It was 1963, the heart of the “baby boom”, when a small group of members of our community led by Harvey Cohen, Elgie Johnson, Herb Lyon, and Bob Stuart brought together separate youth sports associations in Port Washington under one umbrella organization to be known as PYA. Early on in those years, the Port Washington Sewer District and the Lions Club offered the use of the 10-acre property at Lions Field as the home for our outdoor sports. 

Over the past 60 years, countless PYA alumni athletes have “come back to give back” as volunteer coaches, board members, officers, and recognized Hall-of-Famers, investing their time in our programs and field and facilities development to make PYA the best youth sports organization on Long Island. In 2000, PYA launched its most aggressive and effective fund-raising effort to date with the “Field of Dreams” Lions Field redevelopment project, yielding an upgraded, state-of-the-art, privately funded sports facility.

To celebrate our 60th year, we’re looking to make it our most momentous yet! We are continuing to expand our programs and make significant facilities improvements that will forge our path for many more years to come.

Check out PYA through the years in our 60th Anniversary video here.

PYA is excited to announce the transformation of the baseball and softball infields on Field 2 and Field 3 to state-of-the-art turf! The project will begin in late Fall to be ready for the Spring 2024 season.

Turf infields will benefit our programs by requiring less maintenance and allowing for quicker after-rain preparation time to ensure our fields are playable more often. Turf will allow for more practice and game time, which will help keep our PYA programs performing at the highest level, and will save thousands of dollars in maintenance costs annually. 

PYA has committed funds to begin Phase One of this project in November. We are now reaching out to our friends and the community to help us reach Phase Two; adding turf infields to the remaining three baseball and softball fields, and enhancing the main plaza and walkways connecting the fields.    

The costs for Phase Two are estimated at $700,000. We will be providing more details on the 60th Anniversary Field of Dreams II Fund Drive soon. If you are interested in supporting this momentous renovation, please contact info@pyasports.org. 

PYA Baseball is off to a great start this Spring and the program has never been stronger. There are over 200 kids playing in the pre-K, K, and 1st grade tee-ball program and over 300 ballplayers on 24 teams competing in our Little League divisions. PYA has established itself as one of the preeminent baseball programs in Nassau County, which is evidenced not only by the success of the intramural program, but also by the incredible growth in our Legends travel baseball program, of which we have over 200 players. 

PYA has also been working closely with the Port Washington school district's athletic teams and coaches to help provide a strong connection between current and future Weber and Schreiber athletes. On May 21st, the Schreiber Varsity and JV baseball teams held a clinic for baseball players in grades 2-6. It was a great event, in which over 75 kids attended and were thrilled to be playing with the big guys.

This year’s softball and girls tee-ball program has over 165 players. Before the season started, Joe Maniscalco, Founder of New York Blue Fire Fastpitch Softball, sat down with our coaches for an evening of training. He went over the key skills to develop at each level and how to effectively run a softball practice. On Tuesday April 4th, we held our Varsity and JV Softball Clinic, which is a popular event for both our PYA and high school softball players. The high school athletes took over the PYA program for the day, while Varsity Coach Sutz led our PYA coaches in a training clinic demonstrating different drills and techniques to use with young players.

PYA baseball and softball little league and travel games are in full swing! Come down to Lions Field to cheer them on almost any night of the week. Play Ball! 

Spring Travel Lacrosse hit the fields with over 230 athletes playing in the girls and boys programs ranging from grades 1-6. On Friday, April 28th the boys were able to showcase their skills during halftime of the Schreiber Boys Varsity game, and the girls will be doing the same on Thursday, May 4th at halftime of the Girls Varsity 7pm game. Come watch Port’s stars of today and tomorrow!

Additionally, the training programs are underway with almost 100 Pre-K and K participants in our Lil’ Kids Lax program, along with the 50 players in our newly launched intramural lacrosse program. Offered to grades 1-6, PYA Intramural Lacrosse is an 8-week clinic run on Saturdays that is structured as 45 minutes of instruction followed by 45 minutes of small-sided games. It’s the perfect introduction to lacrosse for those that want to try it, and is a great way for experienced players to fine-tune their game. 

Our 2nd season of girls flag football has kicked off and has been a huge success! The program runs from April through June and is held on Sunday nights at the Schreiber "Pit." There are 18 teams within 3 divisions across 6 grades. With around 200 girls participating, the program has already doubled in size and has introduced PYA to many new families. 

Photo Credit: @cathygillenphotography

The 3rd annual PYA Spring Softball Bash Parent Fundraiser is almost here! The event will take place on Saturday, May 13th, 12:30-7:45pm, at Lions Field. It will feature opening ceremonies, co-ed softball games, skills competitions, premium local barbecue and other food for purchase, raffles, prizes, live music and more! Men and women of all skill levels have a chance to support PYA while having fun. Parents and kids trade places, as the parents run out onto the field to take some swings and field some balls, while the kids cheer them on from the sidelines.

The Bash is PYA’s largest fundraiser, and proceeds support scholarships and field improvements. It has become one of the most highly anticipated PYA events - Join us on May 13th and you’ll see why! To sign up to participate or be an event sponsor, visit www.pyasports.org/bash.