#75 - Sign Up For Youth Sports

Throwing, kicking, catching or hitting a ball are not the only fundamentals youth sports leagues teach.

Children also learn about teamwork and discipline, develop confidence and respect, and discover ways to keep their bodies fit and healthy when they play on a sports team.

Malverne and West Hempstead have several leagues open to kids as young as 4 years old all the way to high school.

In the fall, kids can play football or participate in cheerleading through the or Pee-Wee leagues. Boys and girls can also can sign up for travel or intramural soccer with the West Hempstead Chiefs, which runs from ages 4 to 18, or with which has teams for kids ages 4 to 14 in the Catholic Youth Organization league.

O.L.L. CYO also has a swim team, which competes from November through April, basketball and cheerleading from mid-January to mid-March and track in mid-April to June. You can learn more and register online here.

In West Hempstead, kids can also compete in St. Thomas the Apostle Church's CYO Basketball team o

Malverne also has the Wildcats Track Club, which has both an indoor season in the winter and an outdoor one in the spring and summer.

During the winter, boys and girls in Grades 1 to 8 can also play basketball through the West Hempstead Basketball Association and CYO. Also, in West Hempstead, you'll find a number of youth basketball programs at

Lacrosse has also become a popular sport in the community in recent years. Malverne has the Mohawks program for boys and girls in Grades 1 to 8. Competitive lax starts in Grade 2 for the boys, Grade 3 for girls, but younger players can participate in clinics. More information is available here.

Then, ofcourse there is always baseball and softball. Malverne, West Hempstead and Lakeview all have Little League teams for boys and girls from teeball to senior divisions that compete in the spring. Some players also compete in the tournaments in the summer. Those looking for a competitive travel baseball program can join the Malverne Mud Hens, which has three teams  - U10, U11 and U12. Click here for more infomation.

These youth sports programs earn a spot on our list of the 100 best things to do in Malverne and West Hempstead. Whether or not your child has dreams of being the next Derek Jeter, Mia Hamm or Michael Jordan, every youngster should know the feeling of what it's like to be part of a team. Plus, through participating in these sports they will learn new skills, build new friendships, discover new abilities within and have fun.

Win or lose, they'll build lasting memories, get great exercise and when they see you cheering on the sidelines, they will realize even more that you're their biggest fan.