Park City School District looks to grow middle school sports without the club-sports grind

Photo: TownLift // Rayne Moynahan

A proposed partnership with City League would expand local, no-cut athletics options for students in grades 6-8

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City School District is looking to expand middle school athletics through a proposed partnership with City League, aiming to create more local, no-cut sports options for students before they reach high school.

District officials discussed the proposal during Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, framing it as a way to give more students access to organized sports at an age when families often face a choice between competitive club programs, travel-heavy schedules, or dropping sports altogether.

The district piloted two middle school intramural programs this year: coed basketball and team handball. The basketball program drew 55 seventh- and eighth-grade athletes over five weeks, supported by seven district employees, Ecker Hill teachers, and high school staff. The season ended with a tournament at Park City High School, where high school players and coaches helped referee games, and cheerleaders supported the event.

Team handball, a less familiar sport in Utah, drew 35 students. District officials said the program stayed indoors in part to avoid taking field space from other community programs during the spring season.

The goal now is to build a more robust middle school athletics program that includes both intramural offerings and some opportunities to compete against other schools. District officials said they have reached out to other Wasatch Back school districts, though interest has been limited so far.

Possible offerings for next year include soccer, cross-country, girls’ flag football, basketball, wrestling, esports, cheerleading, baseball, softball, and handball. Sixth graders could be included in some non-contact sports, including cross-country.

City League, a local nonprofit youth sports organization, told the board it has served more than 800 athletes in its first full school year and is working with Basin Recreation. Its model emphasizes local play, paid and trained coaches, no cuts, skill development, and keeping sports fun.

The proposal comes as many families navigate the rising cost and time demands of youth sports. City League representatives described the organization as a middle ground between recreation and club sports — more structured than casual play, but without the travel-heavy expectations that can dominate youth athletics.

“What happens a lot of times with young families, you start with rec, do intro to sport, soccer, basketball, little dribblers, then you start to say, my kid really enjoys this. What’s the next level?” Max Valverde, a City League representative, told the board. “The next level is typically club in America.”

Under the proposed partnership, City League would help support soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball for middle school students. The program would begin as a local league with games and playoffs in town, while leaving open the possibility of creating representative Park City Middle School teams to compete occasionally against other programs.

Valverde said the goal is not to push students into early specialization, but to keep more children playing multiple sports longer. They said the middle school years are often when students stop playing sports, especially when the available options become too expensive, too competitive, or too difficult for families to manage.

Board members responded positively to the concept, while raising questions about coordination with Basin Recreation, avoiding competition among local programs, and ensuring all coaches meet district expectations for training, safety, and professionalism. District officials said those details would be outlined in a memorandum of understanding.

If the partnership moves forward, the program would likely operate under Park City Middle School athletics, with City League and Basin Recreation supporting coaching, registration, and programming.