Recreational Advisory Board | Regular Meeting | February 9th, 2026
Welcome and Agenda Overview
The board opened the meeting with a welcome and a brief overview of the night's agenda, which included updates on winter basketball, spring soccer, and the upcoming fiscal year budget. The chairman thanked the recreation department staff for their hard work during the winter months.
Winter Basketball League Update
The board discussed participation statistics, scheduling, and challenges facing the winter basketball league, including registration hurdles and academic grade requirements. They also explored ways to increase girls' participation and the potential for a formalized cheerleading program.
Spring Soccer League Planning
The department presented plans for the upcoming spring soccer league and the newly established Providence Recreation Soccer Academy. Board members debated the feasibility of expanding the program to multiple satellite locations across the city to improve neighborhood access.
Speaker 0
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Excited to have you guys giving Tina a break.
Speaker 1
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Yes. It should be served.
Speaker 2
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Good.
Speaker 0
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Good. Well, happy New Year, everybody. Our first meeting since the New Year here, And, lots of exciting stuff going on in the department. Know lots of sports are already, you know, very much underway, and planning is underway. And we have our budget proposal coming up, on top of fighting back all of the winter wonderland issues that are coming up, I'm sure, on a daily basis, in our rec centers.
Speaker 2
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As we speak.
Speaker 0
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Yeah. I'm sure. So I'll start off just by saying thank you guys for the past couple of months. I know it's been cold. It's been snowy, and you guys have dealt with challenges, you know, related to the rec centers, I'm sure, which we're looking forward to hearing about.
Speaker 0
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But, our agenda tonight is to talk about the, some updates on the winter basketball league, where we stand on that, get some stats and numbers on that, update on planning for the spring soccer league. I saw registration go up for that, which is exciting. And then, the bulk of the meeting, I did wanna start talking about, budget proposals and priorities for fiscal year twenty seven. I know this is that time of year when, proposals are submitted to the administration director, And so I wanted to have some discussions around that, see what you're thinking. And if many members of the board have thoughts or ideas or things that we should be thinking about, wanna also give you that input as well.
Speaker 0
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But we are always as joined as always by our fantastic director, director Holly. Okay. Deputy director, and, Pulis. And so great to have all you guys here once again. They're both fantastic too.
Speaker 0
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And so so with that said, I think we'll we'll probably dive right into it. So Alright. Director, you wanna start by giving us an update on on winter basketball?
Speaker 2
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Apologies. Next time, we'll No. No. No. Maybe do two to
Speaker 0
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a slide or something like that.
Speaker 3
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I have an extra pay if you need them. Yeah. Why
Speaker 2
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don't we just go over an overview of the basketball league where we've ended up? So the for the 10 and under, there's eight teams. For boys division, 10 and under, there's eight teams. 12 and under, there's eight teams. 14 and under, there are nine teams.
Speaker 2
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And what I mean by teams is nine recs, eight recs, eight recs that are participating. Playoffs will begin March 7. Championships will be at Providence College on the fourteenth. How many games are in? The seven games in?
Speaker 2
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Seven or eight. Some divisions. Seven or eight games into the season. Then we have the the girls division, 10 and under, teams, six recs, 12 and under, four teams. 14 and under, four teams, and, again, the playoffs, March 7, championships, March 14.
Speaker 0
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Can you go through the numbers one more time on the boys team again? This is from so Kenny was in 18. Correct?
Speaker 2
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Say it again. Eight teams. 10 and under 18. Okay. 12 and under eight teams.
Speaker 2
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14 and under 19.
Speaker 4
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Hello, everyone. Hello.
Speaker 0
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Let the record reflect councilwoman Vargas as attended.
Speaker 1
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Sound naughty. Thank you. So
Speaker 0
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I know, you know, obviously, a few of our rec centers have construction going on at them, Baby Lopes and Jocelyn, I think, in particular. So the so we have eight teams, which obviously says that some which centers didn't fill teams this year?
Speaker 2
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Which ones are not in that? Which division? Which centers did not start with
Speaker 0
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10 with 10 u, I guess.
Speaker 2
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For the boys division, which teams are not because which recs do not have a team?
Speaker 3
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Okay. Which teams do? Kennedy, Zukolo, Weston, Vincent Brown, Radestini, Rogers, Sackett, and Davey Lopes. So it looks like
Speaker 0
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So even though Davey Lopes they're they're and they're working out of the Elmwood Community Center. Right? Correct. Yeah. Right.
Speaker 2
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Okay. And they and then they will also work out of Rollins too as well. They do Yeah. Some co teams with, with Rollins. Right?
Speaker 3
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Okay. So we're not so so
Speaker 0
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which ones are Jackie, which ones are missing from there then? Went through those.
Speaker 3
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Believe Johnson has a co op with in certain divisions, but the ones that are missing right here, John Rounds has a co op as well with David Lopes. David Lopes. Yeah.
Speaker 0
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So what have you guys found that I I don't remember. In previous years, mostly every rec center were able to field teams. Is there was there a drop off in interest this year, or do you feel like the communication might be something that we didn't do or the things that we didn't do before that we did now? Or what's what do you attribute the drop off
Speaker 2
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to? Think it's a multitude of different things. We have to do a better job of getting teams to participate, for one. But, I mean, I'm not here to set up directors under the bus or
Speaker 0
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anything like that. Of course not.
Speaker 2
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We need to just do a better job of planning ahead, starting the league earlier, maybe. For basketball, with that being our core league Yeah. I don't want rec centers to be all about basketball. However, three fourths of each of our facilities is a basketball gym, so we need to focus on justifying the existence of of that.
Speaker 0
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Well, not only that too, but basketball, though, has been one of our more successful programs in terms of in terms of youth participation.
Speaker 2
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Yeah. I think it's getting tricky too with, some of the guidelines we have for participating in the league too. Our rules for participating are a little bit more stringent than what the middle schools and and other schools too as well as far as grade requirements and things like that. That comes into a factor too as well. We don't accept failing grades.
Speaker 2
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That could be problematic with some numbers dropping off too as well. What other reasons can you guys think of it?
Speaker 3
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I think, one reason if if you can follow the sequence of this, the middle school leagues have increased. They've increased in in teams. And some of the feedback that I'm getting from some of the parents is they'd rather have their child pick one or the other. So if you can imagine that their child plays in a middle school game or or is practicing middle school right after school, they know where they're going right after school. By that Mhmm.
Speaker 3
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By the time that's finished, five, 05:15, 05:30, and they rather have their children come home as opposed to going to another practice for a second team. So a lot of times what I'll hear is my mom or my parent or my guardian just wants me to play on one team, which is my school.
Speaker 5
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And, you know, I And I think some schools,
Speaker 2
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do not allow them to participate in both leagues too as well. So that that's the drawbacks where they can't play in two
Speaker 0
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two leagues. Right. But that's I mean, the the middle schoolers are more the 14 u and, I guess, the 12 u somewhat, but not not 10 u. Mhmm.
Speaker 3
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And that's six, seven, and eight.
Speaker 0
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Yeah. But 10 year olds aren't. 10 year olds are fourth and fifth. Right?
Speaker 1
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Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4
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Fifth would be the oldest.
Speaker 0
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Yeah.
Speaker 2
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I think it's it's no one
Speaker 3
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Yeah.