Welcome to North Coast Sports California!
This site is dedicated to organizing sports information for the North Coast communities of California. We are a directory of leagues, teams, clubs, tournaments, and more. Please share with your friends and check back often to connect with your favorite sport!
Community sports can be categorized in many different ways:
*AGE
*SPORT
*SKILL LEVEL
*AREA
*GENDER
*SCHOOL
*TRAVEL
*CLUB
For me it is easiest to think about sports by age progressions- youth to adult. I have organized information by age and by area.
SPORTS BY AGE GROUP
AGES 4ISH TO 18
YOUTH SPORTS
Ages 4ish to 18ish
Youth sports are generally organized by a non profit organization such as Little League for baseball. These sports typically start around age 4 or 5 and have teams up to ages 16-18. These teams will have a sign up period several months before the beginning of the season. They might host tryouts of some sort. Kids are placed on teams that are usually coached by local volunteers, sponsored by local businesses, and play with in a specific league area. Youth sports leagues require a volunteer board to oversee and organize. The goal of most youth sports organizations is to teach basic skills, team building, and a love of the sport.
SCHOOL SPORTS
Grades 5th-8th
School sports start to be offered around 5th or 6th grade in many schools. These teams are organized and overseen by the school a player attends. They are usually part of a local league for all of their sports. Kids who play multiple sports will start to get to know the same players they may eventually play with or against when they get to high school. School Sports are typically coached by a parent, teacher, or community member who gets a small stipend for their time or is a volunteer. School sports are a great opportunity for building skills, athletic ability, self confidence, teamwork, and friendships
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
GRADES 9TH TO 12TH
Once kids get to the high school level, they play under the CIF umbrella and are held to the same rules across the state. Some schools are able to fully fund their athletic programs. Most are able to provide the framework for the program with an athletic director and coaches, while uniforms and equipment may be fundraised by the teams and/or Booster Clubs. High schools are part of a local league, then a regional section, and some sports are divided by Northern and Southern California for state championship titles. For example, schools in Humboldt are part of the Humboldt Del Norte League (HDNL) and the North Coast Sections (NCS).
CLUB AND TRAVEL TEAMS
Ages 10ish to 18
Club and travel teams usually start around the junior high age in many areas. Some schools have these teams. But mostly they are a small business or non profit that organizes a club. These teams cost money to participate in, they travel within a state or region, but may travel across the country or out of the country also. The teams predominately play in tournaments only.
