MLSE Foundation, adidas Partner to Elevate Midnight Basketball Program
MLSE Foundation is proud to announce adidas as the new presenting sponsor for Midnight Basketball, a program in partnership with Toronto Community Housing and the Toronto Raptors that provides free basketball programming for youth ages 13-18.
On Friday, the program celebrated the launch of a new season at MLSE LaunchPad with a welcome dinner, a memorable adidas jersey reveal and shoe activation, and some on-court drills and competition.
“MLSE Foundation is proud to partner with adidas to elevate this important program and continue bringing accessible basketball opportunities to communities across the GTA,” said Tanya Mruck, MLSE Foundation’s Vice President of Community and Engagement and Social Impact. “With committed partners like Adidas and impactful programs like Midnight Basketball, we continue to achieve our mission of removing barriers from sport participation so that all youth have a chance to reach their full potential.”
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"What makes Midnight Basketball so unique is the fact that we can bring every neighborhood together and figure out common ground, which is basketball."
The program runs in two cohorts, each spanning eight weeks from 9PM – Midnight on Fridays to help keep youth active at a notoriously dangerous time of night. Midnight Basketball provides participants with exposure to foundational mentorship opportunities. It also embeds life skills including physical literacy and teamwork into its curriculum in addition to teaching basketball skill development.
“The past three years of being in this program have helped me to become the point guard I am to play at college next year,” one participant from the Brahms-Sparroways community said. “But also, I’ve learned to be to be a respectful, in using the tools that I’ve learned here to be a young, respectful man.”
Launched as a pilot in 2013, Midnight Basketball has become a cornerstone for the Toronto Community Housing neighborhood. Since its existence, the program has impacted over 2,000 participants and has continued to expand its reach across TCHC communities in the east, central and west regions of the city.
“What makes Midnight Basketball so unique is the fact that we can bring every neighborhood together and figure out common ground, which is basketball,” one participant said.
“It’s really just a connection that I can build with friends that don’t have the same luxury of getting on the team for school or being able to afford an AAU team"
“It’s great to become a team with players and people from the same block that don’t really play on outside teams,” another participant from the Brahms-Sparroways community said. “It’s really just a connection that I can build with friends that don’t have the same luxury of getting on the team for school or being able to afford an AAU team so it’s about being able to make memories.”
Midnight Basketball also provides a pipeline for youth to move from player participant to coach in their respective community, which is a point of pride for many.
“For me, it’s an honour to coach my community,” a youth from Moss Park said. “I also want to bring the trophy back to my community and show them what Moss Park is made of and put Moss Park on the map.”
Cohort one of the program will run out of MLSE LaunchPad, University of Toronto Athletic Centre, and culminates with the championship tournament at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on June 13th.
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MLSE Foundation is proud to announce adidas as the new presenting sponsor for Midnight Basketball, a program in partnership with Toronto Community Housing and the Toronto Raptors that provides free basketball programming for youth ages 13-18.
On Friday, the program celebrated the launch of a new season at MLSE LaunchPad with a welcome dinner, a memorable adidas jersey reveal and shoe activation, and some on-court drills and competition.
“MLSE Foundation is proud to partner with adidas to elevate this important program and continue bringing accessible basketball opportunities to communities across the GTA,” said Tanya Mruck, MLSE Foundation’s Vice President of Community and Engagement and Social Impact. “With committed partners like Adidas and impactful programs like Midnight Basketball, we continue to achieve our mission of removing barriers from sport participation so that all youth have a chance to reach their full potential.”
"What makes Midnight Basketball so unique is the fact that we can bring every neighborhood together and figure out common ground, which is basketball."
The program runs in two cohorts, each spanning eight weeks from 9PM – Midnight on Fridays to help keep youth active at a notoriously dangerous time of night. Midnight Basketball provides participants with exposure to foundational mentorship opportunities. It also embeds life skills including physical literacy and teamwork into its curriculum in addition to teaching basketball skill development.
