AAU Sports: Why Every Young Athlete Should Get Involved

For those who can afford it, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an excellent way to get your children involved with a higher level of athletics, as well as a higher level of fun. For me, AAU offered hope – a chance of a college scholarship, and a road to the future of women’s basketball.

Now that it’s all said and done, my road to the future of women’s basketball will be paved not as a player, but as a coach. And, hopefully, somewhere in the near or distant future, an influential member of the local or national women’s basketball community.

With that, looking back, AAU gave me some great memories, as well as access to some of top athletes (who later became some of my top friends) in the south Jersey community of women’s basketball. Upon moving on to the high school level, I found myself playing against a large number of my AAU teammates, battling for a higher rank in the local paper.

Then, upon graduating from college, I found myself posing for a picture at a senior game with a few of my old AAU teammates. These are women with whom I had the privilege to share the court… and along with it some fun memories as an eleven-year-old with big dreams.

AAU definest itself as “one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.”

The AAU vision is “to offer amateur sports programs through a volunteer base for all people to have the physical, mental and moral development of amateur athletes and to promote good sportsmanship and good citizenship.”

And that’s precisely what it does.

As an AAU coach, I am proud of my players. But most of all, I’m proud of my players’ parents. Like my parents, these adults are allowing their children to have fun and be competitive at something they like to do. It sounds simple, but it goes a long way. (It certainly did for me).

To get your children involved in an AAU program, take a look at the AAU suggestions on finding a team in your area.