sport
Local Groups Launch Youth Sports Leagues, Merge to Strengthen Amarillo
Mergers, facility plans and league launches by established local groups illustrate the foundation supporting area youth athletics.
How we reported this
Kids, Inc. and the Texas Panhandle Youth Sports Foundation completed a merger that placed Amarillo Area Rotary Youth Baseball, West Texas Youth Baseball and West Texas Fastpitch under a single organization.
Merger Creates One Youth Baseball and Softball Structure
The consolidation combined several longstanding baseball and softball leagues that previously operated separately across the Texas Panhandle. Kids, Inc., which began operations in 1945, now manages the unified programs along with more than twenty year-round offerings that include flag football, soccer, volleyball, tackle football for grades four through six, T-ball, softball, track and cheerleading.
Planned Complex and New Football League Add Capacity
Kids, Inc. has outlined a multi-sport complex on ninety acres south of Loop 335 that would include sixty acres of lighted synthetic turf fields. Separately, the Iron Plains Youth Football League was formed to supply additional youth football options, with its president CJ Johnson noting the role of community involvement in the league's establishment.
Hockey Participation Shows Steady Local Expansion
The Amarillo Wranglers 14U team captured a World Series tournament title in Odessa. Amarillo Ice Sports, which runs youth and adult hockey leagues, has recorded growth from thirty-two registered participants in 2009 to more than one thousand today. The Top of Texas Youth Sports League maintains three regulation-sized football fields at John Stiff Memorial Park.
These developments rest on the work of organizations that have operated in Amarillo for decades. Residents interested in registration or volunteer opportunities can contact Kids, Inc. or Amarillo Ice Sports directly through their established local channels to learn about current season details and program availability.