“The past three years of being in this program have helped me to become the point guard I am to play at college next year,” one participant from the Brahms-Sparroways community said. “But also, I’ve learned to be to be a respectful, in using the tools that I’ve learned here to be a young, respectful man.”
Launched as a pilot in 2013, Midnight Basketball has become a cornerstone for the Toronto Community Housing neighborhood. Since its existence, the program has impacted over 2,000 participants and has continued to expand its reach across TCHC communities in the east, central and west regions of the city.
“What makes Midnight Basketball so unique is the fact that we can bring every neighborhood together and figure out common ground, which is basketball,” one participant said.
“It’s really just a connection that I can build with friends that don’t have the same luxury of getting on the team for school or being able to afford an AAU team"
“It’s great to become a team with players and people from the same block that don’t really play on outside teams,” another participant from the Brahms-Sparroways community said. “It’s really just a connection that I can build with friends that don’t have the same luxury of getting on the team for school or being able to afford an AAU team so it’s about being able to make memories.”
Midnight Basketball also provides a pipeline for youth to move from player participant to coach in their respective community, which is a point of pride for many.
“For me, it’s an honour to coach my community,” a youth from Moss Park said. “I also want to bring the trophy back to my community and show them what Moss Park is made of and put Moss Park on the map.”
Cohort one of the program will run out of MLSE LaunchPad, University of Toronto Athletic Centre, and culminates with the championship tournament at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on June 13th.
MORE STORIES
MLSE Foundation is proud to announce adidas as the new presenting sponsor for Midnight Basketball, a program in partnership with Toronto Community Housing and the Toronto Raptors that provides free basketball programming for youth ages 13-18.
On Friday, the program celebrated the launch of a new season at MLSE LaunchPad with a welcome dinner, a memorable adidas jersey reveal and shoe activation, and some on-court drills and competition.
“MLSE Foundation is proud to partner with adidas to elevate this important program and continue bringing accessible basketball opportunities to communities across the GTA,” said Tanya Mruck, MLSE Foundation’s Vice President of Community and Engagement and Social Impact. “With committed partners like Adidas and impactful programs like Midnight Basketball, we continue to achieve our mission of removing barriers from sport participation so that all youth have a chance to reach their full potential.”
Program Participant, Malvern
The program runs in two cohorts, each spanning eight weeks from 9PM – Midnight on Fridays to help keep youth active at a notoriously dangerous time of night. Midnight Basketball provides participants with exposure to foundational mentorship opportunities. It also embeds life skills including physical literacy and teamwork into its curriculum in addition to teaching basketball skill development.
“The past three years of being in this program have helped me to become the point guard I am to play at college next year,” one participant from the Brahms-Sparroways community said. “But also, I’ve learned to be to be a respectful, in using the tools that I’ve learned here to be a young, respectful man.”
Launched as a pilot in 2013, Midnight Basketball has become a cornerstone for the Toronto Community Housing neighborhood. Since its existence, the program has impacted over 2,000 participants and has continued to expand its reach across TCHC communities in the east, central and west regions of the city.
“What makes Midnight Basketball so unique is the fact that we can bring every neighborhood together and figure out common ground, which is basketball,” one participant said.
Program participant, Brahms-Sparroways
“It’s great to become a team with players and people from the same block that don’t really play on outside teams,” another participant from the Brahms-Sparroways community said. “It’s really just a connection that I can build with friends that don’t have the same luxury of getting on the team for school or being able to afford an AAU team so it’s about being able to make memories.”
Midnight Basketball also provides a pipeline for youth to move from player participant to coach in their respective community, which is a point of pride for many.
“For me, it’s an honour to coach my community,” a youth from Moss Park said. “I also want to bring the trophy back to my community and show them what Moss Park is made of and put Moss Park on the map.”
Cohort one of the program will run out of MLSE LaunchPad, University of Toronto Athletic Centre, and culminates with the championship tournament at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on June 13th.
