(Submitted photo)

By Pattison Media

Sports on Central

Transforming downtown into a sports paradise for local youth

May 21, 2024 | 12:02 PM

The community is being invited to play their favourite sports in the heart of downtown Prince Albert this weekend.

On Saturday, May 25, for the second year in a row, the Sports on Central event will take place. It’s hosted by Plaza 88 and will feature a variety of sports for kids to play and learn about.

“A lot of kids probably don’t even know all the different sports offered within Prince Albert and what is available to them. We have so many different sports opportunities in our city,” said Scott Manson who is helping to organize the event.

“We’re going to have three basketball courts on Central Ave., a football field down 9^th Street, two soccer fields , a kids zone for the little ones, and a hockey rink in the Plaza88 parking lot along with booths representing the different organizations and clubs.”

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One of the highlights of the day will be a hockey game played between members of the Prince Albert Police Service and Prince Albert Fire Department.

The day will also feature guest appearances by the Prince Albert Raiders, local teams, and mascots.There will be speakers throughout the day that are local athletes as well as the special guest speaker, Greg Hendricks, who is an NFL chaplain for the 49ers.

“He’s (Hendricks) going to be there all day, speaking and hanging out with the kids,” added Manson. “He’s going to take pictures with people and then he’s going to give a presentation to cap things off at the end of the day to talk about how sports and his faith have transformed his life,” said Meghan Mayer who is helping organize the event.

Mayer and Manson said they wanted to give back to the youth in Prince Albert and not only show them the different sports in the city, but let them know that they matter.

“It’s all about the kids and providing them an opportunity to play sports,” said Manson. “To come out for a fun day, to get a good experience and to also highlight the opportunities in their city.”

“I think sometimes when you’re a youth, you think that you’re alone or that nobody sees you and this is something that is pointing to them saying that there’s a whole community from different businesses and different walks of life that are coming together to celebrate them,” added Mayer.

“I’ve heard so many stories from so many people on how sports have helped them in their life, that it was something that saved them when they were going through hard times.”

(Submitted photo)

The event will also highlight downtown Prince Albert as the streets around Plaza 88 will be used for those attending and playing the different sports. Mayer hopes this helps bring vibrancy to the area.

“I think that if we can turn the positivity around for our downtown and bring people downtown that we can see some big, positive changes,” she said.

“I think our downtown is underrated and it has a lot of potential to thrive,” added Manson “So we want to do something for the downtown area as well.”

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**This story was originally published as ‘sponsored content’ on paNOW.com but has been adapted for news.