league will they will play versus other PW schools.

Girls Basketball Leagues in Silicon Valley
Every single one of our 32 Playworks schools participated in our girls basketball league play, which spanned over six weeks and used three different gymnasiums. Each team of 12 girls who had been dedicated to practice at schools weeks before, were led by their Playworks coach into a 30 minute contest with referees, halftimes, and team huddles. The leagues were a great success; every player walked away at leagues end with basketball skills and confidence to take with them and move forward in their school year.  Here are some summaries of the individual leagues…

Santa Clara League
The inaugural season of Playworks Girls Basketball at Don Callejon Middle School in Santa Clara, CA. went very well. We had a good amount of parents and teachers show up each week to support the girls. Our league featured  asevenschools and roughly 84 girls getting after it, respecting the game, playing hard and having fun. Attached is a picture of Coach Tim from Kathryn Hughes Elementary with his all star squad. Teams included in the league were Coach Angel and the Bishop Bobcats, Coach Titus and the Monta Loma Leopards, Coach Rana and the Bachrodt Eagles, Coach Michelle and the Adelante Jaguars, Coach Laura and the San Miguel Sharks and Coach Ann and the Santee Bears!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alum Rock League
The Alum Rock Schools commuted over to Hoover Middle School in San Jose, for their league night. The teams were Lyndale (Satoshi), Painter (Juane), Hubbard (Nam), LUCHA (KC), San Antonio (Abe), Linda Vista (Tes), Arbuckle (Jenn), and Trace (Ben H.). On average we had about 80-90 girls showing up each league night to play. Leagues were great. It was always standing room only each night as hundreds of fans comprised of parents, teachers and principals showed up to support the kids. The stellar AmeriCorps team of coaches (Abe, Ben H, Jenn, Juane, KC, Nam, Janae, JP, Katie, Rachel, Veronica, Laura Mendoza, and Michelle) all did a great job of refereeing the games. Lots of parents came up and thanked Playworks staff for the great opportunity for their kids and the great work we were doing. Here is a picture of Nam and the Hubbard Eagles.

Boys Basketball Jamboree
A couple hundred boys boys participated in a Playworks Jamboree this February inside and outside of the Hoover Middle School Gymnasium. Each team consisted of 12 4th and 5th grade boys, a total of more than 200, who played three back-to-back games while being cheered on by their coach, teachers, volunteers, and of course the opposing team. This event really expressed our League Values: Play Hard, Have Fun and Respect the Game!

More Updates


September 20, 2024

Adapting Play for Varying Abilities ›

A 5th grade student had Brittle Bone Disease, a rare condition where his bones are fragile and prone to fracture. In his four years at the elementary school, he had…

students with coach
students with coach

September 4, 2024

Playworks Northern California Receives $25,000 Foundation Grant from U.S. Bank ›

Oakland, CA – Playworks Northern California, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play, …

August 20, 2024

The Power of Norms ›

As students return back to school, setting norms becomes essential in easing the transition. Shared norms are important throughout the school day, from the classroom to the playground and even…