Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program Offers $2,500 Grants to Qualifying Youth Sports Organizations and School Athletic Programs

Organizations can register at www.responsiblesports.com until November 30 for their chance to earn grants

To mirror the responsibility these dedicated coaches and parents demonstrate, Liberty Mutual supports and celebrates their efforts by helping to offset some financial barriers to providing a positive youth sports experience.

Boston (PRWEB) October 15, 2008 -- Fall sports are as much a part of autumn as hot apple cider and the changing of the leaves. Every year an estimated 35 million children run, kick, throw, and skate in youth leagues around the country, and a record 7.4 million kids participated in high school sports last year. These leagues and school teams offer more than just the ability to play, they create a network where coaches and parents can teach the universal values of commitment, discipline, responsibility and teamwork.

The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program, created in partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), US Youth Soccer, USA Football, USA Hockey and the Amateur Softball Association - is awarding twenty $2,500 Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports grants. Liberty Mutual will award grants to youth sports organizations and school athletic programs that have the most individuals in their community complete the online Responsible Sports curriculum on their behalf. Grant applicants may register at www.responsiblesports.com until November 30 for their chance to earn $2,500 for their league or team.

Behind Responsible Sports Community Grants

The touchdowns and goals players will score this season are made possible by the often-unheralded work of coaches and parents, who are tasked with scheduling games and referees, purchasing new equipment, and maintaining athletic fields and facilities - usually on shoestring budgets. The Responsible Sports Community Grants will help 20 leagues or teams put their budgetary concerns aside for a year, allowing coaches and parents to focus on the more important issue of providing an environment where children can reap the benefits of youth sports.

''Everyday, hundreds of thousands of adults donate their time and energy to ensure that children have the opportunity to experience youth sports,'' says Jim Thompson, Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports spokesman, and founder and executive director of Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization that has provided workshops to more than 300,000 youth sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. "To mirror the responsibility these dedicated coaches and parents demonstrate, Liberty Mutual supports and celebrates their efforts by helping to offset some financial barriers to providing a positive youth sports experience."

''The Responsible Sports program recognizes that youth sports encompass more than developing skills and learning the rules of a game. They serve a greater good of teaching valuable life lessons - responsible behavior, sportsmanship and commitment - from their coaches and parents,'' says Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing.

The Responsible Sports website offers parents and coaches constructive tips, expert advice and practical examples to help create a positive sports environment for children; including sports safety, goal-setting, and communication with young athletes. These tips are also highlighted in the embedded video. To post this video on your blog or website, please use the embed code found at YouTube. Among these are guidelines on how to:

• Establish constructive relationships between coaches, parents, and league officials
• Emphasize principles other than winning
• Lead by example on and around the field

About Liberty Mutual Group
''Helping people live safer, more secure lives'' since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and sixth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2007 direct written premium. Liberty Mutual Group ranks 94th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2007 revenue. The company has over 41,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 10,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

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