Commitment to Responsible Coaching and Parenting Earns Liberty Mutual Grants for 20 Youth Sports Organizations

BOSTON, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Young athletes in large cities and small towns across the country participate in sports leagues and programs that espouse values of camaraderie, teamwork and sportsmanship.  Yet, behind the scenes, many community organizations struggle to supply the resources, facilities and training needed to make their programs a success.  To support their ongoing efforts and help ease the financial burden, Liberty Mutual Insurance today announces 20 youth sports programs that each have earned $2,500 Responsible Sports grants.

The winning organizations earned the Liberty Mutual grants based on their ability to encourage community participation in an online youth sports-mentoring curriculum at www.ResponsibleSports.com.  Responsible Sports grants were awarded in three divisions – large organizations (200+ players), small organizations and school sports programs.  Overall, more than 23,000 parents, coaches and administrators completed the online Responsible Sports curriculum during the fall grant period on behalf of hundreds of youth sports organizations across the country.

"The Responsible Sports program celebrates the important role that coaches and parents play in ensuring that their local youth sports programs are delivering positive experiences for their children," said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing.  "Since the program's launch in 2007, we now have provided $300,000 in funding to support more than 100 youth sports organizations and coaches in communities large and small that embody this commitment, and it is exciting to see how these grants are able to make tangible improvements for such deserving programs."

Large Youth Sports Organizations

• Crystal (Minn.) American Little League
• Duxbury (Mass.) Youth Hockey
• Great Valley Community Organization, Malvern, Pa.
• Redlands (Calif.) Swim Team
• West Islip (N.Y.) Little Conference Football League
• West Nashville (Tenn.) Sports League
• Youth Hockey Foundation of Austin (Texas)

Small Youth Sports Organizations

• Albany (N.Y.) Rowing Center
• Cape Fear Youth Hockey Association, Fayetteville, N.C.
• Glenwood Springs (Colo.) Youth Hockey Association
• Kenmore (N.Y.) West Rugby Club
• North Branch (Minn.) Area Hockey Association
• Parker (Colo.) Bears Baseball
• Smithfield (R.I.) Swimming Booster Club

School Sports Programs

• De Anza Middle School, Ventura, Calif.
• East Union Elementary School, Carver, Minn.
• Full Armor Christian Academy, Henderson, Texas
• Gilmer Basketball Tip-Off Club, Ellijay, Ga.
• Naaman Forest Baseball Booster Club, Garland, Texas
• Weymouth (Mass.) Public Schools

The winning organizations have various plans to use their awards.  The grant will help the Full Armor Christian Academy start their baseball and softball programs; and the Cape Fear Hockey Association in Fayetteville, N.C., says the money will allow them to have its first season-ending banquet to celebrate their coaches, players and parents, and will help enable its teams to participate in the Congressional Spring Classic in Washington, D.C.  More information about each winner can be found at www.ResponsibleSports.com .

"As someone who has run a local youth sports organization, I know how much it demands from the volunteer leaders to do a good job, often with sparse resources," said Jim Thompson, executive director and founder of Positive Coaching Alliance.  "These grants continue to help coaches and league organizers supply the resources, facilities, training and funds that are integral for providing young athletes and their families with invaluable life lessons through athletics."

About Responsible Sports

Liberty Mutual founded the Responsible Sports program in 2007 as a means to highlight the positive impact that everyday, responsible actions can have on our youth.  As an insurance company that celebrates people who choose to do the right thing, Liberty Mutual believes that youth sport coaching and youth sport parenting are clear examples of how people can unite to promote the fundamental ideals of community.

Created by Liberty Mutual in partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey and the Amateur Softball Association, the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program provides resources for parents and coaches at ResponsibleSports.com to help children reap the full benefits of playing a team sport.  The online community incorporates blogs, videos, and best practices on youth sports topics that provide practical, real-world advice.  Parents and coaches also can complete coursework on positive sports mentoring that offers best practices for handling challenging sports scenarios.

About Liberty Mutual Group

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group (Libertymutualgroup.com) is a diversified global insurer and fifth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2008 direct written premium.  Liberty Mutual Group ranks 86th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2008 revenue.  The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance.  The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 12,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

About Positive Coaching Alliance

Since its founding within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, PCA has conducted roughly 7,000 live group workshops nationwide for more than 400,000 youth sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.  PCA trains workshop attendees to create a positive, character-building environment for youth athletes, replacing the prevalent win-at-all-cost mentality.

PCA has affected more than 3 million youth athletes through partnerships with 1,700-plus youth sports organizations, cities and schools that host workshops across the U.S., primarily near PCA's hub markets of Northern California, Southern California, Chicago, Dallas, Hawaii, Houston, New York City and Washington, D.C.  Thousands of other coaches and parents learn PCA methods via online courses at www.PositiveCoach.org.

About ASA

The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.

About US Youth Soccer

US Youth Soccer - The Game for ALL Kids!^® is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3.2 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member state associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game.  For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

About USA Hockey

USA Hockey Inc., founded in 1936 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the National Governing Body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. With a membership of nearly 600,000 players, coaches, officials and volunteers that span all 50 states, USA Hockey seeks to promote the growth of hockey and provide the best possible experience for all participants by encouraging, developing, advancing and administering the sport. For more information, visit www.USAHockey.com.

SOURCE Liberty Mutual Group